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Fluoride - Demand AARP Take Action

“The evidence that fluoride is more harmful than beneficial is now overwhelming… fluoride may be destroying our bones, our teeth, and our overall health.” - Dr. Hardy Limeback,  former President of Canadian ADA, Head of Preventive Dentistry at Univ of Toronto, 2006 National Research Council Scientist (2007)

 

The 2006 National Research Council on Fluoride in Drinking Water commented to the EPA that fluoridation at 1 ppm can be anticipated to be harmful for those with reduced renal function and the elderly. The NRC confirmed that fluoride not excreted by kidneys builds up in bones, resulting in arthritic pain and increased brittleness. However, there were no EPA studies on the whole health impacts of fluoridated water on susceptible population such as kidney patients, children, those with prolonged disease or the elderly. There still aren’t. 

 

However, there is mounting science from other sources that “optimally fluoridated” water, which is known to cause varying degrees of dental fluorosis in 58% of Black American adolescents and 36% of White American adolescents, is causing subtle deficits in ability to remember or focus. That same “optimal level” has also been proved in a 2014 study as being nephrotoxic in rats with chronic kidney disease. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects approximately 15% of Americans, although CKD is quadruple the rate in Black Americans, and predictably worse in older Americans. 

 

Perhaps the most horrifying part of the story of fluoridation is that not only is at least 50% of every drop of fluoride that has passed the lips of a Baby Boomer permanently stored in bones, fluoride isn't the only poison in packages of fluoride that originate as the waste product of aluminum an phosphate industry. 100% of the fluoride sampled in a 2014 study was contaminated with aluminum; arsenic and lead were other common contaminants. In other words, fluoridated water serves as a delivery system for aluminum and lead into our bones and our brains. As we all know, aluminum is associated with Alzheimers in adults, and lead is associated with learning disabilities in children. Approximately 15% of the population who is sensitive to chemicals cite inability to think clearly and overwhelming fatigue as symptoms of exposure to fluoridated water. 

 

Our generation was part of a great human experiment. It may have had noble intentions based on the faulty hypothesis that  drinking fluoridated water prevented cavities. It is now known that any perceived benefits of fluoride are from tooth brushing.  Our grandchildren are the third generation in this travesty. I suggest we all DEMAND the AARP stand up for us and our grandchildren by issuing a strong position paper calling for the cessation of water fluoridation. 

 

SCIENCE REFERENCES

  1. 2014 in Toxicology. Effect of water fluoridation on the development of medial vascular calcification in uremic rats. (“Optimal levels” worsen kidney function😞 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24561004
     
  2. 2015  in Neurotoxicology and Teratology. Association of lifetime exposure to fluoride and cognitive functions in Chinese children: A pilot study.  (Children with visible dental fluorosis perform less well on memory tasks, correlating with the degree of severity of their fluorosis. One of a series of human and animal studies with the same consistent findings.😞 
    1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25446012  
    2. http://braindrain.dk/2014/12/mottled-fluoride-debate/ 

  3. 2014 in Physiology and Behavior. Fluoride exposure during development affects both cognition and emotion in mice. (Measurable behavioral changes😞 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24184405

  4. 2014 in International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health. A new perspective on metals and other contaminants in fluoridation chemicals. (All samples of fluoride are contaminated with aluminum, plus other contaminants like arsenic, lead and barium); 
    1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24999851
    2. http://momsagainstfluoridation.org/sites/default/files/Mullenix%202014-2-2.pdf

  5. 2014 in Scientific World Journal. Water Fluoridation: A Critical Review of the Physiological Effects of Ingested Fluoride as a Public Health Intervention. (Health risks and cost don't justify minimal and questionable dental benefit.):  http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2014/293019/

 

RACIAL INEQUITY (FOIA)

Here are three Oct 2014 news articles on the content of the Freedom of Information Act documents. Rev. Andrew Young, former UN ambassador has pursued them with the CDC, but to little effect. Civil Rights leaders have been calling for an end to community water fluoridation (CWF) since 2011. 

 

2015 LEGAL ARGUMENT (GROSS DISPROPORTIONALITY) 

There is a legal initiative in Peel, Ontario (pop 1.3m) to remove fluoride from the water supply based on the principle of gross disproportionality, i.e. marginal benefit does not justify great risk of harm. There is also a political effort afoot in Canadian govt to mandate fluoridation and thereby make the legal argument moot. I suggest this document is well-worth printing.  http://fluoridealert.org/wp-content/uploads/peel.june2014.pdf

  • a. The first 19 pages of this document is about the legal strategy. It includes summary of US legal cases that found water fluoridation harmful to the public, but legal under US "police power" mandate.
  • b. Starting on page 20 is a devastating affidavit by Dr. Kathleen Thiessen, NAS/NRC scientist and international expert in risk assessment. Very readable summary of science indicating harm to populations in “optimally” fluoridated communities. 

 

POPULATION WITH LOW CHEMICAL THRESHOLD

  1. In excess of 25% of previously healthy Gulf War Veterans have Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, which includes sensitivity to fluoride. See: http://www.va.gov/rac-gwvi/docs/committee_documents/gwiandhealthofgwveterans_rac-gwvireport_2008.pdf 
    1. EXCERPT: “It is well established that some people are more vulnerable to adverse effects of certain  chemicals than others, due to variability in biological processes that neutralize those chemicals, and clear them from the body.” - Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses 2008 
  2. Affidavit of Dr. Hans Moolenburgh: https://fluorideinformationaustralia.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/affidavit-moolenburgh.pdf
    1. Except: “As a summary of our research, we are now convinced that fluoridation of the water supplies causes a low grade intoxication of the whole population, with only the approximately 5% most sensitive persons showing acute symptoms.The whole population being subjected to low grade poisoning means that their immune systems are constantly overtaxed. With all the other poisonous influences in our environment, this can hasten health calamities.” 
  3. PubMed Listed Studies on immune system response: 
    1. a. Fluoride makes allergies worse, rats (1990): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1707853 
    2. b. Fluoride makes allergies worse, in vitro (1999): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9892783
    3. c. Immune system of the gut (2010): http://www.hindawi.com/journals/iji/2010/823710/ 
    4. d. ASIA Syndrome, adjuvant impact (2011): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20708902
    5. e. Gene predicts fluoride sensitivity (2015): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25556215
    6. f.  Brain has an immune system (2015): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26030524

 

AARP - STAND UP on our behalf! 

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Bronze Conversationalist

 Dr. Joel Bohemier’s presentation to the Commissioners of Collier County, FL  includes quotes for EPA, CDC and others under oath from TSCA trial depositions. This presentation was part of the Commissioners deliberation that resulted in its unanimous vote to end fluoridation last week: https://unite.live/widgets/4142/recording/player#  

 

It is in the hands of Judge Chen, now, but I've got to say that the closing on Feb. 20th was odd.

 

Not only did Judge Chen pepper both attorneys with questions, the EPA attorneys seemed to admit that fluoride exposure at doses consistent with water concentration of 1.5 ppm, 2 ppm and 4 ppm had been proven to result in lower IQ per studies of mom-child pairs performed in Canadian and other communities across the world. They admitted this despite the official policy of the U.S. EPA stating there is no harm up to 4 ppm (the actionable threshold for remediation) other than mild cosmetic dental fluorosis (tooth staining) at or above 2 ppm. The Canadian government has an actionable threshold of 1.5 ppm which is consistent with the WHO guidelines. 

 

When Judge Chen challenged the EPA that per both plaintiff and defense witnesses, shouldn't there be a protective uncertainty or safety factor of at least ten to protect consumers applied to 2 or 4 which would protect teeth from moderate dental fluorosis which a recent Health Canada is concern at 1.56 ppm and from severe dental fluorosis which the 2006 National Research Council (NRC) said was an adverse health risk at 4 ppm which would also protect brains, EPA Defense attorney said that would be an interesting thought experiment, but Plaintiff attorney didn't argue about dental fluorosis (which by the way is positively associated with lower IQ and learning disabilities) so the judge could not legally do so. Frankly, it almost seemed like the EPA attorneys were threatening the Judge. 

 

Judge Chen pushed back about EPA "Health Protective Assumption" guidelines, but EPA insisted that the Judge must not act based on science or consumer protection, but on strict interpretation of statutory law and the skill of the Plaintiff attorney in proving his case. 

 

On the other hand, Plaintiff attorney was clear that the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) only requires that any specific use of a chemical (fluoridation programs) not pose an "unreasonable risk" to consumers which include susceptible sub-populations like pregnant women and their offspring and bottle-fed babies. All five plaintiff witnesses were quite clear that optimally fluoridated water per CDC guidelines is subtly and permanently damaging the brains of millions of children. Even EPA witnesses and attorneys admitted that there is "something there" in the scientific evidence showing neurotoxic effects at 0.7 ppm, but argued it is not clearly defined enough to identify a "Point of Departure" for the EPA to perform a risk assessment. 

 

Really? 

 

Three Benchmark Dose Analyses which are the gold standard for beginning risk assessments and established uncertainty factors have identified that 0.2 mg/L, which is one tenth of 2 ppm, as harmful. This suggests that no fluoride exposure is safe for baby brains and is a scientifically justifiable Point of Departure in anyone's book.  

 

BMCLBMCL

 

But let's make it even easier for thick-headed fluoridationists to understand: 

  • No amount of fluoride in water or food is safe for pregnant women and their fetuses; bottle-fed infants and young children; the elderly and any in fragile health, such as diabetics or those with thyroid or kidney disease. 

 

 

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 “Today’s ruling represents an important acknowledgement of a large and growing body of science indicating serious human health risks associated with fluoridated drinking water. This court looked at the science and acted accordingly. Now the EPA must respond by implementing new regulations that adequately protect all Americans – especially our most vulnerable infants and children – from this known health threat.” - Wenonah Hauter, Director of Food & Water Watch in “Historic Court Decision in Fluoridation Toxicity Case Orders EPA to Act” (Sept. 25, 2024)

 

Well, it as been a busy few weeks! 

 

Not only was the final NTP Systematic Review, "Fluoride Exposure: Neurodevelopment and Cognition" published in August (despite political efforts by HHS/PHS and ADA to scuttle it) after five (or was it six) peer reviews, the Final Findings and Conclusion of Law from a lengthy de novo trial was rendered in September with excellent detail, and the 2024 Cochrane Systematic Review, "Water fluoridation for the prevention of dental caries," published in October repeated that dental fluorosis is an adverse effect of fluoridation, a practice which provides no benefit to adults or lower socio-economic groups. The Cochrane authors also wrote that the very small benefit they were able to document to children from "poor quality" studies at high risk of bias "may not be real." 

In other words, community water fluoridation is all risk and no benefit. Fluoridation is dental mythology, a magic potion tooth-fairy tale. The most important thing is that Judge Chen ordered the EPA to take action to eliminate the risk to consumers. 

 

  • UNSAFE: p. 2:  the Court finds that fluoridation of water at 0.7 milligrams per liter (“mg/L”) – the level presently considered “optimal” in the United States – poses an unreasonable risk of reduced IQ in children.

 

  • HAZARD: p 5:   The pooled benchmark dose analysis concluded that a 1-point drop in IQ of a child is to be expected for each 0.28 mg/L of fluoride in a pregnant mother’s urine. This is highly concerning, because maternal urinary fluoride levels for pregnant mothers in the United States range from 0.8 mg/L at the median and 1.89 mg/L depending upon the degree of exposure. Not only is there an insufficient margin between the hazard level and these exposure levels, for many, the exposure levels exceed the hazard level of 0.28 mg/L.

  • CERTAINTY: p. 77: The scientific literature in the record provides a high level of certainty that a hazard is present; fluoride is associated with reduced IQ. There are uncertainties presented by the underlying data regarding the appropriate point of departure and exposure level to utilize in this risk evaluation. But those uncertainties do not undermine the finding of an unreasonable risk; in every scenario utilizing any of the various possible points of departures, exposure levels and metrics, a risk is present in view of the applicable uncertainty factors that apply.

  • VULNERABILITY: p. 76: The size of the affected population is vast. Approximately 200 million Americans have fluoride intentionally added to their drinking water at a concentration of 0.7 mg/L. See Dkt. No. 421 at 206-07 (undisputed). Other Americans are indirectly exposed to fluoridated water through consumption of commercial beverages and food manufactured with fluoridated water

  • SUSCEPTIBILITY: p. 76: Approximately two million pregnant women, and over 300,000 exclusively formula-fed babies are exposed to fluoridated water. The number of pregnant women and formula-fed babies alone who are exposed to water fluoridation each year exceeds entire populations exposed to conditions of use for which EPA has found unreasonable risk; the EPA has found risks unreasonable where the population impacted was less than 500 people. 

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'"It is public health malpractice to continue adding fluoride to community water systems."  -  Dr. Joseph Ladapo MD, PhD Florida Surgeon General (Nov. 22, 2024) 

 

 "This is a human rights issue and public health issue, separate from other public health issues." - Dr. Ashley Malin, PhD (Nov. 22, 2024) 

 

The Surgeon General of Florida announced yesterday that he was "appalled" at the evidence of harm caused by fluoridation policy which has been ignored for years. He announced that he was recommending that all water treatment plants(WTP) in Florida end fluoridation. immediately. 

 

Dr. Ladapo also said he always believed fluoridation was "safe and effective" because that was what he was taught, but that after looking closely at the science as a result of the September verdict agains the EPA and Bobby Kennedy's statements, he realizes that fluoridation is anything but safe and effective.  He went on to say that he and his family were taking measures to reduce their fluoride exposure

 

Yet, what do the fluoridation profiteers and their corporate partners do? They launch more smear campaigns in the media- against Joe Ladapo, Bobby Kennedy, or anyone else who challenges their profitable tooth-fairy tale.  

 

One of the fluoride-lobby claims, which they offered in court, is fluoride consumption might be harmful if the dose is at 1.5 mg/L or above but fluoridation concentrations in water is half that at 0.7 ppm. 

 

Let's make this clear:

1. Not only do some people drink more water than others, fluoride is in foods prepared with fluoridated water or treated with fluoridated agrichemicals. Dose is dependent on intake, not water concentration

  • This is why there is supposed to be a 10x safety factor applied to hazards like fluoride, although 100 is more typical. That would reduce the assumed safe concentration to 0.15 or 0.015 ppm.

 

2. The assumption of a dose of 0.7 mg/L is based on only one liter of fluoridated water consumed (and with a perfectly calibrated fluoride 0.7 ppm concentration)

 

3. The dose of 1.5 mg/L recognized as unsafe is reached by consuming a couple of mouthfuls over 2 liters of water

 

4. The rule of thumb medical advice is that a healthy adult should consume at least eight 8 ounce glasses of water daily (8x8), which provides just under 2 liters. A half glass more (or fluoride from another source) will bring you into the red zone. 

 

5. NASEM recommends fluid consumption, primarily water, be:

  1. About 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluids a day for men
  2. About 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of fluids a day for women

 

Go to FluorideLawsuit.com to see a copy of the verdict and a hyperlinked annotated bibliography of peer-reviewed science published in credible journals since 2015 documenting that fluoridation is DANGEROUS and INEFFECTIVE. and since it affects brains in the womb and is stored in our bones, fluoridation policy poisons us all from womb to tomb. 

 

Then tell the Surgeon General in your state that he should follow Dr. Ladapo's lead.  

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I have the letter from E. Lovering, the head if the FDA, stating in writing what I posted. Perhaos you could contact the FDA if you refuse to accept the truth from me.

Richard Sauerheber, Ph.D.
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It's not even half way through the month, and look at the newest studies damning fluoridation as a public harm policy in just the past few days. 

 

THYROID: 18% of people drinking 'optimally' fluoridated water in Canadian communities at risk of low thyroid function because fluoride interferes with iodine. Many of them will be sub-clinical and do not know they have low thyroid, which nevertheless increases their risk for diabetes, high cholesterol, and other problems. Overall 9% of the population is diagnosed with low thyroid. 

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016041201830833X

 

PREGNANT WOMEN: Pregnant Canadian women drinking  'optimally' fluoridated water had twice the fluoride exposure per individual testing as compared to pregnant women in non-fluoridated communities - and consistent with the range in the Mexican women whose children had up to 6 points lowered IQ based on prenatal exposure to fluoride (from salt).  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935116302808

 

LEARNING DISABILITIES: Over 200 children who were individually tested had attention deficit disorder apparently caused by their prenatal exposure to fluoride. This is the 3rd report out of the NIH sponsored 12 year study that seems to have been designed with the intention of showing no ill effect, but instead has three times to date confirmed low dose prenatal exposure to fluoride consistent with exposure in 'optimally' fluoridated communities causes subtle but permanent brain damage. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412018311814

 

OVERDOSED BABIES: Over one third of babies (37%) in fluoridated American communities consume in unsafe amounts of fluoride in excess of the upper limits of fluoride considered safe per government regulations. Even 4 % of babies in non-fluoridated communities also are overdosed on fluoride. At the very least, this puts these children at high risk for developing dental fluorosis, mottled teeth, a condition associated with more learning disabilities, broken bones and kidney disease. http://jocpd.org/doi/10.17796/1053-4625-43.1.7 

 

GOVERNMENT BIAS: A National Toxicology Program’s animal experiment used the wrong rats, the wrong dose, and the wrong study design in order to manufacture a finding of no prenatal or postnatal effect, apparently in an effort to protect policy instead of people. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306987718308600

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CarryAnne,

 

Thank you for those studies.

 

No one actually reading the research regarding the dosage of fluoride we are getting and the serious harm to our brains from too much fluoride would promote ingesting even more fluoride.  Makes no sense to intentionally harm brains.

 

Combine the current fluoride neurotoxic studies along with past studies and fluoridation will and must stop.  

 

To make matters worse, some attempt to reassure us that fluoride is effective in mitigating dental caries.  Unfortunately the research makes claims more by default, estimates, and assumptions rather than good research evidence.  The claim is often, "caries declined, so the effect must have been fluoride."   

 

It is time for promoters to provide RCT studies and gain FDA approval, show the evidence or stop forcing people to ingest excess fluoride.  

 

Bill Osmunson DDS MPH

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This has been addtessed repeatedly in earlier posts. The FEW  ruled that fluoride added into water is an uncontrolled use of an unapproved dtug. 

And regardless of whether one prefers  to call fluoride , which is added to treat human tissue , either a drug or a supplement, is irrelevant since the FDA has sole authority to regulate both drugs and supplements -- regardless of the method of dissemination.

Some argue fluoride is,a food but the FDA ruled that fluoride is not considered safe to add to foods.

Current FDA staff considers fluoride to be a toxic agent under  the toxic substances control act and that the EPA needs to deal with the problem, while  the EPA states that fluoride is added to mitigate caries and thus needs to be regulated by the FDA. Neither agency currently regulates fluoridation. 

This ,is  all old news.

 

 

Richard Sauerheber, Ph.D.
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Dr. Sauerheber for your barely legible response.  

 

For the m-teenth time now, could you please provide a link and a citation to an FDA website in which the FDA calls optimally fluoridated water a "drug?"  Since this was the entire premise of your rant, that would be necessary to back up what you were trying to say.

 

You haven't been able to provide such evidence before, so I don't expect miracles now.

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David.  

 

By your our response I can tell you have not read enough on the web site.  

 

FDA reviews drug applications.   

If no one makes application, no approval or denial on the FDA site will be found.  

 

Look for sodium fluoride pills and no approval will be found.  

 

You will either find approval or nothing.  

 

And the approval is specific with dosage warnings contraindications etc.  

 

listen to tv adds on drugs.  All the warnings and contraindications and side affects.   

 

Nothing on fluoride ingestion but there is on toothpaste.  

 

Your question makes no sense in the drug regulatory process.  

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Dr. Bill, 

 

Could you remind us all again how you would undertake an RTC with community water fluoridation?  

 

And why exactly would the practice of community water fluoridation need FDA approval?  Correct me if I am wrong, but aren't we talking about optimally fluoridated water?  Could you show me anywhere on this FDA regulated product (bottled water - the FDA has regulatory authority over bottled water because it is considered a "food") where the word "Drug," or the phrase "Drug Facts" are used?  This is the label from a bottle of optimally fluoridated water.

 

https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/beverages/9231/2

 

Could you please cite any Federal Regulatory Authority which considers optimally fluoridated water a "Drug"?

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Hi David,

 

Such good questions.  Unfortunately, you seem to either fail to read my posts or read so fast you miss the answers.  I have responded repeatedly on your two questions.  Please slow down and read carefully.

 

To your first question on how to do a prospective RCT, consider several options.  

a.   Easiest to do an RCT with fluoride pills  The intent of fluoridation is to increase fluoride exposure (increase background dosage).  Fluoride pills have the same alleged benefit as putting the fluoride pill in water and swallowing the water.   In other words, have two sets of pills, one a fluoride pill and another a placebo pill.  Give the pills to people and keep track of who gets which pill  If an RCT were done with pills and demonstrated effective at a specific dosage and safe at that dosage, FDA approval could be applied for and approved.   Make swallowing fluoride legal with FDA approval.   If fluoride pills were legal, promoters of fluoridation would have a rather strong case.   The biggest problem would be to gain ethical approval.  With so many studies demonstrating harm, I doubt a university human studies ethics board would approve the study.   If an RCT is unethical, certainly forcing people to ingest the fluoride without consent should be questioned.

 

b.  There are communities in the North of Canada/Alaska and other remote communities in countries where water is trucked to the community.  A prospective RCT could be done with these communities. Again, the biggest hurdel would be ethics approval.  Too many studies showing harm.

 

David, we put a man on the moon, certainly we can make the swallowing of fluoride with the intent to prevent disease. . . legal and supported by the best of science.  The biggest problem to an RCT would be ethics.

 

To your second question of why fluoride used with the intent to prevent disease requires FDA approval.

 

   FDA approval is required by both Federal and all state laws.    21 USC 321 (g)(1)(B) states, "Articles intended for use in the . . . prevention of disease."   

 

The intent of fluoride is to prevent dental caries, a disease.   

If one argues that fluoride is not a drug, then fluoride is regulated under poison laws.  However, fluoride is exempt from poison laws when regulated under drug laws.  No exemption is made when diluted with water.

 

Fluoride is listed as a drug in all Pharmacopias and laws define drugs as those listed in the US Pharmacopia.

Fluoride is called a drug by the FDA.  See FDA.gov.   You can contact the FDA and ask the FDA if ingestion of fluoride is FDA approved whether in pills or liquids or disolved in water.

 

Note:  Drug Digest in 1975 notified 35 fluoride manufacturers:  

“. . .there is no substantial evidence of drug effectiveness as prescribed, recommended or suggested in its labeling. . . marketing is in violation of the new drug provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act; they have, therefore, requested that marketing of these products be discontinued.”        

 

Read the FDA web site on Drug approval.  See FDA.gov Look under "drugs."  Then look at resources on the left side.   Look at how the FDA defines "drugs."  No exception to a drug just because it is diluted with water.  The intent of use defines the substance as a drug.

 

Now look at your toothpaste.  If fluoride is added, the toothpaste has a label, "Drug Facts."

Fluoride is approved in toothpaste with the label "Do Not Swallow."   Because, swallowing fluoride is not approved.

 

Now look at the Safe Drinking Water Act:

 

SDWA: “No national primary drinking water regulation may require the addition of any substance for preventive health care purposes unrelated to contamination of drinking water. ”42 USC 300g-1(b)(11):

 

For clarity, I asked the EPA and EPA in a FOIA request responded,

“The Safe Drinking Water Act prohibits the deliberate addition of any substance to drinking water for health-related purposes other than disinfection of the water.”

                                                                 FOIA Request HQ-FOI-01418-10 

 

Some have suggested they are simply adjusting the natural concentration of fluoride in water, and that is true.  But the intent, saying again, "INTENT" of use makes fluoride a drug and drugs are under FDA jurisdiction.   If fluoride were added to kill bacteria, then it would be legal, but fluoride is added to prevent disease.

 

At one time the natural concentration of lithium concentration was considered.  Lithium was considered so safe, safe for everyone, and would help those in need.  But lithium addition to water was stopped because it is a drug and found not safe for everyone.

 

Many other substances are found naturally in water but are not safe in larger quantities, concentrations.

 

Thanks for your questions, go to FDA.gov and they have much more.

 

Bill Osmunson DDS MPH

 

 

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Dr. Bill, 

 

Your quote:  "Unfortunately, you seem to either fail to read my posts or read so fast you miss the answers.  I have responded repeatedly on your two questions.  Please slow down and read carefully."

 

Response:  Actually, I have read your responses, and you were kind enough to repeat them here.  Let's look at what you propose for an RCT for Community Water Fluoridation (CWF).

 

Let's look at your proposal B first.  Your Quote:  "There are communities in the North of Canada/Alaska and other remote communities in countries where water is trucked to the community.  A prospective RCT could be done with these communities. Again, the biggest hurdel would be ethics approval."

 

Response:  You are correct.  Ethics would be a problem here since your proposal is a clear violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act which requires each supplier of drinking water to supply its customers with written notification of the results of analysis on that water.  Under your proposal, people who drink water which is "trucked to the community" would not be privy to analytical results.  That is illegal.  

 

Moreover, your proposal is not an RCT, it is a prospective cohort study.  An RCT invokes random selection from within a population, not comparing 2 self-selected populations, so they would have to combine the names from both town, then randomly select people into the F and non-F groups, and force them to live in their assigned town for 5+ years.  That would split up a lot of families!

 

Now let's look at your proposal A.  Your Quote:  "Easiest to do an RCT with fluoride pills  The intent of fluoridation is to increase fluoride exposure (increase background dosage).  Fluoride pills have the same alleged benefit as putting the fluoride pill in water and swallowing the water. "

Response:  Pills.  You are suggesting that pills would somehow replace authentic community water fluoridation to determine that teeth are protected in the same way as a constant supply of drinking water.  

 

For the readers of this thread who may not be accustomed to your loose relationship with facts, let me illustrate how absurd this idea is.  

 

First of all, any study like this would fail an objecive peer review process.  Why?  

 

They are not the same things.  You want to test apples by applying oranges.  Allow me to illustrate the problem with your idea.  

 

I get up at 3 o'clock in the morning to go to the bathroom, and I drink some fluoridated water which not only neutralizes the acids in my mouth which have been accumulating since 9 pm' these are acids which would normally lead to decay.  Correct?  

 

In your scenario, instead of drinking water at 3 am, 6 am (when I get up), 7 am, in my coffee, and throughout the day in which 0.7 ppm F are bathing and remineralizing my teeth, .  .  .  you suggest that I take a pill once a day.  

 

You are literally nuts.  That is the most insane proposal I have ever heard.  It would in no way ever pass a peer-reviewed process as a substitute for community water fluoridation.  

 

It is simply not the same thing!  

 

So while you whine and say, "It is time for promoters to provide RCT studies," you must realize that your own ill-advised proposals lack any substance whatsoever.  

 

To your second point about FDA approval, I couldn't help notice that you have failed to provide any quotation, any citation, from any Federal Health Authority which has deemed optimally fluoridated water "A Drug."  

 

The only people in this county who call optimally fluroidated water a drug is YOU.  You at the Fluoride Action Network (FAN), which takes money from Alternative Health companies who profit from the paranoia that FAN generates, .  .  .  and You at Fluoride Class Action, you and Dr. Sauerheber, who have your own web pages on that site.  

 

Interesting question. Both you and Dr. Sauerheber are all over the website "Fluoride Class Action."  My question is, how much money has Attorney James Deal taken from prospective clients as part of his fluoride paranoia campaign?  

 

Next question:  How much money has he actually collected from legitimate lawsuites filed against those responsible for the proven health initiative Community Water Fluoridation?  

 

You deceptively cite this from the SDWA:  "SDWA: “No national primary drinking water regulation may require the addition of any substance for preventive health care purposes unrelated to contamination of drinking water."

 

Response:  So What.  All this says - when applied to water fluoridation - is that the federal government can not mandate it.  The Federal government can not require water fluoridation.  It is normally voted upon by the people, and in some cases states can mandate it, but your interpretation is . .  deceptive to say the least. 

 

The following quote from you is a blatant lie.

 

"For clarity, I asked the EPA and EPA in a FOIA request responded,

“The Safe Drinking Water Act prohibits the deliberate addition of any substance to drinking water for health-related purposes other than disinfection of the water.”

 

That is a lie, Dr. Bill.  Please provide documentation of what you just said here.  

                                                                 FOIA Request HQ-FOI-01418-10 "

 

There is no such

 
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David,

 

You call me a liar because I quote the FDA with reference.   Those are not my words, those are the EPA's.  Why don't you contact the EPA and ask them to explain the law on fluoride to you?

 

I asked you to read what I wrote and you made me laugh because right after you call me a liar you demand documentation.  May I quote:

 

"That is a lie, Dr. Bill.  Please provide documentation of what you just said here.  

                                                                 FOIA Request HQ-FOI-01418-10 "

 

Read that again David.  Do you see the documentation right after your tirade.  The EPA's response to my FOIA.  Contact the EPA and ask for a copy of their response, the number is right there.   See it????    FOIA Request HQ-FOI-01418-10

 

May I repeat FOIA Request HQ-FOI-01418-10 Contact EPA for a copy.

 

You are so focused on ripping me apart you fail to see the documentation in your own cut and paste of my quote.  

 

Contact the EPA, Contact the FDA, do your homework.   I did my homework before I spoke out against fluoridation.  I respect you not wanting to have blind belief, but you do have blind belief in the fluoridation public health blunder.  

 

I do not have time to argue with you on RCT methodology and requirements.  

 

You do not understand the theoretical action of fluoride ingestion benefit to teeth.  

 

Yes, there are some differences between the same dose in a pill or diluted in water.  And there are more differences because pills have dosage controlled whereas fluoridated water does not have doseage controlled.  Some drink very little water and some drink a great deal.  A study with pills would be better controlled and higher quality.  But RCT with water could be done.

 

Another option for a good study would be fluoride urine and serum fluoride concentrations and caries rates.  Measured results are so much better than evidence by default.  These should have been done long ago and they have not.

 

Like I said before, go to the FDA and read the definition of a drug, how a drug is approved, etc.   

 

Even a placebo is considered a drug by the FDA because of the intent of use.

 

Do your homework, go to the source.

 

Bill Osmunson DDS MPH

 

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Dr. Bill, I called you a liar because you aren't telling the truth.  

 

BillO:  

"For clarity, I asked the EPA and EPA in a FOIA request responded,

“The Safe Drinking Water Act prohibits the deliberate addition of any substance to drinking water for health-related purposes other than disinfection of the water.”

 

I had asked you to provide documentation of what you just said so we may all read the whole thing in context.  

 

Again, please provide a link which supports what you just said.

 

I said you were lying because the statute from the SDWA which you cited clearly does not prohibit water fluoridation.  It says the Federal Government can not Require it.   That's a little bit different than prohibiting it.  

 

A link please?  

 

Moreover, if what you are saying was true, take the EPA to Court.  Take every state regulatory authority which oversees water fluoridation to court. 

 

It should be easy for a guy like you.  I see your name, and Dr. Sauerheber's name plastered all over a website called "Fluoride Class Action."   Isn't that the sort of thing Attorney James Deal is supposed to do?   How much money is that guy taking from potential clients?   You never answered that question, did you.

 

Your deceptive quote:  "Now look at your toothpaste.  If fluoride is added, the toothpaste has a label, "Drug Facts.""

 

Response:  We are not talking about toothpaste.  We are talking about optimally fluoridated water.  Do you understand that there is a difference between these two products?  

 

Again, The FDA is the regulatory authority which oversees Bottled Water.  This is a label from the FDA regulated product, "Dannon's Fluoride to Go" bottled water:  Please show me the word "Drug" or "Drug Facts" on this FDA regulated product, . . fluoridated water . . you know, what we're talking about here.  

 

This label lists fluoride as a Mineral Nutrient.  That's an FDA regulated product.  

 

By the way, the FDA has approved the ingestion of optimally fluoridated bottled water.  It allows the Health Claim to be put on its bottled water: The claim language is: "Drinking fluoridated water may reduce the risk of [dental caries or tooth decay]." 

 https://www.fda.gov/food/labelingnutrition/ucm073602.htm

 

That's what a link looks like.  I look forward to seeing the link to your  FOIA, or the upcoming lawsuit against those whom you are claiming are violating the SDWA.

 

The FDA does not consider optimally flouoridated water a drug in any sense of the word.  You know that is true and yet you deceptively talk about toothpaste.  That is why I call you a liar.

 

 

 

 

 

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David, 

Contact the EPA and ask for a copy of the FOIA.

 

You wrote, "I said you were lying because the statute from the SDWA which you cited clearly does not prohibit water fluoridation.  It says the Federal Government can not Require it.   That's a little bit different than prohibiting it."

 

I agree with you, the statute is not very clear, to me either.  OK, we need to understand that if Congress does not require something and pay for it, then I presume the Agency is prevented from doing it. . . . maybe???

 

Because I was uncertain, I asked the EPA to explain the statute and they responded.  Of course I added a reference to the EPA.  And if I sent you a copy of the letter you would say I forged it.  So the best course of action is for you to do your own home work.  Clearly you have plenty of time with all the posts, so contact them.  

 

Bill Osmunson DDS MPH

 

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One more thing, Dr. Bill, you said:  

 

"For clarity, I asked the EPA and EPA in a FOIA request responded,

“The Safe Drinking Water Act prohibits the deliberate addition of any substance to drinking water for health-related purposes other than disinfection of the water.”

                                                                 FOIA Request HQ-FOI-01418-10 "

 

The problem here is that the Freedom of Information Act was created so that previously unreleased , or hidden records could be made available to the public.  That's what it does.  

 

You are saying that you contacted the EPA for clarification of a statute in the SDWA.  For all I know, what you cited above could be a quotation from a FIOA Request to the EPA, not a response from the EPA. 

 

Hmmm . . it does say this is a Request, doesn't it.  I guess I could argue that unicorns exist, make an FOIA Request, and in that request I could say, "Unicorns have been sited in various locations."  

 

Then, I could do what you did.  I could quote the very thing I wrote and use it as evidence for the thing I was arguing.  And to make it sound official, I could cite the FIOA Request that I had made and make the claim that I provided documented evidence of something.

 

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David,

 

You don't believe a word I say and refuse to do your homework to find out for yourself.  

 

Contact the EPA yourself.  

 

You are spending a ton of time arguing, but refuse to simply contact the EPA.  They will answer your question.

 

I agree with you, the SDWA is not crystal clear and that is why I contacted the EPA back in 2010 to find out how they interpreted the SDWA.  Their response was unambiguous.

 

Bill Osmunson DDS MPH

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Bill:  "I agree with you, the SDWA is not crystal clear and that is why I contacted the EPA back in 2010 to find out how they interpreted the SDWA.  Their response was unambiguous."

 

Response:  No, you don't agree with me.  The Safe Drinking Water Act is very clear and very precise.  

 

This is the statute you seem to be having trouble with:   “No national primary drinking water regulation may require the addition of any substance for preventive health care purposes unrelated to contamination of drinking water."

 

How is that not clear?  It means that the Federal Government can't require it.  They can't impose a mandate.  How do you get "Prohibit" from that? 

 

The Federal Government can't require that everyone in my home town eat vegetarian food.  But the Federal Government can't prohibit us from being vegetarians either.  How is that not clear?

 

Please, copy and paste the entire exchange you had with the EPA so that we may all see it here.    I'd love to see it.

 

And you never answered the question:  Since your name is plastered all over Attorney James Deal's "Fluoride Class Action," . . . and you & Dr. S. claim to have some documentation which proves the illegality of water fluoridation, why are you arguing about it on an internet website?  Why aren't you guys in court with your documents?

 

 

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CarryAnne,

 

An amazing compilation of powerful documentation raising serious concerns with fluoride exposure.  

 

In the last 3 years, this evidence has not been refuted.

 

“The evidence that fluoride is more harmful than beneficial is now overwhelming… fluoride may be destroying our bones, our teeth, and our overall health.” - Dr. Hardy Limeback,  former President of Canadian ADA, Head of Preventive Dentistry at Univ of Toronto, 2006 National Research Council Scientist (2007)

 

The 2006 National Research Council on Fluoride in Drinking Water commented to the EPA that fluoridation at 1 ppm can be anticipated to be harmful for those with reduced renal function and the elderly. The NRC confirmed that fluoride not excreted by kidneys builds up in bones, resulting in arthritic pain and increased brittleness. However, there were no EPA studies on the whole health impacts of fluoridated water on susceptible population such as kidney patients, children, those with prolonged disease or the elderly. There still aren’t. 

 

However, there is mounting science from other sources that “optimally fluoridated” water, which is known to cause varying degrees of dental fluorosis in 58% of Black American adolescents and 36% of White American adolescents, is causing subtle deficits in ability to remember or focus. That same “optimal level” has also been proved in a 2014 study as being nephrotoxic in rats with chronic kidney disease. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects approximately 15% of Americans, although CKD is quadruple the rate in Black Americans, and predictably worse in older Americans. 

 

Perhaps the most horrifying part of the story of fluoridation is that not only is at least 50% of every drop of fluoride that has passed the lips of a Baby Boomer permanently stored in bones, fluoride isn't the only poison in packages of fluoride that originate as the waste product of aluminum an phosphate industry. 100% of the fluoride sampled in a 2014 study was contaminated with aluminum; arsenic and lead were other common contaminants. In other words, fluoridated water serves as a delivery system for aluminum and lead into our bones and our brains. As we all know, aluminum is associated with Alzheimers in adults, and lead is associated with learning disabilities in children. Approximately 15% of the population who is sensitive to chemicals cite inability to think clearly and overwhelming fatigue as symptoms of exposure to fluoridated water. 

 

Our generation was part of a great human experiment. It may have had noble intentions based on the faulty hypothesis that  drinking fluoridated water prevented cavities. It is now known that any perceived benefits of fluoride are from tooth brushing.  Our grandchildren are the third generation in this travesty. I suggest we all DEMAND the AARP stand up for us and our grandchildren by issuing a strong position paper calling for the cessation of water fluoridation. 

 

SCIENCE REFERENCES

  1. 2014 in Toxicology. Effect of water fluoridation on the development of medial vascular calcification in uremic rats. (“Optimal levels” worsen kidney function😞 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24561004
     
  2. 2015  in Neurotoxicology and Teratology. Association of lifetime exposure to fluoride and cognitive functions in Chinese children: A pilot study.  (Children with visible dental fluorosis perform less well on memory tasks, correlating with the degree of severity of their fluorosis. One of a series of human and animal studies with the same consistent findings.😞 
    1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25446012  
    2. http://braindrain.dk/2014/12/mottled-fluoride-debate/ 

  3. 2014 in Physiology and Behavior. Fluoride exposure during development affects both cognition and emotion in mice. (Measurable behavioral changes😞 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24184405

  4. 2014 in International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health. A new perspective on metals and other contaminants in fluoridation chemicals. (All samples of fluoride are contaminated with aluminum, plus other contaminants like arsenic, lead and barium); 
    1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24999851
    2. http://momsagainstfluoridation.org/sites/default/files/Mullenix%202014-2-2.pdf

  5. 2014 in Scientific World Journal. Water Fluoridation: A Critical Review of the Physiological Effects of Ingested Fluoride as a Public Health Intervention. (Health risks and cost don't justify minimal and questionable dental benefit.):  http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2014/293019/

 

RACIAL INEQUITY (FOIA)

Here are three Oct 2014 news articles on the content of the Freedom of Information Act documents. Rev. Andrew Young, former UN ambassador has pursued them with the CDC, but to little effect. Civil Rights leaders have been calling for an end to community water fluoridation (CWF) since 2011. 

 

2015 LEGAL ARGUMENT (GROSS DISPROPORTIONALITY) 

There is a legal initiative in Peel, Ontario (pop 1.3m) to remove fluoride from the water supply based on the principle of gross disproportionality, i.e. marginal benefit does not justify great risk of harm. There is also a political effort afoot in Canadian govt to mandate fluoridation and thereby make the legal argument moot. I suggest this document is well-worth printing.  http://fluoridealert.org/wp-content/uploads/peel.june2014.pdf

  • a. The first 19 pages of this document is about the legal strategy. It includes summary of US legal cases that found water fluoridation harmful to the public, but legal under US "police power" mandate.
  • b. Starting on page 20 is a devastating affidavit by Dr. Kathleen Thiessen, NAS/NRC scientist and international expert in risk assessment. Very readable summary of science indicating harm to populations in “optimally” fluoridated communities. 

 

POPULATION WITH LOW CHEMICAL THRESHOLD

  1. In excess of 25% of previously healthy Gulf War Veterans have Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, which includes sensitivity to fluoride. See: http://www.va.gov/rac-gwvi/docs/committee_documents/gwiandhealthofgwveterans_rac-gwvireport_2008.pdf 
    1. EXCERPT: “It is well established that some people are more vulnerable to adverse effects of certain  chemicals than others, due to variability in biological processes that neutralize those chemicals, and clear them from the body.” - Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses 2008 
  2. Affidavit of Dr. Hans Moolenburgh: https://fluorideinformationaustralia.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/affidavit-moolenburgh.pdf
    1. Except: “As a summary of our research, we are now convinced that fluoridation of the water supplies causes a low grade intoxication of the whole population, with only the approximately 5% most sensitive persons showing acute symptoms.The whole population being subjected to low grade poisoning means that their immune systems are constantly overtaxed. With all the other poisonous influences in our environment, this can hasten health calamities.” 
  3. PubMed Listed Studies on immune system response: 
    1. a. Fluoride makes allergies worse, rats (1990): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1707853 
    2. b. Fluoride makes allergies worse, in vitro (1999): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9892783
    3. c. Immune system of the gut (2010): http://www.hindawi.com/journals/iji/2010/823710/ 
    4. d. ASIA Syndrome, adjuvant impact (2011): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20708902
    5. e. Gene predicts fluoride sensitivity (2015): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25556215
    6. f.  Brain has an immune system (2015): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26030524

 

AARP - STAND UP on our behalf! 

 

 

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The quote in question from the Cochrane review is as follows:
"We did not identify any evidence, meeting the review's inclusion criteria, to determine the effectiveness of water fluoridation for preventing caries in adults."

In other words, there was no determination made because the published work claiming benefit is not scientific. Scientists already knew this because all the studies were not controlled -- humans cannot be put in cages. So these thousands of publications on water fluoridation (97% were rejected) have little to no meaning.

The Ziegelbecker massive, inclusive studies, plus the 30 year massive study by Teotia and Teotia, and the detailed, meticulous studies published by John Yiamouyiannis are the best human observations we have and are completely consistent with the actual science on research animals in controlled environments in cages, proving that eating fluoride does not reduce caries while fluorosis incidence increases. The scientific case has been closed for a long time. You might get some benefit by reading Fluoride the Aging Factor by Yamouyiannis. It is very good biochemistry and the best human epidemiology we have on the subject.

Richard Sauerheber, Ph.D.
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If the statement was intended to mean that all studies indicate that adults benefit from fluoridation, then you need to read the actual science as described in the textbook known as the Bible of pharmacology, Goodman and Gilman's Pharmacologic Basis of Therapeutics. In the section on ingested fluoride the correct statement is "fluoride is of no benefit to adult teeth".

The scientific consensus nsus in the 1940's and still today is correct. Fluoride found use as a rat poison and has always been considered unsafe to add to foods at any concentration. And in recent studies we know eating fluoride is ineffective in lowering tooth decay and causes skeletal and enamel harm. 

The consensus remains the same. 

The Kumar studies have been discussed before. The claim of caries reduction is not scientific. The slight difference is not even outside measurement error. A scientist does not accept a difference as being real, rather than an artifact, with data like that. 

Sorry

 

Richard Sauerheber, Ph.D.
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My opinions about why fluoride advocates  believe eating fluoride is effective and harmless are not important. But statements I make about the fallacy of fluoridation are certainly important. 

The comparison of fluoridation of people with the sanitizing.effect of chlorination is absurd. Chlorine is necessary to kill pathogens in water to avoid immediately lethal disease when it is consumed later.

Fluoridation does not sanitize water but is adds to treat humans to elevate fluoride blood levels in an attempt to affect caries when the proper method is to brush after eating sugar or drinking  sugar laden beverages, and to keep teeth clean. 

And as stated before, chloride has a an essential electrolyte in blood. Fluoride  is a contamunant un blood. 

There is  consensus on the usefulness of chlorination. The is no scientific  evidence that fluoride ion reduces decay  or is harmless. The scientific evidence using controlled animals proves fluoride in blood at water fluoridation levels does not reduce caries and indeed causes harm (fluorosis of both bone and teeth). 

Richard Sauerheber, Ph.D.
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I do recall the following sweeping statement made in the Cochrane review.:

"We had concerns about the methods used, or the reporting of the results, in the vast majority (97%) of the studies."  The report also concluded that there is zero evidnece proving that caries are reduced by water fluoridation in adults.

Many studies indeed found caries were reduced in children, but just  like modern studies by Kumar and others who make the same claim, the observation error and bias are problems, coupled with the fact that again humans cannot be put in cages to control candy eating, teeth brushing, diet, etc. Kids with dental fluorosis are typically embarrassed by it and naturally brush their teeth more than kids without fluorosis, in an attempt to help their disfigured teeth. So it would not be surprising to see fewer caries in fluoridated areas because brushing is not controlled between the groups.

This has everything to do with brushing and fluorosis, and has nothing to do with any intrinsic ability of fluoride to somehow reduce caries. There is no known mechanism for fluoride to reduce caries. Enamel is too hard for fluoride to penetrate into its matrix.

Again, humans cannot be caged, and this is largely why 97% of the studies making these claims of effectiveness have no power. 

 

Richard Sauerheber, Ph.D.
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Rich,

Do you really understand what the Cochrane Oral Health Group (COHG) was saying about the 20 studies that met their strict inclusion criteria out of over 4,000 studies that they quieried from various scientific databases?

 

None of the studies which met their strict inclusion criteria showed that adults didn't benefit from CWF.   They never said that there was no benefit from CWF to adults.

 

You might be interested to know that this same COHG reviewed the studies that the U.S. Community Preventive Services Task Force was using to make its recommendations on CWF. This COHG approved the studies which they used, many of which were exactly the same as was used in their own study in 2015.

 

The U.S. Community Preventive Services Task Force reaffirmed in 2013 their recommendation of fluoridation based on strong evidence.  They used contemperary studies, similar to the one you referenced by Jay Kumar, to draw their conclusions from.  The COHG had not included these in their 2015 report on CWF.

 

I attended a meeting in London with the COHG and scholars from academia, research, and many others where we discussed their report.  Their report was so egregiously being misrepresented by those opposed to CWF that they took the unprecedented move to totally re-write their Plain Language Summary so that could no longer be done.

 

Observational studies produce essentially the same results as Randomized Controlled Trials per one of the articles by a Cochrane researcher:

https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.MR000034.pub2/epdf/full

 

Using information from groups like Cochrane without truly understanding what it was that was being stated is how so much misinformation has been spun by those who oppose CWF.  

 

Thanks for bringing up the COHG.  It's nice to be able to share the true facts of their findings with you.


Warm regards,

 

Johnny

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Johnny,

 

You suggest, "True Facts."   Sounds like you and D. Trump have some in common.  Makes me laugh when you try to say "True Facts" after you defamed me and slandered me publicly claiming I did malpractice.    I did not do the cosmetic treatment you claim and cosmetic treatment is not malpractice.

 

The fact is you said you would address your defamation and slander if I responded to the NTP study. I did and will more.  But the "True Fact" is you have not appologized privately or publicly.  If you have, please send me a video or copy of the letter to the Potsdam Village Council.  

 

True Fact.  You promised and did not keep your promise.   Send me one other dentist who claims I did malpractice or the treating doctors did malpractice.  Send me their name and contact info.

 

Regarding the NTP, I agree with you on the first phase and you have blown one study against many others.  You certainly have not convinced me with any statements from the NTP that their one study negates their determination that all the other studies in the review have now been rendered false by their one study.   

 

And now the more than 50 human studies reporting developmental neurologic harm.  It will take more than one study to refute all the other studies.   Before you get too confident, perhaps we should wait for the final report.

 

 

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Johnny,

 

You suggest, "True Facts."   Sounds like you and D. Trump have some in common.  Makes me laugh when you try to say "True Facts" after you defamed me and slandered me publicly claiming I did malpractice.    I did not do the cosmetic treatment you claim and cosmetic treatment is not malpractice.

 

The fact is you said you would address your defamation and slander if I responded to the NTP study. I did and will more.  But the "True Fact" is you have not appologized privately or publicly.  If you have, please send me a video or copy of the letter to the Potsdam Village Council.  

 

True Fact.  You promised and did not keep your promise.

 

Regarding the NTP, I agree with you on the first phase and you have blown one study against many others.  You certainly have not convinced me with any statements from the NTP that their one study negates their determination that all the other studies in the review have now been rendered false by their one study.   

 

And now the more than 50 human studies reporting developmental neurologic harm.  It will take more than one study to refute all the other studies.   Before you get too confident, perhaps we should wait for the final report.

 

 

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Johnny,

 

Your words, "true facts" made me laugh.  

 

You promised to respond to my claim you defamed and slandered me if I responded to your question on NTP.    I expect and request a public appology here and at your next public meetings and a letter to the communities you have slandered and defamed me, with an appology of your errors.

 

Johnny,  the ingestion of fluoride might have some benefit, might not.  Take the weight and amount of caries prevention possibility  and add to the evidence of risk for brain, thyroid, bones, teeth, cancer, kidney from many studies, then weigh the evidence of increased caries and risk from excess exposure and the lack of freedom of choice and individual dosage.   When you stack all those issues  together and weigh all of those factors, CWF becomes unacceptable.  

 

Research by nature takes one or as few variables as possible and tries to measure the variable.  Public Health Policy must take a look at the big picture, all the studies, all the possible benefits, risks, dosage, along with the lethality and contagious nature of the disease before people are forced to ingest the medication/treatment.  The big picture must be considered.

 

The one animal study by NTP should be taken along with the other studies.  One study which had limitations showing no harm is reassuring, but does not negate the many studies reporting harm.  

 

Cochrane.  Thanks for the link.  Note the authors conclusions are not as robust as your claim.

 

"Authors’ conclusions
Our results across all reviews (pooled ROR 1.08) are ver y similar to results reported by similarly conducted reviews. As such, we have
reached similar conclusions; on average, the re is little evidence for significant effect estimate differences between observational studies
and RCTs, regardless of specific observational study de sign, heterogeneity, or inclusion of studies of pharmacological interventions.
Factors other than study design per se need to be considered when exploring reasons for a lack of agreement between results of RCTs
and observational studies. O ur results underscore that it is important for review authors to consider not only study design, but the level
of he terogeneity in meta-analyses of RCTs or observational studies. A better understanding of how these factors influence study effects
might yield estimates reflective of true effectiveness."
 
Little evidence is not no evidence.  And observational studies are important.  RCTs are still considered the gold standard and to my understanding are usually required by Cochrane reviewers and FDA, etc.  
 
Here are a few limitations often found in the observational studies on fluoridation:
 
  • A.   Not one Study corrects for Unknown Confounding Factors such as serious decline in caries of 5 teeth per 12 year old prior to fluoridation.  What caused the decline and control for that unknown.
  • B.   Not one Prospective Randomized Controlled Trials are required due to serious unknowns.   
  • C.   Socioeconomic status usually not controlled
  • D.   Inadequate size 
  • E.   Difficulty in diagnosing decay
  • F.   Delay in tooth eruption not controlled 
  • G.   Diet: Vitamin D, calcium, strontium, sugar, fresh and frozen year round
    vegetables and fruit consumption not controlled. 
  • H.   Total exposure of Fluoride not determined
  • I.     Oral hygiene not determined 
  • J.     Not evaluating Life time benefit 
  • K.    Estimating or assuming subject actually drinks the fluoridated water.
  • L.     Dental treatment expenses not considered 
  • M.    Breast feeding and infant formula excluded
  • N.    Fraud, gross errors, and bias not corrected.  
  • O.    Genetics not considered

 

Cochrane did find benefit for children from observational studies.  But those studies did not control for all of the concerns above.  

 

Pressure on Cochrane by fluoridationists so you say "they took the unprecedented move to totally re-write their Plain Language Summary"

 

Obviously, if political pressure is placed on someone after their studdied written opinion, that is bias.  Perhaps the original version was their true conclusion and under pressure they changed.  Seen that often with fluoridation.  Preventing publications, can't find peer reviewers, delay in publication and out right junk research published.

 

Johnny, I expect and appology and put all the pieces of the puzzel together.  Stand back and line all the evidence and weigh the evidence.  60% of adolescents in 2011-2012 with too much fluoride is too much fluoride, even if you think it is a good thing.

 

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William,

 

Let me make an attempt to explain where you have not been clear in public presentations.  While you may expect an apology and your feelings are hurt, that is on you.  I have merely reacted to information that you presented in at least 2 communities where we have presented opposite each other.

 

William:

"You promised to respond to my claim you defamed and slandered me if I responded to your question on NTP.    I expect and request a public apology here and at your next public meetings and a letter to the communities you have slandered and defamed me, with an apology of your errors."

 

Johnny:

William, a letter was written to the editor of Neurotoxicity Research challenging the findings of the NTP report by fluoridation opponents.  Since you may not be aware of this letter, the link to it is below.  The editor, Dr. Jean Harry, responds to those challenges:

"In summary, far from generating “false results” that may “misinform the public”, our data utilize an exposure level near the recommended level for human exposure and provide an extensive, systematic evaluation of sensory, motor, and cognitive function in a relevant animal model.  Instead of misleading regulators and the public, the results of the McPherson et al (2018) help clarify a generally confusing database and can only facilitate decisions concerning the safety of fluoride exposure through the drinking water."

https://americanfluoridationsociety.org/1363-2/

 

While this robust study looked at all fluoride intakes from food and water, followed in utero development of male offspring to adulthood, and clearly and definitively found no evidence of neurological damage, you are choosing to minimize the study which you promoted and pushed for.  This study, along with that of Dr. Gary Whitford, were of high quality with clear results.  The studies that have been used by fluoridation opponents to attempt to get the EPA to stop water fluoridation were found to be highly biased and failed to show neuorological damage at levels of fluoride used in community water fluoridation.

 

William: 

"The one animal study by NTP should be taken along with the other studies.  One study which had limitations showing no harm is reassuring, but does not negate the many studies reporting harm."  

 

Johnny:

See the above.

 

William:

Cochrane.  Thanks for the link.  Note the authors conclusions are not as robust as your claim.

 

Johnny:

From the Document:

"As such, we have reached similar conclusions--there is little evidence for significant effect estimate differences between observational studies and RCTs, regardless of specific observational study design, heterogeneity, or inclusion of drug studies."

https://www.cochrane.org/MR000034/METHOD_comparing-effect-estimates-of-randomized-controlled-trials-...

 

I repeat their findings as this paper was discussed with the COHG in London in July 2015. 

 

Quality of the evidence

"The GRADE approach was used to assess the quality of the evidence within the review. GRADE has developed over recent years as an internationally recognised framework for systematically evaluating the quality of evidence within both systematic reviews and guidelines. It aims to overcome the confusion that arises from having multiple systems for grading evidence and recommendations, and, because of this key aim, the GRADE working group discourages the use of modified GRADE approaches. However, there has been much debate around the appropriateness of GRADE when applied to public health interventions, particularly for research questions where evidence from randomised controlled trials is never going to be available due to the unfeasibility of conducting such trials. Community water fluoridation is one such area."

https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD010856.pub2/full

 

 William:

"Johnny, I expect and appology and put all the pieces of the puzzel together.  Stand back and line all the evidence and weigh the evidence.  60% of adolescents in 2011-2012 with too much fluoride is too much fluoride, even if you think it is a good thing."

 

Johnny:

William, I invite anyone to watch and listen to your presentation that you gave in Potsdam, NY, recently.  It is easily found on YouTube by using the search words Potsdam NY Fluoride.

 

You stated earlier in this thread that the slides of the teeth with fluorosis and the veeners that were placed were from friends and colleagues of yours.  You never stated this in the presentations.  Giving credit to the appropriate person for using their slides is commonplace.  The presentation does not give the impression that these patients aren't yours.  As such, I commented on the treatment of these teeth appropriately.  

 

Secondly, you showed "Fluoride Bombs" in molars which again were not attributed to another person.  If they aren't your patient(s), then acknowledging that is commonplace.  You asked me earlier about my suggestion that if frank cavitation (an open, visual hole in the tooth) were not present, a sealant should be placed.  

 

I direct you to the "American Dental Association's Center for Evidence-Based Dentistry" for specific guidelines on how to approach pits and fissures of molars like you have shown.

https://ebd.ada.org/en/evidence/guidelines/pit-and-fissure-sealants

 

The specific review is entitled "

"Evidence-based clinical practice guideline for the use of pit-and-fissure sealants"

One of the specific sections addresses your questions about sealing over non-cavitated teeth, as well as incipient caries (decay).  Long term studies have been conducted in which caries was sealed over and found to have arrested this decay.  Yes, I have seen this in my 30 years of practicing pediatric dentistry in Florida as a Pediatric Dentist.

 

Potential Role of Pit-and-Fissure Sealants in Primary and Secondary Prevention

"From a primary prevention perspective, anatomic grooves or pits and fissures on occlusal surfaces of permanent molars trap food debris and promote the presence of bacterial biofilm, thereby increasing the risk of developing carious lesions. Effectively penetrating and sealing these surfaces with a dental material—for example, pit-and-fissure sealants—can prevent lesions and is part of a comprehensive caries management approach.11



From a secondary prevention perspective, there is evidence that sealants also can inhibit the progression of noncavitated carious lesions.9 The use of sealants to arrest or inhibit the progression of carious lesions is important to the clinician when determining the appropriate intervention for noncavitated carious lesions."

 

At this point, William, I choose to end this back and forth interaction with you.  You have started to become demanding when someone doesn't agree with you.  As the late U.S. Senator Daniel P. Moynihan said so well, "Everyone is entitled to his own opinions, but not his own facts."

 

Warm regards,

 

Johnny Johnson, Jr., DMD, MS

Pediatric Dentist

Diplomate American Board of Pediatric Dentistry

Life Fellow American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry

President, American Fluoridation Society - a not for profit group of all volunteer healthcare professionals who do not take a penny for their work to disseminate credible, evidence-based science that has been peer reviewed and published in credibly recognized scientific journals

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Johnny,

 

Further to the list of studies below evaluating the mechanism of fluoride's neurotoxicity, here are a few studies specifically affecting the fetus.  These become even more significant when we add the Bashash et al study https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28937959 and their conclusion:

 

"CONCLUSIONS:

In this study, higher prenatal fluoride exposure, in the general range of exposures reported for other general population samples of pregnant women and nonpregnant adults, was associated with lower scores on tests of cognitive function in the offspring at age 4 and 6-12 y. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP655."

 

They did not report a "no effect" urine fluoride concentration.   

 

Johnny, science has demonstrated for years that brain damage is happening to the developing brain from the increased fluoride exposure caused by fluoridation.  

 

 

 

FETUS

Mechanism of Low Learning and Memory Abilities: Niu (2014)“Both fluoride and lead can cross the blood-brain barrier and produce toxic effects on the central neural system, resulting in low learning and memory abilities, especially in children. In order to identify the proteomic pattern in the cortex of young animals, from the beginning of fertilization to the age of postnatal day 56, pregnant female mice and pups were administrated with 150 mg sodium fluoride/L and/or 300 mg lead acetate/L in their drinking water. Two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) combined with mass spectrometry (MS) was applied to identify differently expressed protein spots. Results showed that there were eight proteins in the cortex that significantly changed, whose biological functions were involved in (1) energy metabolism (Ndufs1, Atp5h, Atp6v1b2), (2) cytoskeleton (Spna2, Tuba1a, Tubb2a), (3) glycation repair (Hdhd2), and (4) cell stress response (Hspa8). Based on the previous and current studies, ATPase, Spna2, and Hspa8 were shared by fluoride and lead both as common target molecules.”

 

Potential Toxicity: NRC (2006) p 164, In general, average cord blood concentrations are approximately 60% of maternal serum concentrations, with proportionally lesser amounts present as higher maternal serum concentrations. . . . Therefore potential toxicity to the developing embryo and fetus in the setting of high maternal ingestion of fluoride has been a concern evaluated in both animal and humans.” 

 

Harm to Fetus: Yu (1996 and English 2008) “The mothers of the ten fetuses that formed the subject group for this study all had dental fluorosis, with a corresponding increase in urinary fluoride, indicating that these pregnant women were suffering from chronic fluoride poisoning. The excess fluoride of the mother was passed through the placental barrier into the fetus, and from there through the blood-brain barrier to accumulate in the fetal brain, leading to a significant rise in bone and brain fluoride levels. Our results are consistent with earlier reports. Previous experiments have shown that the brains of fetuses from endemic fluorosis areas as well as fluoride-poisoned rats manifest morphological changes. Following experimental testing of the monoamine neurotransmitters in fetuses from fluorosis endemic areas, the present study found lowered levels of norepinephrine and elevated levels of epinephrine. The presence of norepinephrine in the brain allows the organism to become alert, and guards against the intensification of reflex reactions and other behavior. Norepinephrine also plays a role in the regulation of complex response mechanisms, emotions, cerebrocardiovascular function, etc. When norepinephrine levels drop the ability to maintain an appropriate state of activation in the central nervous system is weakened. The elevated levels of epinephrine could be due to a blockage of the pathway that transforms epinephrine into norepinephrine or possibly due to suppression of the relevant metabolic enzymes, causing the brain levels of epinephrine to increase, and the levels of norepinephrine to decrease.”

 

Mechanism of Harm to Fetus:  Dong (1993) “The contents of five types of amino-acid neurotransmitters and three types of monoamine neurotransmitters in the brains of fetuses aborted through induced labor in a chronic fluorosis-endemic area were determined. Findings revealed that the content of the excitatory amino acid, aspartic acid, was significantly lower than in the fetuses from the non-endemic area whereas the content of the inhibitory amino acid, taurine, was significantly higher; the content of the major spinal cord-inhibitory glycine was significantly reduced. Among the monoamine neurotransmitters, the content of norepinephrine was significantly reduced; the contents of 5-hydroxytryptamine in the frontal and the occipital lobes were elevated and the content of 5-hydroxytryptamine in the parietal lobe (precentral and postcentral gyri) was reduced.”

 

Harm to Fetus with Stunted Neuronal Development: Du (1992) “It is known that fluoride can cross the placenta from the mother’s blood to the developing fetus. However, the theory there is a direct link between fluoride effects and brain cell damage is still controversial due to lack of adequate evidence. In order to determine if there are any adverse effects on the developing human brain, especially starting from formation of the embryo, fetuses from an endemic fluorosis area at the 5th–8th month of gestation were compared with those from a non-endemic area. RESULTS: Normal Purkinje cells from the non-endemic fluorosis area were observed in single or parallel lines and were well organized in the fetal cerebellum. Purkinje cells of fetuses from the endemic fluorosis area were abnormally disorganized and had a thicker granulated layer in the cerebellum. Other dysmorphology, including higher nucleus-cytoplasm ratio of brain cones, hippocampus cones, and Purkinje cone cells, supports the theory that fluoride has an adverse effect on brain development. SEM analysis also found reduced neurons of brain cortex, decreased numerical density, volume density, and surface density in those fetuses from the endemic fluorosis area. In summary, the passage of fluorine through the placenta of mothers with chronic fluorosis and its accumulation within the brain of the fetus impacts the developing central nervous system and stunts neuron development.

 

Toxic to Nerve Development:  Li (2004) “The effects of excessive fluoride intake during pregnancy on neonatal neurobehavioral development and the neurodevelopment toxicity of fluoride were evaluated. Ninety-one normal neonates delivered at the department of obstetrics and gynecology in five hospitals of Zhaozhou County, Heilongjiang Province, China were randomly selected from December 2002 to January 2003. The subjects were divided into two groups (high fluoride and control) based on the fluoride content in the drinking water of the pregnant women. . . . There were significant differences in the neonatal behavioral neurological assessment score and neonatal behavioral score between the subjects in the endemic fluoride areas and the control group. . . . [N]eurobehavioural capability and agonistic muscle tension from the high fluoride group were impaired, resulting in a statistically significant lower overall (total) assessment score than in the control group (p<0.05). . . . [V]arious neurobehavioral capabilities, such as non-biological visual, biological visual, and auditory directional reactions of the neonates from the high fluoride group lagged behind those of the control group with differences that are statistically significant (p<0.05). . . . NBNA examination can help to detect mild damage to brain functions. The results of the examination indicate that high fluoride levels can cause adverse effects in the neurobehavioral development of neonates. . . . The present observations indicate that fluoride, as a toxic material to nerve development, can have an adverse impact on the neurobehavioral development of neonates and can cause abnormal changes of neurobehavioral capability during the neonate period with a negative impact on the future development of both the body and intelligence of the neonate. Therefore, in endemic fluoride areas, great effort should be made to reduce fluoride level in the water.

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Johnny,

 

I've pulled together a few research studies on the mechanism of fluoride neurotoxicity.  As toxiclologists and scientists know, a key aspect to understanding toxicity of a substance is to understand the mechanism of how the substance affects the body, organs and cells.    Due to limits on space, here are a few incomplete clips from studies for your consideration.  Although brief, you will get the idea. . . .

 

 

Mechanism, Low Glucose Utilization and Neurodegnerative changes:  Jiang (2014) “Fluorine, a toxic and reactive element, is widely prevalent throughout the environment and can induce toxicity when absorbed into the body. This study was to explore the possible mechanisms of developmental neurotoxicity in rats treated with different levels of sodium fluoride (NaF). The rats’ intelligence, as well as changes in neuronal morphology, glucose absorption, and functional gene expression within the brain were determined using the Morris water maze test, transmission electron microscopy, small-animal magnetic resonance imaging and Positron emission tomography and computed tomography, and Western blotting techniques. We found that NaF treatment-impaired learning and memory in these rats. Furthermore, NaF caused neuronal degeneration, decreased brain glucose utilization, decreased the protein expression of glucose transporter 1 and glial fibrillary acidic protein, and increased levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the rat brains. The developmental neurotoxicity of fluoride may be closely associated with low glucose utilization and neurodegenerative changes.”

 

If fluoride reduces glucose utilization, would fluoride increase obesity?  Just asking.   Good research project.

 

Mechanism: Object Recognition Memory: Han (2014) “This study aimed to investigate the effects of long-term fluoride exposure on object recognition memory and mRNA expression of soluble N-ethylmaleimidesensitive fusion protein attachment protein receptors (SNARE) complex (synaptosome-associated protein of 25 kDa (SNAP-25), vesicle-associated membrane protein 2 (VAMP-2), and syntaxin 1A) in the hippocampus of male mice. . . . Taken together, these results indicated that long-term fluoride administration can enhance the excitement of male mice, impair recognition memory, and upregulate VAMP-2 mRNA expression, which are involved in the adverse effects of fluoride on the object recognition memory of nervous system.”

 

Mechanism of Neurodegenerative diseases:  Pal (2014) “Fluoride, a well-established environmental carcinogen, has been found to cause various neurodegenerative diseases in human. Sub-acute exposure to fluoride at a dose of 20mg/kgb.w./day for 30 days caused significant alteration in pro-oxidant/anti-oxidant status of brain tissue as reflected by perturbation of reduced glutathione content, increased lipid peroxidation, protein carbonylation, nitric oxide and free hydroxyl radical production and decreased activities of antioxidant enzymes. . . .  Resveratrol was found to inhibit changes in metabolic activities restoring antioxidant status, biogenic amine level and structural organization of the brain. Our findings indicated that resveratrol imparted antioxidative role in ameliorating fluoride-induced metabolic and oxidative stress in different regions of the brain.”

 

 

Mechanism of Harm and Amelioration of Harm:  Sardar (2014)  “Beneficial effects of oleanolic acid on fluoride-induced oxidative stress and certain metabolic dysfunctions were studied in four regions of rat brain. Male Wistar rats were treated with sodium fluoride at a dose of 20 mg/kg b.w./day (orally) for 30 days . Results indicate marked reduction in acidic, basic and neutral protein contents due to fluoride toxicity in cerebrum, cerebellum, pons and medulla. DNA, RNA contents significantly decreased in those regions after fluoride exposure. A. . .  Appreciable counteractive effects of oleanolic acid against fluoride-induced changes in protein and nucleic acid contents, proteolytic enzyme activities and other oxidative stress parameters indicate that oleanolic acid has potential antioxidative effects against fluoride-induced oxidative brain damage.”

 

Mechanism of Known Harm: Hamza (2015) “Sodium fluoride (NaF) intoxication (brain, kidney, liver, oxidative stress, reproductive toxicity, testes, anti-oxidants) is associated with oxidative stress and altered antioxidant defense mechanism.”  

 

Mechanism of Known Damage: Zhang (2015) “To explore the mechanisms by which chronic fluorosis damages the brain, we determined the levels of the advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), the receptor for AGE (RAGE), NADPH oxidase-2 (NOX2), reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the brains of rats /and or SH-SY5Y cells exposed to different levels of sodium fluoride (5 or 50ppm in the drinking water for 3 or 6 months and in the incubation medium for as long as 48hr, respectively).. . . In conclusion, our present results indicate that excessive fluoride can activate the AGE/RAGE pathway, which might in turn enhance oxidative stress.”

 

Mechanism of Locomotor Activity, Exploratory Behavior Suppression, Spacial Learning and Memory Loss:  Zhang (2015)  “Results showed that in rats with chronic fluorosis compared with the controls, locomotor activity and exploratory behavior were significantly or very significantly suppressed, spatial learning and memory ability were significantly declined;. synaptic membrane fluidity and the protein level of PSD-95 of hippocampus were greatly decreased. The data indicated that the changes of synaptosome membrane fluidity and PSD-95 expression level in hippocampus might be the one synaptic mechanism of learning-memory injury induced by chronic fluorosis in brain.”

 

Mechanism of Deficit in Learning and Memory: Dong (2014): “To reveal the molecular mechanism of deficit in learning and memory induced by chronic fluorosis, the expression of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs) and oxidative stress were investigated. . . . Our results suggest that the mechanism for the deficits in learning and memory of rats with chronic fluorosis may be associated with the decreased expressions of M1 and M3 in mAChRs, in which the changes in the receptors might be the result of the high level of oxidative stress occurring in the disease.”

 

Mechanism of Central Neural System Injury: Niu (2014) “Fluoride and lead are two common pollutants in the environment. Previous investigations have found that high fluoride exposure can increase the lead burden. In this experiment, in order to study on the molecular mechanisms of central neural system injury induced by the above two elements, differently expressed protein spots in hippocampus of male mice treated with 150 mg sodium fluoride/L and/or 300 mg lead acetate/L in their drinking water were detected by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) and mass spectrometry (MS). The behavior tests showed that 56 days of fluoride and lead administration significantly reduced the vertical activity and lowered the memory ability of mice. In addition, results of 2-DE and MS revealed that nine spots demonstrated above a twofold change in the same trend in all treatment groups, which were mainly related with (1) energy metabolism, (2) cell stress response/chaperones, (3) cytoskeleton development, (4) protein metabolism, and (5) cell surface signal transduction. The findings could provide potential biomarkers for lesion in nervous system induced by fluoride and lead exposure.”

 

Mechanism of Apoptosis: Lou (2014) “The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of chronic fluorosis on apoptosis and the expression of Bax and Bcl-2 in the cerebral cortices of rats in an attempt to elucidate molecular mechanisms. . . . The results showed that the animal model of chronic fluorosis was successfully established in the study. In the cortices of the rat brains with chronic fluorosis, as compared to controls, the percentage of apoptotic neurons was significantly increased, with a dose-dependent tendency between the rate of apoptosis and the F contents in drinking water. The expression of Bax and Bcl-2, at both the protein and mRNA levels, was clearly elevated in the rat brains with chronic fluorosis. . . . .”

 

Mechanism of Neurotoxicity: Zhou (2014) “A significant decrease of TGF-B1 was found, in both the gene and protein levels, while no significant change occurred in the levels of IL-4, IL-1B, IL-6, and TNF-a gene. Fluoride may damage the hippocampus by significantly decreasing the expression of TGF-B1 gene and protein, possibly by an unknown post-transcriptional mechanism. . . . .”

 

Mechanism and Known Harm:  Reddy (2014) “Aims: This study was designed to evaluate the effect of sodium fluoride (NaF) in inducing neuroimmunological, oxidative and antioxidative damage. . . .  Results: Increase in the NaF concentration resulted in increased fluoride deposition in brain tissue. This increased fluoride content led to increased levels of certain neurotransmitters such as epinephrine, histamine, serotonin and glutamate and decreased levels of norepinephrine, acetylcholine and dopamine in a dose-dependent manner. NaF exposure led to the decrease in the levels of CD4, NK cells and IgG1 coupled with marked increase in lipid peroxidation and impairment of the antioxidative defense system.  Conclusion: The result of the study emphasizes the toxic role of high NaF doses on the neurological and immunological functions.”

 

Chromosomal anomalies and Primary DNA Damage: Tiwari (2010) “Our study has supported the role of As [arsenic] and F [fluoride] as potent genotoxic agents, since in vitro exposure of both caused increased chromosomal anomalies along with primary DNA damage, in human peripheral blood cultures.”

 

Known Harm Measured by Deficits in Attention, Auditory Retention, Physicial Dexterity and Acuity and Emotional States:  Guo (2001, English translation 2008) “In recent years, the damage fluoride inflicts on nonskeletal organs, and in particular the nervous system, has received a great deal of attention. . . .  RESULTS: The results of the NCTB testing in this investigation revealed significant differences among the fluoride-exposed groups for various indices as compared to reference standards and the controls, with particular deficits in attention, auditory retention, and physical dexterity and acuity as well as abnormal emotional states.  . . . There is a definite relationship between the damage caused by fluoride and the level of exposure.”

 

Mechanism of DNA Damage: Zhang (2008) “Some recent studies have suggested that DNA damage may be a potential neurotoxic mechanism of fluoride. The tail length, as measured by an ocular micrometer, is increased in fluoride-treated human embryonic hepatocytes in a previous study carried out to investigate the geneotic effect of fluoride (Wang et al., 2004). In the present study, we performed OTM and percentage of DNA in the tail as indices of DNA damage. OTM, multiplication of the tail length and percentage of DNA in the tail, objectively and sensitively reflects the effect of fluoride on DNA damage. Our findings showed that fluoride-induced DNA damage and OTM was more a sensitive measure than percentage of DNA in the tail. The correlation analysis showed a positive correlation between ROS formation and OTM level (r2=0.583, P < 0.05), which indicated that ROS might play an important role in the course of DNA damage.”

 

Known Genotoxic: Zhang (2009) “Twenty four agents were used to evaluate this screening assay. We selected the agents, ranging from DNA alkylating agents, oxidative agent, radiation, DNAcross- linking agent, nongenotoxic carcinogens, precarcinogenic agents, which included . . . sodium fluoride, acrylamide . . . . The results showed that all 20 tested known carcinogenic and genotoxic agents were able to induce gadd153-Luc expression at a sublethal dose.. . . .”

 

Known Genotoxic, Mutagenic, Teratogenic: Ercivas (2009) “In this study we concluded that NaF, in 5 and 10 lg/ml NaF concentrations cause genotoxic alterations. So genotoxic, mutagenic and teratogenic effects of NaF need to be carefully screened and evaluated together with other long-term effects using in vitro and in vivo animal test models.”

 

Mechanism of Known DNA Damage: Wang(2004)“As cells were exposed to higher doses of fluoride, the percentage of L-02 cells with DNA damage increased. This result is consistent with other studies... Therefore, considering previous studies, we think that fluoride can cause lipid peroxidation, DNA damage and apoptosis, and that there is a positive relationship among these changes.”

 

Mechanism of Known Harm: Aardema (1989) “Based on these results and those previously reported for NaF and APC, it is proposed that NaF-induced aberrations may occur by an indirect mechanism involving the inhibition of DNA synthesis/repair.”

 

Mechanism of Known Harm: Lasne (1988) “Sodium fluoride was found to induce morphological transformation of SHE cells seeded on a feeder layer of X-irradiated cells at high concentrations (75-125 micrograms/ml). When the cells were seeded in the absence of a feeder-layer, the transformation frequencies increased in a dose-dependent manner with the concentrations of sodium fluoride ranging from 0 to the highly toxic concentration of 200 micrograms/ml. In the BALB/3T3 cell system, sodium fluoride was negative in the standard Kakunaga procedure, while through the experiment designed by table L8 (2(7] of the orthogonal method, an initiating-like effect and a weak promoting activity were detected within the concentrations ranging from a 25 micrograms/ml to a 50 micrograms/ml concentration which is highly toxic for BALB/3T3 cells. From these results, it is suggested that, besides a genetic mode of action, sodium fluoride could possibly act through a non-genotoxic mechanism.”

 

Known Mutagenic: 1990 NTP “In summary, sodium fluoride is mutagenic in cultured mammalian cells and produces transformation of Syrian hamster cells in vitro. The reports of in vivo cytogenetic studies are mixed, but the preponderance of the evidence indicates that sodium fluoride can induce chromosome aberrations and sister chromatid exchanges in cultured mammalian cells. These mutagenic and clastogenic effects in cultured cells are supported by positive effects in Drosophila germ cell tests that measure point mutations and chromosome breakage. In vivo tests in rodents for chromosome aberrations provide mixed results that cannot readily be resolved because of differences in protocols and insufficient detail in some study reports to allow a thorough analysis. The mechanism(s) by which these effects result from exposure to sodium fluoride is not known.”

 

Preponderance of Evidence: 2001 Bassin “The effects of fluoride as a mutagen, carcinogen, and antimutagen are inconsistent, but the preponderance of evidence in cultured mammalian cells indicate that sodium fluoride can induce chromosome aberrations and sister chromatid exchanges.”

 

Known DNA Damage: Chen (2000) “To investigate the effects of fluoride on DNA damage as well as the effects of selenium and zinc against fluoride respectively or jointly in pallium neural cells of rats, single cell gel electrophoresis was used to detect the DNA damage of neural cells prepared in vitro. The results showed that the degree of DNA damage in the fluoride group and the selenium group were significantly greater than that in control group (P < 0.01). The damage in the fluoride group was even more serious. The damage in the fluoride + selenium group and fluoride + zinc group was slighter than that in the fluoride group but with no significant difference. The extent of DNA damage in the fluoride + selenium + zinc group was significantly slighter than that in the fluoride group(P < 0.05). It suggested that fluoride and selenium could induce DNA damage in pallium neural cells of rats respectively.

 

Known Genotoxic Rivedal (2000) ”In the present work, 13 compounds [chlordane, Arochlor 1260, di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, 1,1,1-trichloro-2, 2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethane, limonene, sodium fluoride, ethionine, o-anisidine, benzoyl peroxide, o-vanadate, phenobarbital, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate and clofibrate] have been tested for their ability to induce morphological transformation and affect intercellular communication in Syrian hamster embryo (SHE) cells... In vitro morphological transformation of SHE cells is now one of the most frequently used cell transformation systems. Around 500 chemicals have been tested in this system, and a good correlation has been obtained with the ability of compounds from different chemical groups to cause tumours in animals and humans. The SHE cell transformation assay also responds to tumour promoters and carcinogens not detected by tests for genotoxicity... [N]ine of the 13 tested substances (TPA, o-vanadate, DEPH, phenobarbital, Arochlor 1260, clofibrate, o-anisidine, limonene and NaF) are considered positive for induction of morphological transformation.” 

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Johnny,

 

Background:  

 

Too many are ingesting too much fluoride.  60% of adolescents show signs, biomarker, of excess fluoride exposure.

 

 

A. A recent review of fluoride for the Irish Department of Health, Sutton (2015).   “The evidence base examining the association between health effects and community water fluoridation is scarce”  and “Having examined the evidence, and given the paucity of studies of appropriate design, further research, would be required in order to provide definitive proof. . . .“    

 

For 70 years Governments have continued to dispense fluoride based on a “paucity of studies of appropriate design.”  Intentional fluoride exposure under police powers, solely for therapeutic intent, should be suspended until such proof of efficacy and safety is provided.  

 

B. The Public Health Service recommendation in 2015 (PHS 2015) estimates about 60% of fluoride exposure for adults and 40%-70% for children is from water fluoridation.  The PHS (2015) does not mention infants on formula with fluoridated water who would get close to 100% of their fluoride from water at 0.7 ppm or greater. 

 

C. There are some streams of evidence the FDA should consider which are fundamental to common sense even though they may not fit within a prescribed research format such as PECO and protocol approach, such as intent of use, lack of physiologic requirement, ethics, mother’s milk, and the FDA’s withdrawal of NDA and fluoride dental products’ warnings, etc.

1. For example, mother’s milk: Only the NRC 2006 report seriously addressed mother’s milk which has undetectable fluoride in most samples and mean concentration of 0.004 ppm.  Infants on formula made with 0.7 ppm fluoridated water are ingesting 175 times more fluoride than mother’s milk.   Perhaps the survival of our species has been dependent on mother’s milk.  The paucity of high quality studies on fluoride’s safety and efficacy do not outweigh the historical record of mother’s milk.  Mother’s milk is considered the nutritional standard for infants against which all other substitutes are judged.  Reviewers of science usually omit or avoid the most fundamental, historical, obvious scientific evidence of nature’s dosage of fluoride for infants, in part because dosage of 175 times more than mother’s milk of a highly toxic substance without consent sounds hellish.  

The undisputed evidence of the virtual lack of fluoride in mother’s milk must be the dosage considered optimal for infants unless overwhelming proof that mother’s milk is deficient or defective is provided. 

 

CDC reports about 13% of infants are exclusively breast fed through six months.

Hujoel (2009) provides the graph below confirming an increase of dental fluorosis in formula fed infants.

 

Primarily, English speaking Government agencies dispense fluoride with assumed dental caries reduction and without any high quality studies.  Yet promoters  demand high quality “proof” of harm.  

 

2. Another stream of evidence  is the FDA . The FDA requires a label (variable wording) on fluoride toothpaste because fluoridated toothpaste makes a therapeutic claim that it “helps protect against cavities.  Fluoride is a drug,   The label says, “Drug Facts.”  “do not swallow,” use a “pea size.”  The pea size pictured is about twice the size the FDA is referring to.  A pea size of toothpaste has 0.25 mg of fluoride, the same as each  glass of fluoridated water.  Diluting a quarter milligram of fluoride in a glass of public water does not make the fluoride safe. 

 

Governments do not make sense when they warn not to swallow the same amount of fluoride as they require each person to swallow in each glass of water.

 

 

3. We should consider Congress as a stream of evidence.  

“21 U.S.C. 321 CHAPTER II—DEFINITIONS (g)(1) The term "drug" means (A) articles recognized in the official United States Pharmacopoeia, official Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States, or official National Formulary, or any supplement to any of them;”  Sodium Fluoride is listed in the 2007 US Pharmacopoeia pages 3194-3196.   Congress and the President have clearly defined drugs, and fluoride is listed as one of the drugs.  Fluoride is exempt from Federal and state “poison” and “highly toxic” laws as a drug and not exempt as a food. State Board’s of Pharmacy have determined fluoride is a drug.

 

The ingestion of fluoride with the intent to mitigate dental caries is not approved by the FDA CDER and is therefore an unapproved drug.

 

D. Reviews of potential harm from fluoride ingestion have a selection criteria usually limited to human studies and usually conclude, “Ecological studies are not adequate to infer causality.”  

 

Reviews have in part been a house of cards, narrow in focus, assumed efficacy, and/or failed to consider evidence from all streams of evidence. 

 

E. Prospective Randomized Controlled Human Trials (RCT) testing children to see how much, for example, their IQ decreases, at various ages, dosages, synergistic chemicals, health status and nutritional variables would certainly increase confidence but would be unethical.  Determining the toxicological endpoint of chemicals such as fluoride for a public health (population wide) non contagious disease by dispensing of toxicants requires a significant factor of uncertainty to protect everyone, especially when benefit is controversial.  Therefore, the FDA should review the science with the premise, “if in doubt, do no harm.”

 

F. Ethically, clinical evidence for efficacy for toxic substances administered with therapeutic intent must be a different scientific standard and methodology than evidence of safety and harm for random or unavoidable toxins.   Fluoride is different than an industrial toxic product because it is administered by Governments without individual consent, label or legend and without efficacy and toxicity oversight. 

 

 

G. “Weight of evidence” for an ecological study maybe stronger than an individual study when the bigger picture is evaluated such as: sample size, precision of measurements, choosing an appropriate sample, avoiding biases such as confounders, age, gender, race of cohorts, objective or subjective evidence, etc.   

 

 

 

H. Current human studies have centered on IQ as a measurement tool of neurotoxicity for humans.  Rocha-Amador (2009) reminds us that IQ is only one form of testing for chemical neurotoxicity:

“Intuitively, though it might seem that an IQ test would be an ideal measure [for determining the neurotoxic effects of a chemical], this assumption would be ill founded, because some toxicants could affect only specific functions, such as attention, memory, language, or visuospatial abilities without clear decrements on IQ scores. Furthermore, the exposure dose as well as mixtures of toxicants are important factors that also need to be considered.”  

 

Yazdi et. al. concluded that “neurobehavioural testing is useful for detecting impairment of psychomotor performance and memory that is associated with occupational F exposure.” 

 

I. A neurotoxic substance has been defined as a substance which alters the normal activity of the nervous system in such a way as to cause damage to nervous tissue.  Symptoms of this alteration may appear immediately after exposure or be delayed. The range of symptoms include loss of IQ but also include limb weakness or numbness, loss of memory, vision, uncontrollable obsessive and/or compulsive behaviors, delusions, headache, cognitive and behavioral problems, sexual dysfunction and pain. 

 

J. Although research on the neurotoxicity of fluoride is robust enough to suspend artificial fluoridation, the research finding harm is in its infancy.  Research will become more refined, focused and demonstrate even higher risk for subpopulations.