| Yom Kippur • Thursday, 10 Tishrei 5769 • Begins Wednesday, 8 October 2008 (light candles at 6:39 PM) |
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| Yom Kippur • Thursday, 10 Tishrei 5769 • Begins Wednesday, 8 October 2008 (light candles at 6:39 PM) |
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The Story of FluoridationIn the early part of the 20th century, it was common for residents of certain small towns, especially mining towns like Colorado Springs, to develop obtrusive brown stains on their teeth during adolescence. These stains were permanent, and they piqued a great deal of curiosity. After three decades of research, health practitioners discovered high levels of fluoride in the local water supplies of these towns, and they correlated the presence of fluoride with "mottled" teeth. This was a profound discovery that has proven invaluable to millions ever since.
Along with the detection of fluoride, however, came a second discovery: scientists found that teeth which formed this dental fluorosis (the scientific term for mottled teeth) were extremely strong and virtually impervious to decay. Moreover, they found that when people took in less than 1.0 part per million (ppm) of fluoride in drinking water, their teeth did not develop fluorosis. They hypothesized that, because mottled tooth enamel was unusually resistant to decay, adding fluoride to drinking water at physically and cosmetically safe levels might help prevent tooth decay. In 1945, Grand Rapids, Mich., became the first city in the world to fluoridate its drinking water. During a 15-year project, the rate of tooth decay among some 30,000 Grand Rapids schoolchildren was monitored. Studies showed that, after just 11 years, the tooth decay among children born after the inception of fluoridation dropped by more than 60 percent. It is a true and glorious fact that tooth decay has declined since World War II. However another important fact coincides herewith: in Western Europe--98 percent of which is free of fluoridation--rates of tooth decay have also decreased. It is possible and even likely these trends have arisen from an increase in people"s consciousness of the need for more careful dental hygiene. A 1986 survey carried out by the National Institute of Dental Research (NIDR) of nearly 40,000 children found that those living in fluoridated areas of the United States had the same rate of tooth decay as those living in unfluoridated areas. Upon first request, the NIDR refused to release the data from the survey, and it only did so when forced by the U.S. Freedom of Information Act. Facts About FluorideFluoride, a corrosive chemical more poisonous than lead, is added to more than 60 percent of U.S. water supplies annually. This number is said to be on the increase, as community residents--like NSP"s own neighboring Salt Lake county--vote to have their water fluoridated.
Sodium fluoride was the kind of fluoride originally added to public water supplies, but this is no longer the case. While it is difficult to fathom why people would willingly add a substance once sold as rat poison to their drinking water, sodium fluoride still might be preferable to the kinds of fluoride dumped into public water supplies today--because sodium fluoride is the only form of fluoride that has undergone thorough testing, out-dated though the data may be. Most fluoridated water supplies in the U.S. are treated with more caustic kinds of fluoride, such as fluosilicic acid and sodium silicofluoride. These compounds are waste products supplied by major corporations of the phosphate fertilizer industry. Anti-fluoride groups believe these corporations save millions of dollars, because it would cost them many times more to dispose of such hazardous materials properly than it does to unleash them on the public. How Much Fluoride Is Too Much?
As stated above, early researchers found that the presence of 1.0 ppm presented no danger of dental fluorosis. They also discovered any dosage over 2.0 ppm was unsafe and likely to give rise to the mottled-teeth condition. Were it possible to keep fluoride levels at the 1.0 ppm level, people would at least be able to avoid the fluorosis problem. However, studies show that the average fluoridated water supply in the U.S. already exceeds this level by double. This danger is further complicated by the fact that many common foods (such as popular soft drinks) already contain fluoride. Thus, people living in fluoridated areas who choose to consume such foods will most likely take in far more fluoride than the amount deemed safe by scientific estimates. When common breakfast cereals can contain as much as 10.0 ppm, it is easy to see how quickly the average person can "overdose" on fluoride. In a society literally plagued with incurable diseases whose causes are virtually unknown to medical "experts," is it so incredible that some people are concerned about the intake of even the smallest amount of corrosive poison?
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  Your Drinking Water Could Be At Risk |
The sources of water contamination in our society are varied and dangerous. From the leakage of toxic storage sites, to chloramines added in water treatment plants, to harmful bacteria hosted by animal waste, to nitrates that enter water supplies in runoff, the dangers in our drinking water are staggering. Who is to say that many of the health conditions common in today's world aren't connected in some way to the toxic nature of municipal water supplies?
There is only one way for you, the consumer, to be absolutely sure about the purity of your water, and that is by treating/purifying it yourself in your own home at the point of use. Current technology allows you to make certain that virtually no contaminants make their way into your drinking water. What peace of mind--to know that you can ensure this aspect of your health and well-being.
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