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Oral Health
Icelandic Volcanic Ash Poses Fluoride Contamination Risk
Date: 21/05/10
This threat comes from the fluoride, in volcanic ash, contaminating our drinking water and as a result of animals, such as cattle and sheep, consuming ash deposited on grass and soil. With the volcano erupting a second time in a month there are fears that this risk may be bigger than first thought.
Yesterday I told you about Thailand’s endeavour to reduce the amount of fluoride in bottled drinking water, in an effort to reduce the risk of discoloured teeth and dental fluorosis among young children.
Whilst health authorities in Thailand recognise the health risks posed by this toxin, other countries have been slow to cotton on. It’s clear that our battle against fluoride is far from over, especially when medical and food authorities like the European Food and Safety Authority (EFSA) are still intent on broadcasting their pro-fluoride message which is based on biased and outdated facts...
Fluoride: Cause for concern
We’ve all heard the news and some of us may even have been affected by the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland. Yet, most people probably remain unaware that fluoride, from the volcanic ash, has been identified as posing a big risk to human and animal health...
This threat comes from the fluoride, in volcanic ash, contaminating our drinking water and as a result of animals, such as cattle and sheep, consuming ash deposited on grass and soil. With the volcano erupting a second time in a month there are fears that this risk may be bigger than first thought.
Yet, the EFSA believes the risk of fluoride contamination from the volcano is negligible and should not be a concern for humans and animals in the European Union...
Shocking!
Robert Pocock from the Voice of Irish Concern for the Environment strongly disagrees: “EFSA’s previous risk assessment of fluoride on which its views of the hazards of fluoride from the Icelandic volcano are based, are deeply flawed. If accepted, it would put thousands more children in Ireland at risk of permanent damage to their teeth through ‘moderate’ dental fluorosis.”
And Mr. Pocock is right. Ireland is the only country in Europe with a mandatory fluoridation policy - fluoride has been added to their water since 1963. At present approximately 73 per cent of Irish people are drinking water treated with industrial grade fluoride. One of the major side effects of fluoridation is fluorosis - an overexposure to fluoride which affects the enamel on our teeth.
According to the Oral Health Services Research Centre in Cork, Ireland, by the age of 15 years, approx 1 per cent (or 400) children in Ireland have developed 'moderate' dental fluorosis and 1 per cent of children have developed 'severe' dental fluorosis, with only 63 per cent of children in the Republic of Ireland having ‘normal enamel’.
The EFSA makes the totally irresponsible claim that for a 60Kg adult a lifetime daily intake of 7.2mg fluoride is safe. This ‘safe limit’ totally disregards established evidence that as little as 2 to 3mg of clinically- administered fluoride per day reduces normal thyroid functioning in adults.
Not only that, but it also contravenes the daily upper limit recommended by The World Health Organisation (WHO) which is set at 4mg per day (in fact it’s almost twice as much!). Anything higher than 4mg, consumed regularly, could cause bone abnormalities, joint pain and disability.
Whilst it’s still difficult to determine what the impact of the new volcanic fluoride risks may be, the fact remains that thousands of children in Ireland as well as a few fluoridated areas of England, are already at risk from over- exposure to fluoride from their drinking water...
Fluoride: How children are paying the price...
The EFSA states that fluoride is not essential for human growth and development but is beneficial in preventing dental caries (that’s debatable, especially when you look at the situation in Ireland...). Yet, they do recognise that excessive intake of fluoride can lead to dental fluorosis and in the long term reduce bone strength and increase risks of fracture and skeletal fluorosis.
But that’s not the only health risk hidden in your glass of fluoridated water.
A number of studies have shown that exposure to fluoride can cause behavioural changes. At a 1998 conference on fluoride in Washington, Professor Roger Masters reported a significant link between the blood lead levels of 280 000 children in Massachusetts and the use of silicofluorides (the fluoride added to our water supply – waste products of the fertiliser and glass industries).
Fluoride increases the toxic effects and absorption of lead. Both in the UK and in the American state of Georgia, behavioural changes associated with lead toxicity, such as violent crimes, are more frequently reported in communities using silicofluorides than in fluoride-free areas.
At the same conference in 1998, neurotoxicologist Dr. Phyllis Mullinix, from the Boston Children’s Hospital in Massachusetts reported on the results of a study using two steroids to treat childhood leukaemia. One of the steroids had a fluoride atom in its structure, and the use of this steroid caused behavioural patterns typical of hyperactivity.
A follow-up study also showed a significant drop in the average IQ scores of the children given the steroid with fluoride, compared with those taking the non-fluoride steroid...
Fluoride: Additional studies mirror this finding
New studies from China show that an excessive intake of fluoride can build-up in the brain and permanently reduce the IQ of children.
Two very similar suburban villages in the Shanxi province in China have only one major difference: the level of calcium fluoride in their water supply.
Xinghau’s water contains 0.91 part per million (ppm) of fluoride and 14 per cent of the population has dental fluorosis – mottling, softening, porosity and brittleness of the teeth. They have no cases of skeletal fluorosis.
In contrast, the neighbouring village, Sima, has 4.12 ppm fluoride in its water. 86 per cent of the population shows clear evidence of dental fluorosis and 9 per cent has clinically diagnosed skeletal fluorosis.
In each village, 160 randomly selected children (excluding those with congenital or acquired disease not related to fluoride) took a standard IQ test lasting 40 minutes. Each child’s mother lived in one of the villages during pregnancy. The two studies came to extraordinary and identical conclusions: exposure to high fluoride significantly lowers intelligence, as measured by IQ scores.
While we wait for a more conclusive report on the possible fluoride contamination risks relating to the volcanic ash polluting the European airways, you can get involved by participating in a letter writing campaign to stop water companies adding fluoride to tap water.
Contact the Alliance for Natural Health - Europe website, this link will show you how to campaign for clean drinking water in your area. Select 'Get Involved' on the menu bar on the left-hand side of the page to see how you can make a difference.
Fluoride: Related Reading
Your Fluoride Protection Plan...
Fluoride Linked To A High Incidence Of Bone Cancer
Fluoride in drinking water should be banned
Sources:
‘Fluoride in Irish drinking water is an unproven drug at uncontrolled dosage’ published online, 20.05.2004, greenparty.ie
‘Statement of EFSA on the possible risks for public and animal health from the contamination of the feed and food chain due to possible ash-fall following the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland - urgent advice’ published online, EFSA Journal 2010; 8(4):1593
‘Fluoride risks in volcanic ash expose incompetence of EU food safety authority’ published online 04.05.2010, anh- europe.org
‘Fluoride’ 1996;29:187-8, 1996;29:190-2, 1998;31:175
Back to topWhilst health authorities in Thailand recognise the health risks posed by this toxin, other countries have been slow to cotton on. It’s clear that our battle against fluoride is far from over, especially when medical and food authorities like the European Food and Safety Authority (EFSA) are still intent on broadcasting their pro-fluoride message which is based on biased and outdated facts...
Fluoride: Cause for concern
We’ve all heard the news and some of us may even have been affected by the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland. Yet, most people probably remain unaware that fluoride, from the volcanic ash, has been identified as posing a big risk to human and animal health...
This threat comes from the fluoride, in volcanic ash, contaminating our drinking water and as a result of animals, such as cattle and sheep, consuming ash deposited on grass and soil. With the volcano erupting a second time in a month there are fears that this risk may be bigger than first thought.
Yet, the EFSA believes the risk of fluoride contamination from the volcano is negligible and should not be a concern for humans and animals in the European Union...
Shocking!
Robert Pocock from the Voice of Irish Concern for the Environment strongly disagrees: “EFSA’s previous risk assessment of fluoride on which its views of the hazards of fluoride from the Icelandic volcano are based, are deeply flawed. If accepted, it would put thousands more children in Ireland at risk of permanent damage to their teeth through ‘moderate’ dental fluorosis.”
And Mr. Pocock is right. Ireland is the only country in Europe with a mandatory fluoridation policy - fluoride has been added to their water since 1963. At present approximately 73 per cent of Irish people are drinking water treated with industrial grade fluoride. One of the major side effects of fluoridation is fluorosis - an overexposure to fluoride which affects the enamel on our teeth.
According to the Oral Health Services Research Centre in Cork, Ireland, by the age of 15 years, approx 1 per cent (or 400) children in Ireland have developed 'moderate' dental fluorosis and 1 per cent of children have developed 'severe' dental fluorosis, with only 63 per cent of children in the Republic of Ireland having ‘normal enamel’.
The EFSA makes the totally irresponsible claim that for a 60Kg adult a lifetime daily intake of 7.2mg fluoride is safe. This ‘safe limit’ totally disregards established evidence that as little as 2 to 3mg of clinically- administered fluoride per day reduces normal thyroid functioning in adults.
Not only that, but it also contravenes the daily upper limit recommended by The World Health Organisation (WHO) which is set at 4mg per day (in fact it’s almost twice as much!). Anything higher than 4mg, consumed regularly, could cause bone abnormalities, joint pain and disability.
Whilst it’s still difficult to determine what the impact of the new volcanic fluoride risks may be, the fact remains that thousands of children in Ireland as well as a few fluoridated areas of England, are already at risk from over- exposure to fluoride from their drinking water...
Fluoride: How children are paying the price...
The EFSA states that fluoride is not essential for human growth and development but is beneficial in preventing dental caries (that’s debatable, especially when you look at the situation in Ireland...). Yet, they do recognise that excessive intake of fluoride can lead to dental fluorosis and in the long term reduce bone strength and increase risks of fracture and skeletal fluorosis.
But that’s not the only health risk hidden in your glass of fluoridated water.
A number of studies have shown that exposure to fluoride can cause behavioural changes. At a 1998 conference on fluoride in Washington, Professor Roger Masters reported a significant link between the blood lead levels of 280 000 children in Massachusetts and the use of silicofluorides (the fluoride added to our water supply – waste products of the fertiliser and glass industries).
Fluoride increases the toxic effects and absorption of lead. Both in the UK and in the American state of Georgia, behavioural changes associated with lead toxicity, such as violent crimes, are more frequently reported in communities using silicofluorides than in fluoride-free areas.
At the same conference in 1998, neurotoxicologist Dr. Phyllis Mullinix, from the Boston Children’s Hospital in Massachusetts reported on the results of a study using two steroids to treat childhood leukaemia. One of the steroids had a fluoride atom in its structure, and the use of this steroid caused behavioural patterns typical of hyperactivity.
A follow-up study also showed a significant drop in the average IQ scores of the children given the steroid with fluoride, compared with those taking the non-fluoride steroid...
Fluoride: Additional studies mirror this finding
New studies from China show that an excessive intake of fluoride can build-up in the brain and permanently reduce the IQ of children.
Two very similar suburban villages in the Shanxi province in China have only one major difference: the level of calcium fluoride in their water supply.
Xinghau’s water contains 0.91 part per million (ppm) of fluoride and 14 per cent of the population has dental fluorosis – mottling, softening, porosity and brittleness of the teeth. They have no cases of skeletal fluorosis.
In contrast, the neighbouring village, Sima, has 4.12 ppm fluoride in its water. 86 per cent of the population shows clear evidence of dental fluorosis and 9 per cent has clinically diagnosed skeletal fluorosis.
In each village, 160 randomly selected children (excluding those with congenital or acquired disease not related to fluoride) took a standard IQ test lasting 40 minutes. Each child’s mother lived in one of the villages during pregnancy. The two studies came to extraordinary and identical conclusions: exposure to high fluoride significantly lowers intelligence, as measured by IQ scores.
While we wait for a more conclusive report on the possible fluoride contamination risks relating to the volcanic ash polluting the European airways, you can get involved by participating in a letter writing campaign to stop water companies adding fluoride to tap water.
Contact the Alliance for Natural Health - Europe website, this link will show you how to campaign for clean drinking water in your area. Select 'Get Involved' on the menu bar on the left-hand side of the page to see how you can make a difference.
Fluoride: Related Reading
Your Fluoride Protection Plan...
Fluoride Linked To A High Incidence Of Bone Cancer
Fluoride in drinking water should be banned
Sources:
‘Fluoride in Irish drinking water is an unproven drug at uncontrolled dosage’ published online, 20.05.2004, greenparty.ie
‘Statement of EFSA on the possible risks for public and animal health from the contamination of the feed and food chain due to possible ash-fall following the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland - urgent advice’ published online, EFSA Journal 2010; 8(4):1593
‘Fluoride risks in volcanic ash expose incompetence of EU food safety authority’ published online 04.05.2010, anh- europe.org
‘Fluoride’ 1996;29:187-8, 1996;29:190-2, 1998;31:175
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