Keep out of reach of children under 6 years of age. If you accidentally
swallow more than used for brushing, get medical help or
contact a Poison Control Center immediately.
Did you know this is the warning that is on your toothpaste tube, unless you use a non-fluoride toothpaste? Go grab your toothpaste and check it out! The FDA began requiring this warning in the late ’90s when it became clear that small children could be seriously injured, or even killed, by fluoride poisoning. Yes, killed by toothpaste. And guess what – it’s toxic for adults too!
“What’s wrong with fluoride? I thought it was supposed to make my teeth stronger?” you may ask.
Well, in a nutshell, fluoride is toxic, poison. It may seem like a harmless substance found on the labels of toothpaste and in our tap water, but the unfortunate truth is that fluoride may not be as harmless as we think.
History:
Industry and government had a powerful motive for claiming that fluoride is safe for a long time, but maintaining this claim hasn’t been easy since fluoride is one of the most toxic substances known. There is actually evidence that fluoride has been killing and crippling people since at least the 1930s.
Fluoride is a by-product of copper, iron, steel, zinc, and aluminum manufacturing. The problem of how to legally dispose of fluoride was “solved” in the 1930’s when a study (funded by one of the country’s largest aluminum companies at the time: Aluminum Company of America – Alcoa) conducted by scientist Gerald J. Cox concluded that fluoride might reduce cavities in children. How convenient. In 1939, the first public proposal that the U.S. should fluoridate its water supplies was made by Cox, you know, the industry scientist working for a company that happened to be threatened by fluoride damage claims.
A successful public relations effort lead by Edward L. Bernays, also known as the father of public relations, along with some cooperative government workers, resulted in the “good news” going out: this miracle chemical, when added to water supplies, will give everyone healthy teeth and brighter smiles (btw we’re the only country that adds fluoride to public water). Almost overnight the popular image of fluoride (which at the time was widely sold as an insecticide and rat and bug poison) became viewed as absolutely safe, and good for children.
Exposure:
We are exposed to fluorides from a wide range of sources, including air pollution, drinking water, toothpaste, mouth rinses, beverages, medicines, anaesthetics, fluoride supplements, pesticide and herbicide residues.
As we brush with a fluoride toothpaste, we absorb fluoride through our gums, tongue, and other soft tissues. Healthy adult kidneys can only eliminate 50% to 60% of fluoride consumed each day. The remainder accumulates in the body and can lead to fluoride toxicity. Due to all of the exposure opportunities, our levels may be much more toxic than you think.
Dangers:
Fluoride is highly toxic. When you consume too much fluoride, your teeth can become discolored and crumble, and has been shown to damage the musculoskeletal and nervous systems, leading to limited joint mobility, ligament calcification, muscular degeneration and neurological deficits. It’s a neurotoxin. Lead is also a neurotixin. You wouldn’t add lead to your toothpaste would you? Noooo.
Tooth decay trends have been tracked by the World Health Organization from 1970 to today show that the frequency of decayed, missing or filled teeth has been steadily declining each year in the U.S., France, Germany, Japan, Italy, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, The Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Austria, Belgium, Portugal, Iceland and Greece. Why? Better oral hygiene and improved dental practice is the most obvious answer. It’s definitely not the fluoride, because of all of those countries, only one adds fluoride is the United States (stat from Source Global Health Center).
In tests on laboratory animals, fluoride has been shown to enhance the brain’s absorption of aluminum – the substance that’s found in the brains of most Alzheimer’s patients.
A number of different studies have linked fluoride to as many as 10,000 cancer deaths per year, with a high incidence of bone cancer among men exposed to fluoridated water. Between 1990-92, 8 different epidemiological studies suggested that water fluoridation may have increased the rate of bone fractures in females and males of all ages across the U.S. A 1992 study in the journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that even “low levels of fluoride may increase the risk of hip fracture in the elderly.” It has also been linked to decrease the IQ in children by the Harvard School of Public Health.
What to do about it:
Fluoride is not something your body needs. No one has a fluoride deficiency.
Start using a non-fluoride toothpaste. Bonus points for one that doesn’t contain carrageenan either.
It’s the physical action of the toothbrush that really cleans your teeth. Non-fluoride toothpaste may take getting used to because there is usually no added sweeteners or detergents. The foaming sensation of most toothpastes is actually detergent the manufacturers add to make you think your mouth is getting cleaner – another toxin by the way. I also recommend using a tongue scraper and flossing daily.
This is the tooth”paste” I use. It took maybe 1 use of it to get used to the new texture, but it’s awesome. It leaves my teeth feeling SO clean, and I know the ingredients in it are all safe.
Another thing you can do is to be sure to use filtered water instead of tap water. There are a lot of good and effective water filtration systems out there, or you could also use a water delivery service (be sure if you’re getting water delivered in bottles or buying bottled water that plastic bottles don’t contain BPA).
