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Fluoride Research Paper

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Fluoride and the thyroid

We’ve discussed the many invisible ingredients in our tap water with fluoride being one of them. We’ve also touched upon the dangers of each individual ingredient and just what they can do to our health over a long period of time but here we’re going to delve a little deeper. This article will be looking at fluoride and its affect on your thyroid.

Why is fluoride in our drinking water?

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 …show more content…

One particular published study during this period of time found doses of a mere 2 to 3 milligrams of fluoride (a dose that many people receive in their tap water) were sufficient enough to reduce the thyroid activity in patients suffering from hyperthyroid. Fluoride was first used as an anti-thyroid treatment due to research that began way back in the 1800’s. This research linked the ingestion of fluoride to something known as goitre. Goitre is a swelling of the thyroid gland that happens due to a hypothyroid condition. In the ‘Fluoride in Drinking Water: A Scientific Review of EPA’s Standards’ report in 2006, the National Research Council reported ‘several lines of information’ which indicated an effect that fluoride had on the function of the thyroid. In addition to this, the National Research Council discussed research that linked fluoride to have an impact on parathyroid activity along with the impairment of tolerance to glucose and the timing of sexual maturity. In light of such findings, the National Research Council then recommended that further research be carried out on various aspects of endocrine function with particular attention being paid to the possible role of disease development or even mental states. In spite of this, fluoridation continues and warnings go …show more content…

On the contrary, altered thyroid function can be associated with an intake of fluoride as low as 0.05-0.1mg of fluoride per kg of bodyweight per day. If you happen to suffer from an iodine deficiency then you could notice an alteration with a dosage as little as 0.03mg/kg/day. This means for a person of 70kg (that’s roughly 154lbs), just 3.5mg of fluoride per day could end in a thyroid dysfunction. The most recent analysis relating to exposure was taken by the US Environmental Protection Agency. They estimated that an average adult was consuming around 3mg of fluoride per day with some regularly ingesting up to 6mg per day. What they found to be even more concerning however were the doses for children. With an average 14kg child (around 30lbs), the fluoride intake of more than 0.7mg per day were enough to put them at risk yet figures showed children within this weight range to be consuming around 1.5mg of fluoride each and every day and in some cases more. This meant that children were consuming more than twice the amount that was necessary to alter the thyroid function. Chronic exposures such as this could have a seriously detrimental impact along with life-long effects on the intellectual, social and even sexual development of children as they

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