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THE GREAT FLUORIDATION HOAX: THE GREAT FLUORIDATION HOAX: FACT OR FICTION? FACT by Dr. Ronald S. Laura, Professor in Education, University of Newcastle & P.E.R.C. Felow in Health Eduction, Harvard Universiy and any reason to suspect that humans are immune from the efects of this poent poison. Even a qllick perusal of the indexes of most ref- DOES IT B EN EFIT erence manuals on industrial toxicology list a secon on the haa}ds of hndling fluoride compounds. In assessing e toxicity levels of fluwides Sax confirms tht doses of Z5 to SOmg must be rearded as YO U ) ‘highly toxic’ and can cause severe voming, diarrhea and CNS ' munifestations.! It is crucial to recognise fm he oulset that fluonde is a highly txic OR BIG BUSINESS! sllbstance. Appreciation of this simple point makes it easier to . understand Ile natural reluctance on the part of some to acept with- out question the compulsory ingestion of poison to obtan partl con- trol of what would geneally be regded as a noncommunicable dis- The controversy sulmundmg fluoridation raises numer of impor- _ ease. The potent toxicity of fluoride and the narrow limits of human tant soio-ethical issues which Cannol be overlooked. One of he — tolerance (between I-Sppm) make lhe quesion of optimum corenion most buming quesons is whether the fluoridation prograrnme Irep- Or pramount imponance. xr haalth ae tha DOES IT BENEFIT The controversy sulmundmg fluoridation raises numer of impor- s of human tant soio-ethical issues which Cannol be overlooked. One of he tolerance (between 1-Sppm) make lhe quesion of optimum corenion most buming quesons is whether the fluoridation prograrnme Irep- Or pramount imponance. resents a miletone in the advancement of communily health or the opportunisti oucome of a powerul loby concerned largely to FLUORINE WASTES - advance its own vesl interests at the expense of he interests of the A MAJOR POLUTANT public. The historical origins o fluondation are revealing, lhough we shil for obvious reasons in what follows 21 interpret the revela- The fluoridation controversy becomes even more interesng when tion itself, but rather tese out a few of the truly remrkble coinci- we relise that industrial fluonne wasles hve since the erly 1900’s dences which make those origins revelatory. been one of e main pollunts of ow lkes, seuns and acquifers, caus- Ina more direct approach o a relted issue however, we shall argue _ ing untold losses to fanners in regard to the poisoning of stok and that the potential and actual health risks associated with fluoridation crops. have not been sufficiently appreciated by those in favour of fluori- dation. The intentional inoduction o fluorides in drinking water has certainly not received the rigorous scrutiny and testing properly brought to ear on tle wide y of available medical drugs, many of _ the fl uorides we now add which can be bought without prescnption. Finally, we urge that Muotide 10 our water supply was both safe and effective in de to our drinking water - were used for nearly 40 years reduclion of caries in the teeth of children, the relevanl dosage of fluorides could no be satisfactorily restricted to ensure that the harmful eects of fluoride did nol ouweigh the aeged benerlcil efects. NorIr as “RAT POISON” THE GENESIS OF FLUORIDATION Many readers will be ssed to heu at fluorides have been in use for a long tne, but not in the prevention o tooth decay. The fluorides we now, in the name of heath, add o our drnking water were for nearly Fuorides such as hydrogen fluoride and silicon tetrafluoride are four decades used as stomach poison inseciicides and rodenticides. emitted by phosphate fertilizer manuftwing plants (phosphae rock Fluorides are believed to exert their toxic action on pests by com- can typically conin 3% f}uonde). The industrial process of steel bining with and inhibiting many enzymes that contain elements production, certain chemical Focessing and particularly aluminium such as irn, calcium and magnesmm. For similar reasons fluorides _ producion which invo}Yes the elecolysis of alumina in a bath of are also highly toxic to plnts disrupting the delicate biochemical molten cryolite (sodium aluminium hexafluoride) all release con- balance in respect of which photosynthesis takes place. No is here _ sideable quantities of fluorides into the environment. Ihe fluorides FLUORINE WASTES - A MAJOR POLUTANT The fluoridation controversy becomes even more interesng when we relise that industrial fluonne wasles hve since the erly 1900’s been one of e main pollunts of ow lkes, seuns and acquifers, caus- ing untold losses to fanners in regard to the poisoning of stok and crops. to our drinking water - Fuorides such as hydrogen fluoride and silicon tetrafluoride are emitted by phosphate fertilizer manuftwing plants (phosphae rock can typically conin 3% f}uonde). The industrial process of steel production, certain chemical Focessing and particularly aluminium producion which invo} Yes the elecolysis of alumina in a bath of molten cryolite (sodium aluminium hexafluoride) all release con- sideable quantities of fluorides into the environment. Ihe fluorides NEXUS - 13 John F. Ashton, Dept of Education University of Newcastle. ... the fluorides we now add as “RAT POISON” THE GENESIS OF FLUORIDATION OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 1991 * YEAR BOOK