EPA rejects idea of putting fluoride in public drinking water

To The Daily Sun,

I read in The Laconia Sun on Dec. 19 that Laconia, along with five other cities and towns, was recognized for fluoridation of its public waters. This is touted as a way to promote oral health, but is this really true? Of the 44 percent of the state that have fluoridation of their water, do they have better oral health than those that don’t?

What is fluoridation? Fluoride does exist naturally in our environment, however the fluoride typically used and added to our public water supplies is the toxic byproduct, fluorosilicic acid, of the phosphate fertilizer industry. Of interest, the U.S. is the only developed country that fluoridates its water.

Can you ingest too much fluoride? Yes, and this is call fluorosis. It shows as mottled enamel on developing teeth. Fluorosis has also been shown to affect other tissues in the body and has been linked to decreased IQ, endocrine disruption affecting bones, brain, thyroid and pineal gland and elevating blood sugar levels.

Fluoride requires a prescription and proclaims to improve oral health. It is therefore classified as a drug. Doesn’t this then become a form of mass medication and denies the right to informed consent? How can you regulate the amount of this drug that’s ingested by the public and ensure they stay within zone?

Fluoride was originally used topically for tooth health and never approved to be taken internally. Even the EPA rejects the idea of adding fluoride to public water systems.

Is this really something we want? I suggest we contact our representatives and say, “no thanks” to water fluoridation. Instead, take the millions of dollars needed to carry out thus plan and use it to provide good oral health care to those needing it. This would be a far better and safer plan than fluoridating our water supply.

Sharon Salemme, RN

Laconia