Fluoride In Public Water: Pros And Cons

Another issue of controversy is the safety of the chemicals used to fluoridate water. The most commonly used additives are silicofluorides, not the fluoride salts used in dental products (such as sodium fluoride and stannous fluoride). Silicofluorides are one of the by-products from the manufacture of phosphate fertilizers. The toxicity database on silicofluorides is sparse and questions have been raised about the assumption that they completely dissociate in water and, therefore, have toxicity similar to the fluoride salts tested in laboratory studies and used in consumer products (Coplan and Masters 2001). It also has been maintained that, because of individual variations in exposure to fluoride, it is difficult to ensure that the right individual dose to protect against dental caries is provided through large-scale water fluoridation. In addition, a body of information has developed that indicates the major anticaries benefit of fluoride is topical and not systemic (Zero et al. 1992; Rölla and Ekstrand 1996; Featherstone 1999; Limeback 1999a; Clarkson and McLoughlin 2000; CDC 2001; Fejerskov

Fluorine is an element that reacts with minerals in the earth to create a salt. The salt is often naturally occurring in nature and is found in very small amounts in urban and rural wells. Although it is

Fluorides are compounds that have been combined with the element fluorine with another substance usually a metal (Cancer.org 2015). Fluoride is a naturally occurring element found in rocks, in soil everywhere, in fresh water and in ocean water (Fluoride information network 2015). Fluorides strengthen teeth already present inside the mouth. Once in the digestive tract they travel through the blood to areas with high

The history of fluoride dates back to the 1940’s when an experiment was conducted in four major cities in the United States to see if water fluoridation would help the communities with dental cavities. This study states that “Over a ten year period of fluoridation, the incidence of cavities in each city was cut in half. The beneficial effect of fluoride was not dependent on the source of the fluoride” (Fallon 2006 pg. 2). The benefits of fluoride are great because if a person takes in some fluoride over a period of time there will be less cavities and he/she will have stronger teeth. Arkansas Dental Hygiene Association states, “Community water fluoridation is an effective, safe, and inexpensive way to prevent tooth decay. Fluoridation benefits Americans of all ages and socioeconomic status.” It has been proven that the use of fluoride dental products can effectively prevent tooth decay in

The government uses fluoride to control us because an effect of it is that it affects the brain’s learning and memory.

Fluoride is an artificial waste product of nuclear, aluminum, and phosphate fertilizer companies. Fluoride has the ability to combine and increase the toxicity of other toxic materials. Fluoride acquired from industrial waste and added to water supplies it is also polluted with lead, aluminum, and cadmium.

Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral and can be found in water in differing amounts dependent on which area of the UK that you reside in. Fluoride can also be found in certain foods such as tea and fish as well as a lot of our toothpastes and mouthwashes. The main reason it’s now manufactured and subsequently added into our public

- A small amount of fluoride is not dangerous, consider both the NFA and the WHO, says

I think fluoridation of public drinking water has both beneficial and detrimental effects on human health. However, I believe that there are more positive impacts of fluoride on human health. One positive impact of fluoride on human health is its contribution to prevention of dental caries. The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified dental caries (cavities) as a worldwide epidemic and recommends adding fluoride to drinking water where naturally occurring levels of fluoride are below optimal levels. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that fluoridation of the public water supply is the most equitable, cost-effective, and cost-saving method of delivering fluoride to promoting healthy communities.” Additionally,

Fluoride is a naturally occurring nutrient that can be found in food and drinks especially in water, however in extremely small amounts

Community water fluoridation is "the controlled addition of fluoride compound to a public water supply to achieve a concentration optimal for dental caries prevention" (Rockville,2000, cited in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015, p.1). Notwithstanding the general perception of community water fluoridation worldwide, which recognizes it as an opportunity, some opponents see it as a hazard.

Fluoride Free Nz is one of those organisations who are against fluoridating water supplies in New Zealand. As some are aware, the fluoride added to our water source is hydrofluoric acid which is a by product of aluminum, steel, cement and phosphate, and is manufactured to make things such as plastics and toothpaste. From these byproducts, diseases such as, Cancers, Skeletal Fluorosis and Dental Fluorosis are more likely to occur. There have also been studies that children's IQ’s lower over time. A concern for many New Zealand residents is the fact that the intake of Silicofluoride cannot be a controlled dosage, due to not knowing how much an individual will drink daily. Of course, the more intake of fluoride means less is going to be released from the body. In adults, around 40-50% of the non excreted fluoride remains in the body. Large quantities accumulate in the bone tissue and pineal gland, affecting movement of an individual. Children excrete even less, with around 80% remaining in their bones. Knowing this, more New Zealanders are opting to remove fluoride from the water

Adair et al., utilized methods for this study where children were examined by calibrated two dentists and parents completing a questionnaire about fluoride exposure. The population in this study included children whose school drinking water was fluoridated. Differences between the population groups came from home water supply either being fluoridated or non-fluoridated. A major limitation of this study is that only a small sample size in rural Georgia was assessed.

Water fluoridation reaches more than 6% of the world's population, but it is highly controversial. Concerns revolve around the fact that fluoride is actually moderately toxic (pure fluorine is highly toxic and lethal), and long-term exposure to large amounts of the chemical causes numerous health problems (most notably, aberrant bone formation). Scientific consensus is that this compound can be added to public water supplies without posing risks to human health as long as it doesn't exceed a strict concentration level (1.5 mg/L according to the WHO). Nevertheless, numerous health and human right institutions vouch for the end of water fluoridation on the grounds that the risks to human health haven't been appropriately studied. Improper water treatment in Asian and African countries, where the concentration of fluoride in some natural water supplies vastly exceeds safety levels, results in millions of fluoride poisoning

Summary: The article highlights that there are certain water systems which use advanced technology to get rid of harmful contaminants from water like fluoride. This is useful to attain pure drinking water.