Why is fluoride bad for you?

Answer 1

Fluoride is not bad for you. It is considered by most public health experts to be one of the major advances in public health of the last century. Unfortunately, it has become politicized and the target of internet conspiracy theorists. What one must remember is that everything is toxic (even water and oxygen) at high enough levels. "The dose makes the poison" and so when reading the claims of people citing support to the claims of the evils of fluoride one must pay attention to make sure they are not citing industrial exposures, high dose supplements, etc etc.

• It does reduce tooth decay dramatically.
• It saves society money by promoting better health.
• It is associated with less gum disease, which may be a contributing factor in Heart disease.
• Nearly all dental fluorosis (mottling of the teeth from too much fluoride) is from eating toothpaste or taking too much supplementation in pill form, not from drinking water.
• There is no credible evidence that it causes cancer.
• There is no credible evidence that fluoride from drinking water causes osteoporosis or fractures (taking high dose pills can and studies of drinking water are on-going).
• There is no credible evidence that it causes birth defects, ADD or other toxicity at the doses found in water.

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