The Case Against Fluoride

Summary

When the U.S. Public Health Service endorsed water fluoridation in 1950, there was little evidence of its safety. Now, six decades later and after most countries have rejected the practice, many cities and towns across the United States continue to fluoridate their water supply and the Center for Disease Control and the American Dental Association continue to endorse it, despite increasing evidence that it is not only unnecessary, but potentially hazardous to human health. In this timely and important book, Dr. Paul Connett takes a new look at the science behind water fluoridation and argues that just because the medical establishment endorses a public health measure, that doesn't mean it's safe. In the case of water fluoridation, the chemicals used to fluoridate the water that more than 180 million people drink each day are not pharmaceutical grade, but rather hazardous waste products of the phosphate fertilizer industry; it is illegal to dump them into rivers and lakes or release them into the atmosphere. And water fluoridation is a prime example of one of the worst medical practices possible-forced medication with no control over the dose or who gets it. Perhaps most shocking of all, it is not subject to any federal regulation. At once painstakingly-documented and also highly-readable,The Case Against Fluoridebrings new research to light, including links between fluoride and harm to the brain, bones, and kidneys, and argues that while there is possible value in topical applications like brushing your teeth with fluoride toothpaste, the evidence that swallowing fluoride reduces tooth decay is surprisingly weak.The Case Against Fluoridedoesn't question the good intentions of dentists who support fluoridation, but rather explores the poor science, bizarre tactics, biased reviews, and puzzling motivations of a relatively small number of influential people who continue to push this practice on a largely ill-informed public.

Foreword	p. v
Acknowledgments	p. vii
Introduction	p. ix
Ethical and General Arguments against Fluoridation
Poor Medical Practice	p. 3
An Inappropriate and Inefficient Practice	p. 13
The Chemicals Used	p. 16
Who is in Charge?	p. 23
An Experimental Program	p. 29
The Evidence that Fluoridation is Ineffective
Fluoridation and Tooth Decay	p. 37
The Early Evidence Reexamined	p. 48
Key Modern Studies	p. 55
The Great Fluoridation Gamble
The Great Fluoridation Gamble, 1930-1950	p. 67
The Great Fluoridation Gamble, 1950-	p. 87
The Evidence of Harm
Dental Fluorosis	p. 109
Fluoride's Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Physiology	p. 115
Fluoride Poisoning of Humans: Early Reversible Effects	p. 126
The 2006 National Research Council Report	p. 137
Fluoride and the Brain	p. 148
Fluoride and the Endocrine System	p. 157
Fluoride and Bone	p. 169
Fluoride and Osteosarcoma	p. 181
Fluoride and the Kidneys, and Other Health Issues	p. 195
Margin of Safety and the Precautionary Principle
Margin of Safety	p. 201
The Precautionary Principle	p. 212
The Promoters and the Techniques of Promotion
Weak and Inadequate Science	p. 217
Promoters' Strategies and Tactics	p. 225
Self-Serving Governmental Reviews	p. 238
A Response to Pro-Fluoridation Claims	p. 246
The Promoters' Motivations	p. 258
Review and Conclusion	p. 269
Fluoride and the Brain	p. 275
Fluoride and Bone	p. 287
Endnotes	p. 291
About the Authors	p. 357
Index	p. 359
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

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Excerpts

Sweden rejected fluoridation in the 1970s and, in this excellent book, these three scientists have confirmed the wisdom of that decision. Our children have not suffered greater tooth decay, as World Health Organization figures attest, and in turn our citizens have not borne the other hazards fluoride may cause. In any case, since fluoride is readily available in toothpaste, you don't have to force it on people.--Arvid Carlsson, Nobel Laureate in Medicine or Physiology (2000) and Emeritus Professor of Pharmacology, University of Gothenburg