Fluoridation opponents (FOs) frequently chime in with their
completely spurious arguments that fluoride is a medicine or
drug that can’t be ethically be added to drinking water.
Why are FOs only concerned about personal choice only
when it comes to fluoridation? Their arguments apply
equally well to the well-established practice of chlorination or
other disinfectant processes. If their arguments against
fluoridation are legitimate, then for exactly the same reasons
described below, chlorination should be halted and everyone
should be given the personal choice to chlorinate (or otherwise
disinfect) their own water.
The attempt to classify the fluoride ion as a medicine or drug
is a ‘smoke and mirror’ strategy to create an artificial
distinction in the public’s mind between the water treatment
chemicals chlorine and fluorine, and such an arbitrary
classification is meaningless.
Fortunately, the fear-evoking claims against fluoridation are
not legitimate and they are not supported by the overwhelming
majority of scientific evidence (like the study described in the
story) or endorsed by the medical, dental or scientific
communities.
Facts:
1)
Chlorination vs. fluoridation
a.
There is no water treatment process that will have no risks to
anyone, anywhere under any circumstances. Just delivering
treated water through miles of pipes introduces risks. The
purpose of water treatment and distribution is to use processes
that are demonstrated to provide the most benefits to the most
people while minimizing risks to anyone.
b.
The only way all risks of community water treatment could be
eliminated would be to stop it entirely and make everyone
responsible for their own water purification – which, of course,
would introduce another set of risks to the community.
c.
FOs are too focused on their passionate mission of demonizing
the fluoride ion to realize that all their arguments against
fluoridation are equally valid against chlorination and other
disinfection processes.
d.
The same arguments below that show the similarity of
chlorination for fluoridation can be used for other disinfection
treatments.
2)
Toxicity of water treatment additive
a.
Chlorination involves the addition of chlorine gas or the
hypochlorite ion to water – both additives are toxic at
sufficiently high levels.
b.
Fluoridation involved the addition of the fluoride ion,
typically as fluorosilicic acid. sodium fluorosilicate or sodium
fluoride. All compounds used quickly dissociate into free
fluoride ions. All additives are toxic at sufficiently
high levels.
3)
Benefits
a.
Chlorine is added to drinking water to provide proven health
benefits to the majority of community members.
The action is to kill pathogens that can cause diseases
in a community.
b.
Fluoride ions are added to drinking water to provide proven
health benefits to the majority of community members.
The action is to strengthen the tooth enamel and
remineralize decayed areas reducing dental decay and associated
health issues in a community.
4)
Choice
a.
Chlorination of community drinking water is not a personal
choice – if regulators decide disinfection is needed, the entire
community that drinks the water is affected unless individuals
choose to treat their own water or find other sources.
b.
When officials examine the evidence and decide fluoridation of
community drinking water is beneficial, it is not a personal
choice – the entire community will drink fluoridated water
unless they choose to treat their own water or find other
sources.
5)
Naturally found in water
a.
Chlorination and other disinfection processes involve the
addition of chemicals (chlorine gas, sodium or calcium
hypochlorite, chlorine dioxide, chloramine, etc.) to treat water
that are not normally present in source water.
b.
Fluoridation adds a small amount of the fluoride ion, a
naturally occurring element in source water, to treat water.
6)
Disinfection Byproducts
a.
Chlorination and other disinfection processes usually create a
‘witches brew’ of toxic disinfection byproducts – to use
terminology of FOs. Regulations ensure that levels of
disinfection byproducts are below harmful (to most people)
levels.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_chlorination
b.
Fluoridation does not create additional contaminants in the
treated water, although trace amounts of other contaminants may
be present in fluoride additives. Regulations ensure that
any other contaminants are far below allowable or harmful (to
most people) levels.
7)
The NFPA health
hazard of 4 also applies to chlorine – the description reads,
“Very short exposure could cause death or serious residual
injury even though prompt medical attention was given.”
http://www.praxair.com/~/media/North%20America/US/Documents/SDS/Chlorine%20Cl%202Safety%20Data%20Sheet%20SDS%20P4580.pdf
8)
Risks
a.
Disinfection byproducts (at levels below maximum contaminant
levels permitted in drinking water) may potentially cause health
problems for a very small percentage of community members, but
the benefits to the community of disinfection far outweigh the known risks.
b.
Fluoridation at optimal levels may potentially cause health
problems for a very small percentage of community members, but
the benefits to the community far outweigh the known risks.
After more than 70 years of research the only established risk
of continual exposure to more than five times the optimal levels
of fluoride (~2 ppm) is mild dental fluorosis in some
individuals.
9)
Medicine
a.
The attempt to classify the fluoride ion as a medicine is a
‘smoke and mirror’ strategy to create an artificial distinction
in the public’s mind between the water treatment chemicals
chlorine and fluorine, and such an arbitrary classification is
meaningless. Attempts by FOs to have the fluoride ion
legally classified as a medicine have failed, so they make up
their own definitions.
b.
Chlorination does not involve adding a medicine/drug to the
drinking water. Regardless of whether or not chlorine
is classified as a medicine, a water treatment chemical, or a
chemical weapon used during WW1, chlorine and the byproducts
produced by chlorination, are ingested into the body and
absorbed. Since benefits are shown by scientific
evidence to be significantly greater than risks, an arbitrary
classification does not matter.
Chlorine and some of the disinfection byproducts are also
released into the air when using chlorinated water, and they are
inhaled and absorbed into the body.
c.
Fluoridation does not involve adding a medicine/drug to the
drinking water. Regardless of whether or not the fluoride
ion is classified as a medicine, a water treatment chemical, or
a rat poison, fluoride ions are ingested into the body and
absorbed. Since benefits are shown by scientific
evidence to be significantly greater than risks, an arbitrary
classification does not matter.
The fluoride ion is not released into the air from
fluoridated water.
10)
Options
a.
If a water customer does not like to ingest any chlorine or
disinfection byproducts they are free to use a filter or
distillation to remove the contaminants or choose another
source. They are not free to insist on removing the
benefits to other members of the community.
b.
If a water customer does not like to ingest any of the fluoride ions
they are free to use a filter or distillation to remove the
contaminant or choose another source. They are not free to
insist on removing the benefits to other members of the
community.
11)
Dose
a.
FOs make it a point to emphasize that, because people drink
different amounts of water, people can be exposed to different
amounts of fluoride. Obviously, the same argument means
that those who drink more water are exposed to more
disinfectants and their byproducts and other contaminants that
might be in their water. FOs don’t seem to understand
that when setting the Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCL) for
disinfectants, disinfection byproducts, the fluoride ion and
other contaminants, they took into account the fact that people
drink different amounts of water. From the EPA site, the MCL
is defined as, “The highest level of a contaminant that EPA allows in
drinking water. MCLs ensure that drinking water does not pose
either a short-term or long-term
health risk. EPA sets MCLs
at levels that are economically and technologically feasible.” For individuals to
exceed established safe levels of fluoride, disinfection
byproducts, or other contaminants that are harmful at high
levels, they would need to continually drink so much water they
would be more at risk of water intoxication than of experiencing
significant risk of harm from contaminants. If people are
not comfortable with the EPA standards or if they drink
significantly more water than normal, they are free to make
other choices.
b.
The Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL) for chlorine and
chloramine = 4.0 mg/l. The MCLs for the disinfection
byproducts, bromate = 0.01 mg/l, chlorite = 1.0 mg/l, HAAS =
0.06 mg/l, TTHMs = 0.08 mg/l
c.
The MCL for the fluoride ion is 4.0 mg/l – over five times the
optimal level.
d.
http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/
12)
Necessity
of treatment
a.
There
are situations when disinfection of the source water is not
needed - if pathogens are not found in the source water.
b. There are situations when fluoridation is not necessary - if
average natural fluoride levels at or above 0.7 ppm. There
are also situations when levels of naturally occurring fluoride
ions are reduced in the treated water - When F+
levels are above 4.0 ppm (the EPA MCL) or if a water treatment
company decides to reduce natural levels that are below the MCL
but higher than levels that may begin to cause noticeable
fluorosis ~2.0ppm.
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