Fluoride is a by-product of steel manufacturing, and was also a byproduct of the manufacture of the atomic bomb in the 1940’s. It seems that fluoride combines with uranium to form the gas uranium hexafluoride, which, when passed through a semi permeable membrane, separates bomb-grade, fissionable uranium-235 from the much more abundant and stable uranium-238. This done, fluoride is released into the environment as waste, where it can damage crops, livestock, and humans.

The US government, prodded by industrialists and officials involved in The Manhattan Project, decided to give fluoride a friendlier face, and found the solution in a simple measure that would appear to be a health benefit. Since about 1945, fluoride has been added to municipal water supplies at a concentration of 1 part per million. This is done, ostensibly, to keep children under the age of six from getting cavities. Therefore, it is a medication that is added to the water supply. Little attention is given to the fact that this medication may not be appropriate for adults. It seems obvious to me that medicating the water supply is not a democratic idea.

There are many health problems associated with fluoridation, such as an increase in uterine cancer mortality, a rate of dental fluorosis (fluoride-induced toxicity and tooth mottling) as high as 72% in children, lower fertility rates, and osteogenic sarcoma, a malignancy.

A significant number of studies found that fluoridated water may in fact increase the rate of fractures, even though fluoride may provide a higher bone mass. In one study it was found that the highest fluoride content in bone ash was found in skeletons of women with the most severe osteoporosis.1

Fluoride is a poison. It is the 13th most common -- and one of the most toxic -- elements in the earth's crust. Its regular use on a long-term basis results in serious health effects. Among the ways it can affect living beings, including people, the two major ones are that

· It disrupts enzymes (by changing their hydrogen bonds) and prevents them from doing their job of producing proteins, collagen in particular, which is the structural protein for bone and teeth, ligaments, tendons and muscles.

· It also damages DNA repair enzymes and prevents the formation of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase in the brain, which is involved in conveying signals along nerve cells.

Since all cells in the body depend on enzymes, fluoride can have widespread toxic effects. Among them are dental fluorosis, the white spotted, yellow or brown permanently stained teeth, and skeletal fluorosis, a debilitating condition that occurs when fluoride accumulates in bones, making them extremely weak and brittle. In addition, fluoride can severely damage the brain, both directly and indirectly. Interestingly, many European countries banned fluoride from their water supply many years ago. Their research had convincingly linked fluoride with the following:

· Fluoride disrupts the synthesis of collagen and leads to breakdown in the bone, tendon, skin, cartilage, lungs, trachea, and kidney.

· Fluoride inhibits the formation of antibodies in the blood, which cause a disruptive effect on various tissues in the body, which then confuses the immune system and causes it to attack its own tissues.

· Fluoride increases the tumor growth and the general cancer rate.

· Fluoride has been linked to cancer, low IQ's in children, genetic disorders and muscle degeneration. 2

...Dr. Rubin continues, “I'm most concerned that a chemical like this is put into water supplies that affect entire populations. What about informed consent? What about medicating entire groups of people who would receive no benefit? Is that ethical? As a dentist, I sat on the fence for a number of years before really sitting down to take the time to research the fluoride issue. Once I did my homework, I worked hard to increase awareness of the issue. Most of my fellow dentists will not even consider the possibility that fluoride is harmful simply because it is not what we were taught in dental school and the ADA supports water fluoridation. Books, minds and parachutes need to be open in order to work properly! I'd like to see more health professionals with open minds and less touting the party line on health issues like this.”

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