Why Everyone Should Be Filtering Their Tap Water.
What you’ve not been told about fluoride and the fluoridation of tap water.
I think it’s safe to say that we live in a society where we like stories, especially ones that make us feel safe, whether they are coming from the news, our religion, pharma companies, politicians, or public health agencies. We all want to feel safe. The use of fluoride and the fluoridation of water is one of those stories that make us feel safe, at least with respect to our teeth.
Fluoride and the Fluoridation of tap water (the practice of adding fluoride derived compounds to water) tends to be a very controversial subject. For good reason because of an almost entirely unsubstantiated, unquestioned, and uncontested narrative around the subject, we’ve come to accept the belief that it, as a public health measure, prevents tooth decay and is relatively harmless.
Unfortunately, public consensus doesn’t make universal societal beliefs, like the touted benefits of water fluoridation, true. I wish it did.
With the science now catching up to the narrative, today a ground swell of researchers, lawyers, and activist groups are urging politicians to end water fluoridation here in the states because evidence-based research has revealed the negative impact on child development, IQ, neurological development, and long term health. For this reason, the fluoridation of water has recently been thrust into the political and courtroom spotlight and has, more than ever, become a highly contentious and polarizing issue that has sparked intense debate between policymakers and the general public.
It's important to note, that although tap water fluoridated is widely accepted here in the states, most of Europe (98% of European countries) by contrast, based on decades of research, has banned the fluoridation of water.
Currently about 372 million people in 24 countries (only around 5.7% of the world population) artificially-fluoridate water including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Republic of Ireland, Malaysia, the U.S., and Vietnam.[1][2][3] Approximately 57.4 million people drink naturally occurring fluoridated water at or above optimal levels in countries such as Sweden, China, Sri Lanka, Finland, Zimbabwe and Gabon.[4]
Systemic municipal community water fluoridation is quite rare in Continental Europe, with somewhere between 97–98% choosing not to fluoridate drinking water.[5] Most European countries have experienced a substantial decline in dental caries (the disease causing cavities) even with the cessation of water fluoridation, primarily because research has shown the only real benefit from fluoride involves its topical application, with virtually no benefit being derived from the ingestion of fluoridated water.
Though the World Health Organization encourages water fluoridation, claiming it has substantial advantages, the European Commission finds no advantage to water fluoridation compared with topical use.[6]
History:
The history of water fluoridation is one that will probably surprise you.
During the industrial revolution, the United States started mining, processing, and producing large amounts of aluminum and iron ore, a process that involves the use of Fluoride. Fluoride has several industrial uses. It’s used in metal sterilization, in electro plating glass, tanning animal hides, the production of phosphate chemical fertilizers, and was even used during the Manhattan project in the making of the atomic bomb. The harmful effects of exposure to fluoride were well documented by the military, but kept confidential because the military did not want to be made culpable and did not want to contend with insurance claims filed later by disclosing to those involved in the Manhattan Project, the dangers of exposure to fluoride.
A byproduct of all these industrial processes is something called fluorosilicic acid that in its anhydrous (crystal) form dissociates almost instantly into silicon tetrafluoride and toxic hydrogen fluoride. These substance can be absorbed into the body by inhalation of its aerosol and by ingestion with both being extremely corrosive to the eyes and the respiratory tract.
So, consider for a moment that we discard this industrial waste product called fluorosilicic acid because in agriculture, we noticed that if we kept this in the fertilizers it kills all the seeds. This is the same chemical compound we diffuse into our water supply under the guise that it’s going to prevent cavities. It doesn’t . . . at all.
Though drinking water is typically the largest source of fluoride ingestion;[7] other methods of fluoride therapy include fluoridation of toothpaste, salt, and milk.[8]
In asking my dentist years ago, “If fluoride prevents cavities, why is it everyone I know has a mouth full of cavities?” I was told, “It doesn’t necessarily prevent cavities, it minimizes the likelihood of developing them.” That didn’t make sense to me.
I stopped using fluoride in my toothpaste 20 years ago in addition to the fact that I have a whole house water treatment system that removes, in addition to everything else, all fluoride from my water. Only pure H2) comes out of my faucets, with not even a trace of chemicals. Every cavity filling in my mouth was put there from my teenage years through my mid 20s. Even after removing all fluoride from my water, and not using any fluoride toothpaste, I have not had a new cavity in 25+ years. That’s because I, just as every dentist is well aware of, know that cavities are caused by the consumption of refined flour, sugar, added sugar, and processed foods, none of which I eat.
The false narrative about teeth
Tooth decay doesn’t just happen and NO!!! Cavities aren’t some great mystery that occur from a lack of oral hygiene or lack of brushing.
That cannot be said about the way we treat tooth decay, which is a bit of a head scratcher, ie. a mystery, especially with the advent of “Biological Dentistry” that takes an entirely, radically different approach to dentistry than most of us are familiar with . . . drilling, root canals, and crowns.
Dentists have always known how to protect teeth, but protecting teeth doesn’t make money. The goal is to correct teeth, not prevent their decay.
Dentist used to learn nutrition in dental school until 1947 when it stopped being taught. This just so happens to coincide with the introduction of fluoridating water as a public health measure. Unfortunately, nutrition has become an inconvenient truth that poses a big barrier to making money in the dental profession.
Westin Price DDS
Turning back the pages of time, it was a Cleveland Ohio dentist, Weston Price, who discovered the true cause of dental caries, which is entirely a modern phenomenon. He traveled the world over visiting countless indigenous with perfectly aligned teeth and almost non-existent prevalence of cavities. His research revealed only one cavity per 1000 teeth, despite the fact that none of these people ever brushed their teeth.
Anthropological digs have revealed that our ancestors, both prior to and even after we became so sophisticated and civilized, did not brush their teeth. Despite this fact, they also did not have the appreciable number of cavities modern society sees. Even analysis of fossils dating all the way back to the Paleolithic era have demonstrated that bad tooth mineralization and only slightly poor dental alignment didn’t even exist until modern times.
FIG. 73. The large collections of skulls of the ancient Mann of New Zealand attest to their superb physical development and to the excellence of their dental arches.
Published in 1939
Nutrition and Physical Degeneration: A Comparison of Primitive and Modern Diets and Their Effects
Prior to the industrial revolution, studies of European populations showed only a 1% to 5% prevalence of cavities. Following the industrial revolution, we see the prevalence of cavities jump from 1% - 5% to 25% in a very short span of time. [9]
Westin Price noticed this tremendous rise in the prevalence of cavities in his Cleveland practice. He found the main cause of all of his patients oral ailments was the consumption of white flour and rice, packaged pastries and baked goods, highly refined sugar and jams, canned and chemically preserved foods, and processed vegetable oils. [10]
Following this discovery, Weston Price gave up his practice and chose to travel around the world to do research. He visited culture after culture, including Inuit, Peruvian, Indians, Australian, Aborigines, Kenyan, Watusi, or Masai, and again, and again he found that they universally maintained nearly perfectly aligned, teeth and jaws, as well as no cavities as long as they adhered to their culturally adapted diets.[11]
Conversely, every country that adopted processed foods has seen a tremendous rise in dental anomalies and the deterioration of their oral health. Unfortunately, no amount of fluoride or fluoridation of water will prevent this degradation of oral health.
So, with this self-induced public health crisis of rotting, misaligned teeth needing to be addressed, scientists and policy makers came up with a solution, albeit a poor one.
The prevailing belief at the time we unveiled the fluoridation of tap water, was that fluoride needed to be ingested systemically, especially during child development, so that the fluoride will be incorporated into the teeth as they’re developing, making the teeth resilient and resistant to tooth to decay. In addition to tap water and brushing teeth, citizens were encouraged to take fluoride tablets once a day. This was called fluoride therapy and was encouraged even though it was well known that consuming fluoride systemically carried with it several risks that we’ll explore in the next section.
Why are we still Fluoridating Water???
We have long since discovered through numerous studies that fluoride’s benefit is exclusively confined to the topical application of the teeth, which bears the question, why are we still fluoridating municipal tap water?
In 2017, a class action lawsuit, led by attorney Michael Connett, was brought against the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) claiming, fluoridation of water presents an unreasonable risk to human health with respect to neurotoxicity. This was the first time a citizen group was able to escalate a petition and get a federal trial, which began in June of 2020.
At the end of the hearings, the Judge went on record stating, there was serious evidence linking fluoridation of water to the neurological development concerns expressed in the trial, but in an unexpected move, said he would not rule on the case until the NATIONAL TOXICOLOGY PROGRAM - NTP (embedded within the National Institutes of Health – NIH, under the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences - NIEHS) completed their review of decades of data on the subject. This led to a 2-year hiatus in the case while this review took place. As of the writing of this article on February 10th, 2024 there’s still been no decision. Why? Because government agencies aren’t playing nice. To this day, the report still has not been submitted to the court.
What is just incredible is the obfuscation and outright censorship Google engages in as they work with government captured agencies like the CDC, NIH, and the dental lobbyist groups in Washington. Google fluoridation of water and what you find is endless propaganda promoting the benefits of water fluoridation. If you think I’m being sensational, I’m not.
It was announced by the NTP in April of 2022 that the report was finished and would be published in mid-May that year. Unfortunately, it wasn’t and still hasn’t been. Why? Because of the conclusions they arrived at.
So let’s unpack what they found following their meta-analysis of 72 studies. Let’s start with the fact that their review showed that 52 of 55 studies clearly reported decreases in child IQ with fluoride exposure, demonstrating a 95% consistency in the studies. The NTP acknowledged that some people may be more susceptible to fluoride exposure than others, with drops in IQ occurring of 10, 15, 20, or even more IQ points, which will create significant challenges and negative consequences for these individuals throughout their lives.
It was very apparent to the reviewers in their assessment of the data, that they had found irrefutable evidence that fluoride exposure consistently led to lower child IQ in areas with fluoridated water at 0.7 mg/L. Their assessment considered all sources of fluoride exposure from sources including: water, foods, dental products, pharmaceuticals, and others.
Growing impatient, prosecuting lawyers in the case proactively sought to move the case forward so the case could be closed with subsequent actions taken that would change long standing policy.
In the summer of 2022, obtained through a FOIA (FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT) request, prosecuting attorneys were granted access to internal emails at the NTP and the results of their meta-analysis of studies on fluoride, that were shared with the NIH and the CDC. The report stated very clearly that after their review, “the evidence consistently associates fluoride exposure with reduced IQ” – which the NTP agreed is a large body of evidence.
In short, this is where all hell broke loose. In a flurry of panicked emails, between the Department of Health & Human Services, the NTP, the CDC, and the dental lobbyist group ASTDD, who by the way, receives almost all of their funding from the CDC to promote water fluoridation, everyone was scrambling to put the genie back in the bottle.
At an ASTDD meeting on May 4, 2022, Tracy j. Boehmer (CDC’s National Fluoridation Engineer) shared with the group, that, “the CDC is in the process of proactively and preemptively taking actions to intervene,” [in the publication of the NTP REPORT]. Your tax dollars and mine hard at work!
And guess what? They did.
The CDC crushed the report to make sure the meta-analysis of all the studies never sees the light of day, despite the court appointed request by the federal judge in the case demanding the research be submitted. He and the rest involved in this case are still waiting on and expecting the report from the NTP.
Why belabor the point of sharing all of this? The public has been blatantly lied to, given a false narrative that we took hook, line, and sinker thanks to endless marketing and propaganda, and have not been told the truth about the dangers and long term effects of water fluoridation.
So what haven’t we been told?
In the 1940s, prior to the fluoridation of water, public health scientists were well aware of naturally occurring fluoride, leached from rocks and the soil, being present in drinking water. Studies done earlier in the 1930s did notice a correlation between naturally occurring fluoride present in some municipalities water, with reduced tooth decay. Scientist, because of this correlation, wondered if adding fluoride to communities water, where fluoride was virtually absent, would be of benefit to those communities.
This led to a conference in 1942, where scientists were to discuss these measures. Dr. Thomas Dean, who was present, expressed concern about not knowing the undesirable long-term effects of ingesting fluoride systemically. Because of this concern, he encouraged researchers to visit communities in various parts of the country, where high amounts of fluoride in the water were known and detail the observed health - or lack thereof – and toxic effects of fluoride of people in those areas if there are any.
What did they find? Well, they found a whole array of symptoms including:
· Bone Disease
· Calcification of ligaments
· Bone spurs
· Arthritis of joints
· Cataracts
The public health service never published their findings. Not only did they not publish the findings, but they also immediately confiscated all of Dr. Dean’s research and labeled it confidential. Letters later obtained and recently made public, stated that the information should be “heavily guarded.”
More recently, Dr. Pete Peterson in his research discovered that halites - a group of compounds including: Chlorine, Fluorine, and Bromine, (essentially the chlorine and fluoride in tap water) congeal cholesterol in the arteries into plaque, narrowing the arteries, and hardening them, thereby decreasing blood flow. Weston Price, discovered a fish oil he called Activator X, that not only completely eliminated the possibility of developing dental caries, but dissolved arterial plaque and completely prevented vascular disease. It’s so abundant, it would cost fractions of a penny to distribute to the masses . . . and therein lies the issue. It’s a public health measure we could adopt, but it doesn’t make money. It prevents cavities, prevents vascular disease, and eliminates all the profiteering on fluoride created as a by product of so many industrial processes. There’s a lot more to this story, but in the interest of brevity for this article, I digress.
Here’s the point. Any researcher, law firm, public advocacy group, challenging this false narrative is censored, shadow-band, deplatformed and certainly prevented from speaking on any mainstream media about the issue. There’s a deliberate blurring of the facts occurring at the level of Federal Agencies preventing the public from knowing the evidenced-based facts regarding fluoride and its continued use, and therefore preventing the public from making informed decisions in choosing whether to participate in water fluoridation or not.
Why is this important? Consider that fluoridation of our children begins before birth during in-utero natal development of the fetus in the womb. Following birth it continues through childhood, the pre-pubescent years, all the way through their adolescence. Children are fluoridated by way of tap water, toothpaste, salt in processed foods, & milk during the most crucial developmental years of their lives when brain development requires the most nurturing and the most protection. Systemically imposing this “public health measure” without the public knowing all the facts, raises countless ethical concerns.
WHY BOTTLED WATER IS NOT AN OPTION
Antimony, a toxic element more harmful than arsenic, is primarily sourced from PET-containing plastics, particularly plastic water bottles. Heat significantly accelerates the release of antimony into the water, as evidenced by a veteran's account of illness from drinking bottled water in the Middle East. According to Defend Our Health’s 2022 report, antimony trioxide is used as a catalyst in producing PET plastic, and small amounts can leach out during use and disposal. This leaching affects food packaging, polyester clothing, and children’s products. Studies have shown that long-term exposure to antimony adversely impacts health in both humans and laboratory animals. Children are especially vulnerable due to multiple exposure sources, such as flame retardant chemicals in PET and polyester, house dust, and mouthing polyester-based toys and clothing, often exceeding safe daily doses.
In addition to antimony, bottled water is also contaminated with other harmful substances such as heavy metals, PFAS chemicals, and various other contaminants. Heavy metals like lead, cadmium, and mercury can leach from the plastic into the water, posing severe health risks including neurological damage, kidney dysfunction, and developmental issues in children. PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), often referred to as “forever chemicals” due to their persistence in the environment, are frequently found in bottled water. These chemicals have been linked to a range of health problems, including cancer, liver damage, immune system disruptions, and thyroid disease.
Further complicating the issue, bottled water can also harbor a variety of other contaminants. These include microplastics, which have been detected in numerous bottled water brands and can cause physical harm and chemical toxicity, and other synthetic chemicals that may leach from the plastic. These contaminants collectively contribute to a significant health burden, undermining the perception of bottled water as a safer alternative to tap water.
Antimony’s estrogenic activity adds to the risk, as excessive estrogen is linked to cancer, obesity, and metabolic inhibition, which reduces cellular energy production and leads to compromised cellular function and disease. The combined exposure to antimony, heavy metals, PFAS, and other contaminants in bottled water highlights the urgent need for stricter regulations and better alternatives to ensure safe drinking water.
A few suggestions:
To mitigate the harmful effects of fluoride and the fluoridation of tap water, consumers can take several proactive steps:
Use Fluoride Filters: Invest in water filtration systems that are capable of reducing fluoride levels or removing fluoride entirely from your water. Reverse osmosis, activated alumina, and deionization filters are among the most effective technologies for removing fluoride from tap water. If you can’t afford a whole home filtration system such as Puronics (one of the best), I recommend going to ClearlyFiltered.com who currently has the best pitcher and point-of-entry, sink filtration systems, as well as Berkey Filtration Systems.
Seek Alternative Dental Products: Opt for toothpaste and mouthwashes that are non-toxic, biodegradable, environmentally safe, and most important fluoride-free. These products are widely available both online and in stores and can provide dental hygiene benefits without fluoride.
Monitor Fluoride Intake: Be mindful of other sources of fluoride, such as certain teas and seafood, which can contribute to your overall fluoride intake. Keeping a balanced diet can help manage fluoride consumption.
Protect your Water: For infants and children, or those with certain health conditions, drinking filtered water out of glass or stainless-steel tumblers (not plastics) is suggested. Also, using bottled water (if no alternatives are available) with low, preferably no fluoride content, for drinking and cooking is a safer alternative to tap water.
Advocate for Public Health Policies: Engage with local community efforts and public health discussions to advocate for the reassessment of fluoridation policies. Encouraging the use of current scientific research to inform public health decisions can lead to safer water practices.
Regular Dental Check-ups: Consult with a “Biological Dentist” (a new and emerging field of dentistry) about your fluoride intake and the best practices for dental health, especially for children, who are more susceptible to the effects of fluoride.
Use Fluoride Free Toothpaste: Every Fluoride Toothpaste has a mandatory FDA poison warning label. Look for toothpastes that have these ingredients and certifications.
Active Ingredients: Look for natural alternatives to fluoride such as xylitol, which can help prevent cavities, and/or hydroxyapatite, which actually helps remineralize and strengthen enamel, decreases tooth sensitivity, and can balance your oral microbiome. It’s even safe enough to ingest. Neem oil is also used in fluoride free toothpastes, with studies showing efficacy in curing gingival problems and maintaining oral health in a natural way.
Cleaning Agents: Ensure the toothpaste contains effective cleaning agents like silica or baking soda to remove plaque and stains.
Essential Oils: Many fluoride-free toothpastes use essential oils like peppermint and melaleuca (tea tree) oil for their antimicrobial properties and to freshen breath.
Certifications: Look for certifications such as organic, non-GMO, or cruelty-free if these are important to you.
By taking these steps, consumers can play an active role in managing their fluoride exposure and contribute to ongoing discussions about the safety and regulation of water fluoridation.
I would love to hear from you and have you share your thoughts and/or questions in the comment section below. I look forward to hearing your perspectives.
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References:
[1][4] "The extent of water fluoridation". One in a Million: The facts about water fluoridation (2nd ed.). Manchester: The British Fluoridation Society, The UK Public Health Association; The British Dental Association; The Faculty of Public Health. 2004. pp. 55–80. ISBN 978-0-9547684-0-9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 November 2008.
[2] Press Releases (17 August 2014) End of Mandatory Fluoridation in Israel Archived 17 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Ministry of Health (Israel). Retrieved 29 September 2014.
[3] Cheng KK, Chalmers I, Sheldon TA (2007). "Adding fluoride to water supplies". BMJ. 335 (7622): 699–702. doi:10.1136/bmj.39318.562951.BE. PMC 2001050. PMID 17916854.
[5] "98 percent of Europe banned water fluoridation – TIP". Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
[6] "What role does fluoride play in preventing tooth decay?". 2011. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
[7] Fawell J, Bailey K, Chilton J, Dahi E, Fewtrell L, Magara Y (2006). "Environmental occurrence, geochemistry and exposure". Fluoride in Drinking-water (PDF). World Health Organization. pp. 5–27. ISBN 92-4-156319-2.
[8] Jones S, Burt BA, Petersen PE, Lennon MA (2005). "The effective use of fluorides in public health". Bull World Health Organ. 83 (9): 670–6. PMC 2626340. PMID 16211158. Archived from the original on 14 March 2010.
[9] [10] [11] Robert Lustig, MD (2023). METABOLICAL: The Lure and the Lies of Processed Food, Nutrition, and Modern Medicine. Harper Wave: An Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers
Disclaimer:
I am not a medical doctor or a medical practitioner. I am not legally permitted to claim I treat, cure, or heal disease. I can, however, provide educational content with respect to building/restoring and maintaining optimal health through nutrition, diet, sleep support, and exercise, which can reverse health conditions.Any information provided on this site is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read on this web site.This website summarizes information on the role of nutrition, diet, and exercise in health, disease and wellness. Readers should be aware that knowledge of nutrition and medicine is constantly evolving. They are encouraged to frequently check the most current information available on preventive and therapeutic measures. It is your designated clinician’s responsibility, relying on their experience and knowledge of the patient, to determine the best course of action in providing care and your choice to follow it or not. The author, editor, and publisher of information on this website accepts no liability for any injury arising out of the use of material contained herein, and makes no warranty, express or implied, with respect to the contents of this online publication, or from the contents of sites or articles we provide links to. 