Its time we talk about Fluoride…

One of the reasons so many people across the nation say “water is life” is because without it life itself could not exist. In the city of Portland the publicly released water reports show citizens what is present in their drinking water. In this article readers will learn a little about two of the many listed contaminants. Lead is a substance most people know is not safe to ingest, however, when it comes to Fluoride many people are still not ‘in the know’ about the dangers of ingesting it. 

Current public data indicates that public water contains 4Ug/L of lead. The joint EPA-HUD curriculum for Lead Abatement states that lead is “very dangerous to children… Damages the brain and central nervous system…can be irreversible…children under six are most at risk from smaller amounts of lead.” The context of this manual is primarily geared at paint, though lead in the water would have the exact same effects. The 2019 report indicates the only source of this danger is corrosion of household plumbing systems, and where many in Portland are renters they have no control over this problem. Also worth noting is that these figures in no way represent how much lead or fluoride people may be ingesting over time.

Despite the CDC claiming water fluoridation to be a large accomplishment of this century, many developed nations take a different stance. Many may not realize that 97% of western Europe does not fluoridate their water and has seen the same decrease in dental issues that we have observed in America. When this agency talks about the decrease in tooth decay they deliberately avoid mentioning that a large majority of the countries studied are not using fluoride in their water. The tests themselves that provide this data are biased because the majority of countries assessed do not use this compound. So effectively, this data only substantiates that tooth decay has decreased but in no way can attribute that victory to fluoride.

In fact, Fluoride is actually a byproduct that is created by phosphate mining for the fertilizer industry. About 50 years ago this industry had been spending billions of dollars disposing of the leftover fluorosilicic acid. They soon began selling this byproduct to U.S. communities and turned it into massive profits. We as taxpayers are currently giving money to the fertilizer industry to dump a highly toxic product directly into our drinking water. It is my stance that chemicals or medications should not be forced on people without their consent. Though I am firmly against Fluoride, I feel it would be safest and most legal to offer it as a supplement regulated by the FDA for commercial sale. Likewise companies could add additional amounts to toothpastes already sold to the public. This would allow citizens to make their own choice based on informed consent provided by a licensed medical professional. I do believe my tax dollars are better spent than aiding the mining industry in disposing of their chemical waste into our bodies.

The symptoms commonly seen from Fluoride ingestion include lowered IQ, impaired mental development, dementia, damage to kidneys, pineal and thyroid glands, as well as  hyperactivity and/or lethargy. Even if you install filters on your drinking water this chemical is still absorbed through the skin when one showers. Dartmouth College research scientist Dr. Roger Masters has called this “the worst environmental poison since leaded gasoline”. In 2011, a lawsuit filed against the Water District Of Southern California alleged that they willfully misrepresented their practices by “delivering a hydrofluosilicic acid drug through the drinking water that had never been approved for safety…” They made the claim that the FDA, the only entity able to approve safety claims for medications, had not approved mass-medication through the drinking water as a means of treating or preventing dental disease. Plaintiffs also alleged that citizens had not been given the option of informed consent before being medicated. 

In case readers are unaware, water fluoridation violates the Nuremberg Code, a form of international law implemented after the Holocaust. It states, “The voluntary consent of the human subject is absolutely essential. This means the person involved should have legal capacity to give consent; should be so situated as to be able to exercise free power of choice, without the intervention of any element of force, fraud, deceit, duress, over-reaching, or ulterior form of constraint or coercion; and should have sufficient knowledge and comprehension of the elements of the subject matter involved, as to enable him to make an understanding and enlightened decision”. Even if the CDC were correct in its statement about fluoride, the actions of local municipalities still violate international law as they are forcibly medicating all citizens without informed consent. Through misinformation and lobbying the mining industry has violated international law and tricked the public into voting to be poisoned.

Fluoride is a neurotoxin. A recent study done on pregnant mothers found that for every 1mg/liter of Fluoridated drinking water correlates to a 3.7 – 4.5 point drop in IQ of the child. The World Health Organization considers it a dangerous nationally occurring toxin, and has the most damaging effects on developing children. It is destructive to the tissue in the brain, spinal cord, and nervous system. Developmental neurotoxins are linked to disorders like ADHD, dyslexia, disruptive behavior, and cognitive impairments. Likewise, it is now being found that fluoride plays a role in the development of Alzheimer’s. When Aluminum enters the body, it combines with fluoride creating Aluminum fluoride. It then bypasses the blood-brain barrier allowing the disease to form over time. It also doubles the risk of hyperthyroidism by binding with the iodine in one’s body preventing the thyroid gland from synthesizing the necessary hormones. One thing is clear, whether or not Fluoride is good for your teeth it still is very bad for your health.

Portland did not fluoridate its water until 1996 after several referendums took place. The water district website states “Maine law mandates that a public water system must add fluoride to the water if a majority of customers vote to do so.” They state that only a public policy change or referendum could change Fluoride from being added to our drinking water. The thing is, Maine law also guarantees each citizen a right to informed consent in Title 24, Chapter 21, S.S. 2905: Maine Health Security Act. The State Government never had the power in the first place to create a law like this one. It states “The action of a physician, physicians assistant, podiatrist or dentist in obtaining the consent of the patient or other person authorized to give consent for the patient was in accordance with the standards of practice among members of the same profession”, and “A consent which is evidenced in writing and which meets the foregoing standards, and which is signed by the patient or other authorized person, shall be presumed to be a valid consent.” The guidelines for the Maine board of Licensure in Medicine also echo these same requirements. No citizen can legally be medicated without consent except for the most extreme circumstances, and even then would still require a court order.

When did we all become patients, and when did the government become our doctor? If fluoride is so safe they could easily be regulating fluoride products that people have a choice in taking. The policy of water fluoridation exists outside the law and violates everyone’s civil rights. When it comes to any medication for any issue present or future, we all have a right to choose. This situation needs to change and fast, if a referendum is the way to do it then we must begin that process immediately to reclaim control over our own bodies. It has been held several times in the Supreme Court that we all have constitutional protections against forced medication. Logically there is no reason to put fluoride in the drinking water when it is already sold in most dental products. The public needs to know the truth about fluoride and demand that our drinking water be both clean and potable. Thomas Jefferson truly said it best, “If people let government decide which foods they eat and medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny”.