Water Fluoridation Anyone?

Teralek
Teralek's picture
Posts: 620
Joined: 2010-07-15
User is offlineOffline
Water Fluoridation Anyone?

Hi guys! Long time since I've been here! How are you all doing?

I would like to hear your thoughts about water fluoridation. This issue is again lately roaming in the social networks because of the Lancet article earlier tis year. Nutters came out again because of this, wanting to ban fluoride. But they are only showing their lack of understanding scientific literature and lazyness on actually go and read the article.

However, I am also skeptic about the article on the skeptic dictionary about this. http://www.skepdic.com/fluoridation which seems to support water fluoridation.

But their last paragraph is clarifying:

"...Even so, opponents of fluoridation have criticized defenders of fluoridation for relying on "outdated science" and have supported their opposition by claiming that recent science is on their side. In particular, they cite a 2006 report from the National Academy of Sciences. That report involved a committee of scientists reviewing toxicologic, epidemiologic, and clinical data on fluoride published since 1993 (the year of their last previous report). This committee did not evaluate studies on the health benefits of fluoridation but restricted itself to studies on the potential harmful effects of fluoride from all sources. The report clearly states several times that they did not find good scientific evidence that there is significant harm being done by ingesting fluoride at levels found in municipalities that artificially add fluoride to their water supplies. The committee "concluded unanimously that the present MCLG [maximum contaminant level goal set by the EPA] of 4 mg/L for fluoride should be lowered." Municipalities that artificially fluoridate use from .75-1/mg/L."

I don't think fluorides are bad for you in low quantities nor am I a nutter who uses no fluoride toothpaste. But I see no point in fluoridade drinking water. We are already exposed to sufficient doses of natural and artificial fluoride. We do not need this extra dose on drinking water. No where have I read a study which convinced me that there are objective benefits of water fluoridation. A study that accounts for variables like washing your teeth with fluoride toothpaste.

Europe does not fluoridate drinking water for the most part and we do not have more tooth decay than you Americans.

Fluoride is one of those things that is good for you but if you abuse it it has very serious adverse effects. Children are at risk in this regard. If you do the math about common sources exposure to Fluoride you will see that the large majority of us do not need water fluoridation, and some of us may actually very close to the exposure limit. I believe this water fluoridation practice is something outdated from a time we did not know about the limits of exposure of fluoride. Today it does not make sense.


digitalbeachbum
atheistRational VIP!
digitalbeachbum's picture
Posts: 4895
Joined: 2007-10-15
User is offlineOffline
and immunization causes

and immunization causes autism and cancer...


Vastet
atheistBloggerSuperfan
Vastet's picture
Posts: 13234
Joined: 2006-12-25
User is offlineOffline
If putting fluoride in water

If putting fluoride in water was truly dangerous, someone would have proved it by now. It has been shown to have benefit without any significant risk, so let it be I say.

Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.


Beyond Saving
atheist
Beyond Saving's picture
Posts: 5520
Joined: 2007-10-12
User is offlineOffline
 I have never paid

 I have never paid attention to the whole flouride hysteria so I can't really say whether their is anything scientific behind it because I have always lived in areas where I primarily drink well water. I suspect that most of the radical hysterics have as much credibility as the antivaccination crowd but that is only a gut feeling. 

Anyway, good to see you back Teralek. You still in Portugal? Or back to floating around the world? 

If, if a white man puts his arm around me voluntarily, that's brotherhood. But if you - if you hold a gun on him and make him embrace me and pretend to be friendly or brotherly toward me, then that's not brotherhood, that's hypocrisy.- Malcolm X


Teralek
Teralek's picture
Posts: 620
Joined: 2010-07-15
User is offlineOffline
Beyond Saving wrote: I have

Beyond Saving wrote:

 I have never paid attention to the whole flouride hysteria so I can't really say whether their is anything scientific behind it because I have always lived in areas where I primarily drink well water. I suspect that most of the radical hysterics have as much credibility as the antivaccination crowd but that is only a gut feeling. 

Anyway, good to see you back Teralek. You still in Portugal? Or back to floating around the world? 

Ahah! You still remember. I'm living in Edinburgh now, need to settle down for a while. Nice city and nice country... nothing like the Portuguese Sun and food though!

Well but my point here it is not that it is harmfull because I don't think it is. My point is that it is pointless. I have never seen a convincing comparative study showing the benefits. As I've said: We do not fluoridate the water here in Europe and we are not more unhealthy than you.