Fluoride Persuasive Memo

An article published in the Oregonian, “Portland and its aversion to fluoride reflects Oregon’s unusual politics”, presented views of Portlanders who have rejected adding fluoridation chemical to the city’s clean water supply.1 In September 2012 Portland city council approved adding fluorine to the city’s water supply.1 However, public outrage soon ensued leading to a special election to protect the water supply.1 In May 2013, Portlanders voted 61% to protect their clean water supply.1

Higgs explains in her essay that the use of fluoride has been used in water for some time now and that it is used to help prevent tooth decay as stated in her citations. She further explains that when brushing ones teeth and swallows an “x” amount of toothpaste that that one should called poison control, so why would one be able to drink it? About sixty percent of homes contain fluoride-added water and an average person is suppose to drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water each day, while the amount of fluoride in each glass contains more than twice the amount (to be consumed) of fluoride allowed in toothpaste (Higgs par.2), and if one had too much

Nearly 145 million Americans are currently receiving the benefits of optimally fluoridated water. With the 1995 enactment of Assembly Bill 733 in California, ten states and territories in the United States now mandate fluoridation through legislation. Besides California, these include seven other states (Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio and South Dakota), as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Three states (South Dakota, Rhode Island and Kentucky), as well as the District of Columbia, have achieved the ultimate success with 100 percent of their treatable community water systems providing the benefits of fluoridation to their citizens.

The aim of this work is to compile support and opposition for the motion ‘should we artificially fluoridate our water supply’. Scientific literature has been used throughout in order to provide reliable points. Some personal views and points have been expressed.

Another issue of controversy is the safety of the chemicals used to fluoridate water. The most commonly used additives are silicofluorides, not the fluoride salts used in dental products (such as sodium fluoride and stannous fluoride). Silicofluorides are one of the by-products from the manufacture of phosphate fertilizers. The toxicity database on silicofluorides is sparse and questions have been raised about the assumption that they completely dissociate in water and, therefore, have toxicity similar to the fluoride salts tested in laboratory studies and used in consumer products (Coplan and Masters 2001). It also has been maintained that, because of individual variations in exposure to fluoride, it is difficult to ensure that the right individual dose to protect against dental caries is provided through large-scale water fluoridation. In addition, a body of information has developed that indicates the major anticaries benefit of fluoride is topical and not systemic (Zero et al. 1992; Rölla and Ekstrand 1996; Featherstone 1999; Limeback 1999a; Clarkson and McLoughlin 2000; CDC 2001; Fejerskov

In United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Healthy People 2020 (2011), the report talks about how many improvements have occurred in oral health but there is still a lot more improvement needed. The report further explains how water fluoridation has been one of the most efficient ways to reduce decay across the nation. Mostly everyone has access to water and if the water is fluoridated, then those with little or no access to dental care are getting preventative dental care in the form of a fluoride regimen in their daily water intake. (HHS, Healthy People 2020, 2011) Given this, it would only make sense that the government would employ a dental professional to assess the water fluoridation in every state.

The current data suggests that water fluoridation disproportionately harms low-income and minority communities. In 2005, the Centers for Disease Control released the results of a national survey of dental fluorosis, which was conducted between 1999 and 2002. According to the results, in the U.S., African American children have significantly higher rates of dental fluorosis.2 Same observation has been made in other studies as well. Another study conduced in Indianapolis, Indiana, shows that “the prevalence of dental fluorosis in African American children (80.1%) was significantly higher than in Whites (62.5%). 3

One of the biggest sources of fluoride in your child's life is tap water. The EPA has a guideline that requires municipal water in the US to contain no more than 4 mg of fluoride per liter of water, or 4 ppm. However, to find out how much is in your local water supply you can simply call the phone number on your water bill and ask.

There is a need for constant updates on the topic because recent years brought a regress in access to fluoridated water in Australia. This adverse trend is caused by a combination of several factors. However, two expressed by Cairns

In those case the person have to control the levels of fluorides because in most cases the levels are greater than FDA/CDC recommend but most people don't treat their water to lower the amount of fluoridation. In the case cities water systems fluoridation is monitored and adjusted to meet certain standards, low enough not to cause harm yet high enough to aid in preventing tooth decay. Tooth decay is a big health problem if not controlled. Which one the the water supply systems did you read about that was causing the health

Although with all this information on the benefits of treating public water there is still information that is overlooked by governments. Fluoride is a pollutant, insecticide, poison, and a byproduct of fertilizer, nuclear power plants, and metal processing. Fluoride is also found in many processed goods, dental hygiene products, and pharmaceuticals meaning the average person’s intake is most likely far greater than the recommended levels. In the 1930s they were looking for an easy way to dispose of the toxic byproduct. During this time period one of the largest aluminum companies funded a test to determine how bad or good fluoride actually was to the people, this is when it was first deemed as a beneficial treatment. To me it seems kind of fishy that a company more worried about public relations and how to dispose of the toxic byproduct was trusted to carry out the testing themselves. This thinking came from the era where it was thought that smoking cigarettes would

Fluoridation of drinking water addresses the health issue of tooth decay and the related dental problems associated with it.1 Fluoride is associated with this health issue since fluoride has been recognized as an important nutrient for healthy teeth.1

Fluoride can be found most commonly within our drinking water supply. We have added 1 part of fluoride per million parts of water for dental purposes (Kanduti, Sterbenk & Artnik, 2016). Fluoride in our water supplies is not just only a result of human intervention but it can be found naturally within them. Surface water levels of fluoride were found to be an average of 0.2 parts per million parts of water (ATSDR, 2003). While well water ranges greatly from this, 0.02 to 1.5ppm (ATSDR, 2003). Due to this, we are now exposed to it on a consistent basis and it is rather hard to

Although fluorine is relevant to human nutrition, excessive doses had been reported in the groundwater of more than 200 cities worldwide (Kafri et al., 1989, Ayoob and Gupta, 2006, Edmunds and Smedley, 2013). Fluoride in the groundwater originate from sedimentary, crystalline rocks to volcanic tephra and ash (Battaleb-Looie et al., 2012, Gaciri and Davies, 1993, Cordeiro et al., 2012). In volcanic towns, during the circulation of groundwater, fluoride usually escaped from devitrified lavas, dissolves within the rocks and transferred by fumaroles causing an increase in the water fluoride concentration (Oruc, 2008). People living in Turkish providence of Isparta utilise Egirdir and Golcuk Lake which is an active volcanic region. Their

Water, otherwise known as H2O, is an odorless & tasteless liquid essential in life, that supplies nutrients and allows species to continue to exist on this very Earth. It helps with functionality of the human body by regulating temperature, brain energy, muscles, relieving headaches etc. In modern times, 71 % of the Earth 's surface is covered with water while oceans hold over 96.5 % of all Earth 's water. It can be found just about anywhere from rivers and lakes to icecaps and glaciers, in the ground, and even in humans and other animals. Nearly 57 to 60% of water is found in an adult body while in infants 75 to 78% of water is found. We depend heavily on water for survival everyday. As humans, we can survive only a month without food and only a week without water, which is why it’s crucial that we maintain proper filtrations and purifications of our water systems nationwide. Globally, The United States of America (since the early 1950’s) is the only country that uses Fluoride in their water in order to lower amounts of tooth decay unlike other countries ( although such health benefits haven’t been proven nor approved by the FDA). Difficulties supplying purified water are becoming a growing concern worldwide , many of those lacking access to safe-drinking water is prone to transmitting diseases, such as cholera, due to the insufficiency of adequate sanitation. Unfortunately, only 1% of water is drinkable making it strenuous for countries to truly assure that their