Water Fluoridation Safe for Everyone?

Published in Port News Monday 7th March, 2011 Article by Dr Caree Alexander BDSc

When fluoride, in the form of Hydrofluorosilicic Acid, is added to the Port Macquarie-Hastings drinking water, everyone in the community on town water will have to drink this byproduct of fertiliser manufacturing, which has never been approved for human consumption in Australia or anywhere else.

If you don’t believe me, just ask council or call up the National Health & Medical Research Council. Ask them if there have ever been ANY studies done in Australia on the effects of fluoride ingestion on health. Ask them if there have ever been ANY studies done worldwide that proved fluoride consumption to be safe.

Then ask your doctor and dentist to give you a written guarantee that drinking fluoridated water will not damage you or your children’s health in any way.

If you suffer from kidney disease, contact the Australian Kidney Foundation and ask if drinking fluoridated water might make you sicker. Read their online position statement on fluoridation. It will tell you that 1 in 7 Australians have chronic kidney disease. It will also explain that if your kidneys aren’t working properly, fluoride will accumulate in your body, leading to “negative side effects”.

Suppose you’re suffering from Thyroid Disease, which also affects 1 in 7 Australians. Try contacting the Australian Thyroid Foundation to see if drinking fluoridated water will make your hypothyroid condition worse. Ask your doctor.

If you still think that fluoridated water is safe for everyone, then why has the American Dental Association been warning parents not to mix fluoridated tap water with infant formula since 2006?
It’s because they’ve finally acknowledged that, although fluoride is supposed to protect children’s teeth, it is in fact damaging them. 41% of American teenagers have dental fluorosis due to too much fluoride.

Clearly, fluoride is NOT safe to swallow and some members of our community are at greater risk than others, yet we are told that water fluoridation is for the good of the community.

We already consume fluoride on a daily basis. Everything grown and processed in fluoridated regions contains fluoride. Many pesticides are fluoride-based eg Sulphuryl Fluoride, a fumigant used on stored cereals, nuts and dried fruit. Even Coca Cola has 0.7ppm fluoride, enough to supposedly stop tooth decay - I don’t think its’ working.

If NSW Health and the Administrator really cared about our health, they would put a stop to this nonsense and provide education not fluoridation as well as better access to dental treatment for those who need it.

(Caree Alexander is a dentist who practised in both fluoridated and nonfluoridated communities for more than 21 years. She is a signatory to the Professionals Against Fluoridation declaration, available at www.fluoridealert.org)