Government Intrusion

The addition of fluoride to water was initially done in 1940 as a Public Health measure by the government to help reduce the rates of dental canaries, especially among the poor. Although the original intention was for the benefit of the population, the new discoveries of the harmful effects of fluoride should cause officials to reassess the actual benefits of fluoride in the water.

The demographic of lower socioeconomic families are actually at greater risk for the harmful effects of fluoride because they often have no other liquid to drink besides tap water. This fluoridated tap water is added to formula to make bottles for babies which harms the poor even further. Infants are at especially high risk for getting fluorosis and both the CDC and the WHO strongly caution against using any type of fluoridated water in making formula for their babies. Infants are more susceptible to fluorosis because “in infants about 80 to 90 per cent of the absorbed fluoride is retained but in adults this level falls to about 60 per cent” (WHO).

The goal to improve the health of people in lower socio-economic classes essentially backfired with the introduction of fluoride to the drinking water because these families have no other water to put in their baby’s formula. Instead of buying a filter that can remove the fluoride from water, they must use the tap water. The excess fluoride in the water leads to numerous health defects. Tourney states,

Whatever may be said for fluoridation as a matter of public health, the program is a patent invasion of private rights—specifically, the right of each individual to control the medicine he takes. (The Skeptic’s Dictionary)

It is unacceptable for the government to decide to make health decisions for all members of a district that drinks tap water. The government does not enforce vaccines or other medications that have much stronger evidence for positive outcomes, so why should the government be enforcing fluoride when there is not proof that it is beneficial to health, and it causes more risk factors than it does benefits!

This is a video of Dr. Osmunson explaining dental hygiene and the most effective ways to improve dental health. He has been a practicing dentist for 33 years and offers valuable guidelines on oral cleanliness and fluoride usage.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZGOtVJ32Ns[/youtube]

The lack of education amongst the public surrounding fluoride use is one of the main contributors to the allowance of government control for so long. Many people believe that fluoride is good for them because they have been told this their entire lives. But when asked why it is good for them, or what it does, the majority of people simply do not know. This is in part due to the lack of knowledge available on the topic and the information that does exist is controversial which makes it difficult to rationalize the use or not of fluoride.

Null and Feldman discuss the increasing amount of research that has emerged over the past few years that link fluoride ingestion to brain and thyroid toxicity (Townsend Letter). Fluoride should not be in in drinking water because fluoride is essentially a drug that the government is adding to the water that the majority of people drink. Individuals have the right to choose the type of food they eat, the medicine they take, the drugs they use, and everything else they ingest. We should have the right to choose what vitamins and chemicals we want to ingest.

If people desire a greater exposure to fluoride then they can use fluoridated mouthwash and fluoridated toothpaste. There is no reason that the entire public should be forcefully subjected to the use of fluoride. The rule of individual choice and thought is part of what makes America such a wonderful country. The government can and should make suggestions about what they think is the healthiest choice to make, but ultimately it is up to the individual to educate themselves and make a decision they think best fits their needs.