Tell the EPA to Stop Water Fluoridation

Fluoride has been added to drinking water in towns across the United States since 1945 for the purpose of improving dental health. Now, 66% of people in the US receive drinking water with added fluoride. Evidence pointing to the dangers of this fluoride exposure for human health has accumulated, along with evidence that water fluoridation is no longer even necessary. Recently, two new studies have added to this body of work; it is time for the EPA to stop the artificial fluoridation of drinking water.

The two studies showed that 1) adults who are iodine deficient and have high levels of fluoride in their system have a greater risk of an underactive thyroid, and 2) mothers with higher fluoride exposure during pregnancy were more likely to have children with symptoms of ADHD. (Note that this wasn't the first study to link water fluoridation with ADHD.) 

These are just the newest studies demonstrating the risks of water fluoridation. There is substantial evidence, including more than fifty human population studies, that links elevated fluoride levels with neurological effects, especially lower IQ. Fluoride also accumulates in the body, including the blood vessels, where it can contribute to calcification. A National Research Council report concluded that the EPA's standard for fluoride in drinking water is unsafe and should be lowered. The report highlighted damage that can be done to the teeth, bones, brain, endocrine system, thyroid, and pineal gland--all from drinking fluoride.

Water fluoridation today means we are drinking industrial waste. Fluorosilicic acid (FSA), an inorganic fluoride compound, is a waste product of synthetic fertilizer production. Breathing FSA's fumes causes severe lung damage or death; an accidental splash on skin leads to burning and extreme pain. Yet FSA is put into barrels and shipped across the US to be drip-fed into drinking water.

Even if there weren't any safety concerns with drinking fluoride, there would still be the question of whether we need to do it in the first place. The world is different than it was 100 years ago, especially when it comes to dental health. Most of us use toothpaste, and many people use fluoridated toothpaste, making fluoride in water unnecessary. Other parts of the world that do not fluoridate their water, like Western Europe, have seen dental decay rates decline just as much as they have in the US. 

Water fluoridation is unsafe, unnecessary, and only benefits industries who can turn their toxic waste into cash. Write to Congress and the EPA, telling them to stop this practice.