Presentation on Health and Environmental Impacts of water fluoridation 2012

Presentation on
on Water Fluoridation
By Declan Waugh
Chartered Environmental Scientist
Chartered Waste Manager
Chartered Water and Environmental
Manager

To download full report on
Human Toxicity, Environmental Impact and
Legal Implications of Water Fluoridation
goto

http://www.enviro.ie/risk.htlm

Lets begin by examining why other European Countries stopped fluoridation
their drinking water supplies

Denmark banned fluoridation when its
National Agency for Environmental
Protection, after consulting the widest
possible range of scientific sources, pointed
out that the long-term effects of low fluoride
intakes on certain groups in the population
(for example, persons with reduced kidney
function), were insufficiently known.

Source: National Agency of Environmental
Protection, Denmark. February, 1977.

Sweden also rejected fluoridation on
the recommendation of a special
Fluoride Commission, which included
among its reasons that: "The combined
and long-term environmental effects of
fluoride are insufficiently known."

Source: Report of Swedish Fluoride
Commission. Stockholm 1981.

How Sweden changed its policy to end water
fluoridation
The research group around Dr. Anders Thylstrup, PhD,
Professor of Cariology at the University of Copenhagen
including Dr. Gillberg, Dr. Jan Sallstrom- Associate Professor
of Experimental Pathology and Dr Agnetha Sallstrom revealed
that the Government experts of the National Board of
Health and Welfare who were advocating fluoridation of
both ignorant concerning basic
water were
physiological knowledge and were
bluffing with statistics on caries
reduction and fluorosis, the decision process
turned against water fluoridation in Sweden.

Germany‟s stance on Water Fluoridation can
be defined in this quote.

"The argumentation of the
Federal Ministry of Health
against a general permission of
fluoridation of drinking water is
the problematic nature of
compulsion medication."

TOXICOLOGICAL PROFILE FOR FLUORIDES, HYDROGEN
FLUORIDE AND FLUORINE
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
U.S. Public Health Service
April 1993

“To prevent dental decay (caries), fluorides are
sometimes added to drinking water to achieve levels of
about 1 ppm.

If you swallow the treated water, or these products, you
will be exposed to fluoride.”

April 1993

“Drinking or eating fluoride during the time
teeth are being formed can cause visible
changes in teeth. These changes increase in
severity with increasing levels of fluoride.
The condition is called dental fluorosis.”

Fluoride accumulates in the bones, kidneys, brain-pineal
gland, thyroid and reproductive systems.

Ingested fluoride generally first acts on the stomach
mucosa, and creates hydrofluoric acid, it becomes
corrosive and leads to gastrointestinal problems, larger
accumulations have also been attributed to irregular
heartbeats and cardiac arrest.

When fluoride gets into blood plasma it inhibits
metabolic processes in the body as well as physically
changing the structure of bone and teeth.

Dental Fluorosis is the most obvious sign of chronic
overexposure to fluoride as it is the only clear visible
external mark of the toxin effects on the human body.

April 1993

“Exposure to certain levels of fluoride can
harm your health. The health effects depend
on the type of fluoride you are exposed to, how
long you are exposed, and how much gets into
the more soluble the
your body. In general,
fluoride-containing substance is, the
more toxic it is.”

FLUORIDE,
AND FLUORINE
April 1993

Neurological Effects
Fluoride has been shown to interfere with glycolysis.
Because the central nervous system relies heavily on this energy
source, hypotheses have been advanced as to a mechanism for
fluoride effects on the central nervous
system. Studies tend to indicate that hypocalcemia
caused by fluoride binding of calcium causes
these symptoms of fluoride poisoning.

TOXICOLOGICAL PROFILE FOR FLUORIDES, HYDROGEN FLUORIDE,
AND FLUORINE
April 1993

Developmental Effects
Fluoride crosses the placenta in limited amounts and is found in
fetal and placental tissue.

No developmental studies for humans were available to examine the
impact on developing fetuses.

Wild and domestic animals may be more sensitive than are
laboratory animals to developmental effects of fluoride. The only
clinical signs general
in the adult mink were
unhealthiness, hyperexcitability, and lethargy.

FLUORIDE, AND FLUORINE
April 1993

Genotoxicity.
with cardiovascular
Some people
problems may be at increased risk
of fluoride toxicity. Fluoride inhibits glycolysis
by inhibiting enolase. It also inhibits energy
metabolism through the tricarboxylic acid cycle by
blocking the entry of pyruvate and fatty acids and by
inhibiting succinic dehydrogenase.

April 1993

Immunological Effects.
Very limited human and animal data were located to
The
evaluate the immunological effects of fluoride.
existing database does not permit a
complete assessment of the
immunotoxic potential of fluoride.

April 1993

Neurological Effects.
There are few data on the neurological effects of fluorine,
hydrogen fluoride, or fluoride exposure in humans or
animals.

Animal data that showed that rats continuously exposed
for an intermediate duration to a low concentration
exhibit histological changes in the synapses of nerve
cells. There are some data suggesting that nonspecific
neurological effects (headaches, paresthesia,
vertigo) occasionally occur in cases of fluorosis.

April 1993

“Fluorides in drinking water may increase
the risk of old women and men breaking a
bone.”

FLUORIDES, HYDROGEN FLUORIDE, AND
FLUORINE, RELEVANCE TO PUBLIC
HEALTH, U.S Agency for toxic Disease ATSDR

Fluoride.

The main health concern regarding fluoride is likely to be
from excessive chronic oral exposure in drinking water.

Due to the deposition of significant amounts of fluoride in
bone, the primary target system for intermediate and
chronic exposures of both humans and several laboratory
animal species is the skeletal system (including teeth).

As far back as 2006 the U.S. Centres
for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) and the American Dental
Association (ADA) advised that using
fluoridated water to mix formula
could cause infants to develop
fluorosis.

“Children under three should
never use fluoridated toothpaste
or drink fluoridated water. And
baby formula must never be made
up using fluoridated tap water.”

Professor Hardy Limeback, B.Sc., Ph.D., D.D.S., head
of the Department of Preventive Dentistry for the
President of the
University of Toronto and
Canadian Association for Dental
Research.

The American Dental Association (ADA)
stated that “infants could receive a greater
than optimal amount of fluoride through
liquid concentrate or powdered baby formula
that has been mixed with water containing
fluoride during a time that their developing
teeth may be susceptible to enamel
fluorosis."

The American Dental Association
warned that, in order to prevent
tooth damage, fluoridated water
should not be mixed into formula or
foods intended for babies aged one
and younger.

No such warning has ever been
issued in Ireland.

Since 2006 of the
•American Dental Association,
•the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, and
•the American Academy of Pediatrics

have all advised that fluoride should not be given to
infants under 6 months and that the limit for children
from 6 months up to 3 years of age should be <0.25
mg/day.

As far back as 1999, the U.S. Institute of Medicine
(IOM, 1997) specified Adequate Intakes (AI) of 0.01
mg/day for infants through 6 months and 0.05
mg/kg/day beyond 6 months of age to prevent dental
caries.

Nutrition Committee, Canadian Paediatric Society

Because the action of fluoride is topical, no fluoride
should be given before teeth have erupted.

Recommended fluoride concentrations for children

Fluoride concentration
Age of child <0.3 ppm >0.3 ppm
0 to 6 months None None
>6 months to 3 years 0.25 mg/day None
>3 to 6 years 0.5 mg/day None
>6 years 1.00 mg/day None

Journal of Paediatric Child Health2002; 7(8):569-72, Reference No. N02-01

The amount of fluoride in toothpaste varies between 500
ppm and 1,500 ppm.

Table 12.1 below lists the corresponding amounts of
fluoride in milligrams for each toothpaste concentration
assuming the recommended small pea size amount
(0.25mg) is used.

ppm F Toothpaste Amount of F in pea sized (0.25 g) amount of toothpaste
500ppm 0.25 x 0.5 = 0.125 mg F
1,000ppm 0.25 mg F
1,450ppm 0.25 x 1.4 = 0.36 mg F
1,500ppm 0.25 x 1.5 = 0.375 mg F

Source: Irish Forum for Fluoridation Report 2002

Dental Fluorosis in Primary Teeth of 5-year-olds in IrelandD.M.
O'MULLANE1, M. HARDING1, H.P. WHELTON1, M.S. CRONIN1, and
J.J. WARREN2, 1 University College Cork, Ireland, 2 University of
Iowa, USA

The aim of this study was to measure the prevalence of dental
fluorosis amongst 5-year-old children resident in fluoridated and
non-fluoridated communities in Cork.

No fluorosis Definite Fluorosis Moderate Severe Fluorosis
Fluorosis

fluoridated 67.8%, 29.3%, 2.4% 0.5%.
children

non- 98.8%, 1.2%. ZERO ZERO
fluoridated
children

Animal studies in the 90's
found that when even
small amounts of fluoride,
was given to rats they
developed dementia and
Alzheimer's like symptoms.

Human studies in China, India
and Mexico have found that
the more fluoride a child is
exposed to the lower their IQ.

Toxicological Mechanism
Several toxicological mechanisms occur including
1. Fluoride binds to metal-containing enzymes, thereby
inactivating them.
2. Fluoride binds to calcium inhibiting its metabolism in
the human body
3. Fluoride binds to potassium and magnesium ions
leading to myocardial irritability and arrhythmia.
4. Fluoride may be directly toxic to the central nervous
system.

Environment, Health and Safety ,Hydrofluoric Acid Chemical Safety Information

Consumption of fluoride treated water for two
or more years leads to substantial
precipitation of fluoride into bone at
thousands of times the level in the water and
also into tendons and ligaments.

Chemical Analysis of Poisoning from Fluoridated Public Water
Richard D. Sauerheber, Ph.D. University of CA

European Food Safety Authority, 7th June 2006.

“Fluoride content of the body is not under physiological
control. Absorbed fluoride is partly retained in bone and
In
partly excreted, predominantly via the kidney.
infants retention in bone can be as high
as 90% of the absorbed amount,
whereas in adults retention is 50% or
less.”

UK EXPERT GROUP ON VITAMINS AND MINERALS, 2000

Found that the most vulnerable groups
to the toxin effects of fluoride were
babies and young children

UK EXPERT GROUP ON VITAMINS AND MINERALS

“The most commonly observed clinical
sign of chronic over-exposure to fluoride
is fluorosis of the teeth, which has been
observed in almost 50%of children
receiving the suggested 'optimal' level
of fluoride in their drinking water”

UK EXPERT GROUP ON VITAMINS AND MINERALS

Found that
“The total human intake is of interest,
since multiple sources, all of which are
generally considered safe by themselves,
could, under some circumstances,
provide total intake that is considered to
be above the "safe" level.”

No study has ever been undertaken
in Ireland to accurately determine
the total fluoride intake of
consumers and sensitive subgroups
of the population.

So how do you know if
exposure to fluoridated
water will cause you harm
or benefit?

European Food Safety Authority
7th June 2006.

Excessive intake of fluoride during
enamel maturation before tooth
eruption from birth to eight years of
age, when enamel formation is
complete, can lead to reduced mineral
content of enamel and to dental fluorosis
of deciduous but predominantly of
permanent teeth.

European Food Safety Authority
7th June 2006.

“Fluoride accretion in bone increases bone
density but excessive long term intake
increases risk
reduces bone strength and
of fracture and skeletal fluorosis
(stiffness of joints, skeletal
deformities).”

BRITISH MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL: Water
fluoridation and health. 2002

“There is a need to address the aggregate rate of
accumulation of fluoride in target tissues
and assess whether this is fast enough to incur the risk
of pathology within a reasonable life span in more than a
small (and defined) minority of those exposed.

In children, there have been too few studies of total
fluoride intake and the contribution of various sources to
that intake.”

BRITISH MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL:
Water fluoridation and health. 2002

A major area of uncertainty concerns the
bioavailability of fluoride. This is
particularly important with respect to the
possible differential absorption of fluoride
from naturally and artificially fluoridated
water and the role of water hardness
(calcium levels).

An array of scientific findings indicate that the decision
made by many cities since World War II to inject
artificial fluorides into municipal drinking water, as long
as the dose is below a certain level (usually 1-4 part per
million, 0.05-0.20 mM), to decrease the incidence of
tooth decay, has caused significant unwanted
biological effects, the extent determined by the acidity
and the calcium and magnesium levels in the water and
the duration of exposure.

[1] Gessner, B., New England Journal of Medicine 330 p. 95, 1994
[1] National Research Council, Report on Fluoride in Drinking Water, National Academy of

Sciences, Washington, D.C., 2006
[1] U.S.P.H.S. Congressional Record, Mar 24, 1952 reporting 1,059 heart disease deaths

in 1948 in Grand Rapids, Michigan per year after 3 years of fluoridation but 585 per year
before fluoridation; N.Y. News Jan 27, 1954 reported after 9 years fluoridation in
Newburgh, 882 heart deaths per 100,000, 74% above national rate for un-fluoridated
cities.
[1] Fluoride 30, pp. 16-18, 1997, no. 1, where EKG analyses of patients with fluorosis is

reported, and Lancet, Jan 28, 1961, p. 197 and Tokushima, J. Exper. Med. 3-50-53, 156
where mottling of teeth caused by fluoridation was associated with increased incidence of
EKG detected heart abnormalities.

It is accepted and acknowledged by the
EU Commission and the United States
National Academy of Sciences, that the
chemicals used for fluoridation of water in
Ireland have never been tested for human
toxicity or environmental safety, without
which their is inadequate information
available to demonstrate that they are
indeed safe.

The most recent international reviews of water
fluoridation by the NHS in England (2000), the National
Research Council in the United States (2006) and the EU
Scientific Committees for Food Safety and Consumer
Protection (2011) have all agreed that there is
insufficient scientific evidence to demonstrate
that water fluoridation is safe and have identified
that there is a complete lack of toxicological data on the
human or environmental toxicity of silicofluoride
chemicals used for fluoridation of water.

This is one of the reasons why every other European
State has taken the „precautionary approach‟
to water management, this approach is legally enshrined
in the EU Constitution.

The Department of Health State that
there is no need to undertake
Toxicological studies on the water
fluoridation chemicals used for
fluoridating our drinking water supplies
because they claim that
hexafluorosilicic acid dissociates 100%
in drinking water and therefore the public
do not come in contact with the
chemical.

This assertion is entirely
false and unscientific.

There is not one PEER reviewed study
anywhere in the world that shows 100%
dissociation of HSFA under conditions of
normal use because it doesn't happen.

You are always ingesting some
fluorosilicates, usually SIF4 because its
the most stable configuration.

Peer Reviewed Research undertaken by Dr. Johannes
Westendorf, (Toxicology Department, Eppendorf-Hamburg
University Hospital) found that under physiological
conditions, dissociation of silicafluorides was no more
than 66% in the concentration range considered optimum
for fluoridated water.

This was based on actual laboratory experimental
evidence not theoretical modeling. This work has never
been disputed in peer reviewed scientific journals.
Source: Westendorf J. Die Kinetik der Acetylcholinesterasehemmung und die
Beeinflussung der Permeabilitat von Erythrozxytenmembranen durch Fluroid
und Fluorokomplex-Jonen. Doctoral Dissertation, Hamburg University
Hamburg Fachbereich Chemie, 1975.

At normal stomach pH range additional peer reviewed studies have found
silicon tetrafluoride, (SiF4) acid molecules.

Gabovich RD; "Fluorine in Stomatology and Hygiene"; translated from the
original Russian and published in Kazan (USSR); printed by the US Govt
Printing Office on behalf of the Dept of Health Education and Welfare. US
Public Health Service, National Institute of Dental Health; DHEW pub no
(NIH) 78-785, 1977

Roholm K; "Fluorine Intoxication; A Clinical-Hygiene Study"; H. K. Lewis &
Co. Ltd, London; 1937

Lewis RJ, jr.; "Hazardous Chemicals Desk Reference": Van Nostrand
Reinhold; Fourth Edition.

Matheson Gas Products; 30 Seaview Drive, Secaucus, NJ; "Effects of
Exposure to Toxic Gases" and MSDS for CAS # 7783-61-1; created 1/24/89.

Voltaix, Inc.; Material Safety Data Sheet for Silicon Tetrafluoride (SiF4).

Rumyantseva GI et al; "Experimental Investigation of The Toxic Properties
of Silicon Tetrafluoride"; Gig Sanit ;(5):31-33, 1991

At the acidity of the human stomach - pH2 to 3 - the
proportion of fluorine atoms that are present as fluoride
ions changes dramatically and effectively no fluorine
atoms are present in the ionic state.

The bioavailability of fluoride ions will also vary
according to the drinking water hardness and its unique
chemical properties.

Toxicological Studies should be based on environmental
conditions experienced by the consumer not using de-
ionized laboratory water.

The incomplete dissociation of hexafluorosilicate was
also confirmed in a peer reviewed study by Finney et
al. who also proved the existence of fluorosilicate
intermediates outside of H2SiF6.

Source: Finney WF, Wilson E, Callender A, Morris MD, Beck LW.
Reexamination of hexafluorosilicate hydrolysis by 19F NMR and pH measurement.
Enviromental Science Technology. 2006 Apr 15;40(8):2572-7.

The World Health Organization has stated explicitly
that "in the assessment of the safety of a water
supply with respect to the fluoride concentration,
the total daily fluoride intake by the individual must
be considered."

Source: WHO Water Quality Guidelines 1970-2004

The Department of Health or the Food Safety
Authority have yet to develop a national database
of fluoride in beverages and foods or to commence
at a most basic level an assessment of the dietary
fluoride exposure of the general population. In the
absence of this basic information, fluoridation of
drinking water is not recommended and must be
discontinued immediately.

Both the EU and U.S National Academy of Sciences
scientific reviews of fluoridation identified in excess of
fifty epidemiology, toxicology, clinical medicine
and environmental exposure assessments that
require to be undertaken, in order to fill data gaps in
the hazard profile, the health effects and the exposure
assessment of silicafluoride compounds.

Not one of these studies has been conducted by
the Health Authorities in Ireland.

The public health risks associated with fluoridation of
water supplies have been highlighted by no less than
Fourteen Nobel Prize winners in Chemistry and Medicine
who have publicly denounced the policy of fluoridation of
water.

These concerns have been entirely ignored by many
Dentists who have somehow managed, unlike in other
European Countries, to dictate public health policy on
fluoridation of water for the past forty years in Ireland.

A new N eurological study by researchers Valdez-
Jimenez, et al. published in a peer reviewed
international journal in 2011 revealed that “the
prolonged ingestion of fluoride may cause
significant damage to health and particularly to
the nervous system,"
The study examined how fluoride induces changes in
the brain's physical structure and biochemistry which
affects the neurological and mental development of
individuals including cognitive processes, such as
learning and memory.

Source: Valdez-Jiménez L, Soria Fregozo C, Miranda Beltrán ML, Gutiérrez
Coronado O, Pérez Vega MI. Neurologia 2011 Jun;26(5):297-300. Epub 2011
Jan 20.Effects of the fluoride on the central nervous system,

The United States National Academy of Sciences
National Research Council on Fluoride in Drinking Water 2006

“It‟s apparent that fluorides have the
ability to interfere with the functions of
the brain,” says the US National
Research Council‟s (NRC) expert fluoride
panel. “Fluorides also increase the
production of free radicals in the brain
through several different biological
pathways. These changes have a bearing
on the possibility that fluorides act to
increase the risk of developing
Alzheimer‟s disease.”

Segments of the population are
unusually susceptible to the toxic
effects of fluoride. They include
"postmenopausal women and elderly
men, pregnant woman and their
fetuses, people with deficiencies of
calcium, magnesium and/or vitamin
C, and people with cardiovascular
and kidney problems."
United States Public Health Service Report (ATSDR
TP-91/17, pg. 112, Sec.2.7, April 1993)

"Ingested fluoride is transformed in
the stomach to hydrofluoric
acid, which has a corrosive effect
on the epithelial lining of the
gastrointestinal tract.”

SOURCE: US.A. Environmental
Protection Agency. (1999).
Recognition and Management of
Pesticide Poisonings. 5th Edition.

"Estimating the incidence of toxic fluoride
exposures nationwide also is complicated by the
existence of biases. Parents or caregivers may not
notice the symptoms associated with mild fluoride
toxicity or may attribute them to colic or
gastroenteritis.”

Journal of Public Health Dentistry 57: 150-8.

In Ireland up to 25% of babies experience colic, yet
the exposure of infants to fluoride has never been
examined as a likely source of this illness.

Nobel laureate scientist Professor Carlsson,
world expert in neurological science,
psychiatric disorders and pharmacology,
has stated publicly that water fluoridation
will harm some people who will exhibit
side effects from exposure to
fluorides and it should not be considered as
a public health policy.

Professor Carlson noted that “fluoridation of
water supplies would also treat people who
may not benefit from the treatment. Side-
effects cannot be excluded and, thus, some
people might only have negative effects
without any benefit."

Fluoride toxicity to aquatic organisms: Camargo JA.
International Scientific Journal Chemosphere. 2003 Jan;50(3):251-64.
Persistent Organic Pollutants and Dioxins
Environmental Chemistry
Environmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment
Science for Environmental Technology

Abstract
Published data on the toxicity of fluoride (F-) to algae, aquatic
plants, invertebrates and fishes are reviewed. Aquatic
organisms living in soft waters may be more
adversely affected by fluoride pollution than those living in
hard or seawaters because the bioavailability of fluoride ions is
reduced with increasing water hardness.

Fluoride can either inhibit or enhance the population
growth of algae,depending upon fluoride concentration,
exposure time and algal species. Aquatic plants seem to be
effective in removing fluoride from contaminated water under
laboratory and field conditions.

International Scientific Journal Chemosphere. 2003
Jan;50(3):251-64.

In aquatic animals, fluoride tends to be accumulated in
the exoskeleton of invertebrates and in the bone tissue
The toxic action of fluoride resides
of fishes.
in the fact that fluoride ions act as
enzymatic poisons, inhibiting enzyme
activity and, ultimately, interrupting
metabolic processes such as glycolysis
and synthesis of proteins.Fluoride toxicity to
aquatic invertebrates and fishes increases with
increasing fluoride concentration, exposure time and
water temperature, and decreases with increasing
intraspecific body size and water content of calcium and
chloride.

International Scientific Journal Chemosphere. 2003
Jan;50(3):251-64.

Freshwater invertebrates and fishes, especially net-
spinning caddisfly larvae and upstream-
migrating adult salmons, appear to be more
sensitive to fluoride toxicity than estuarine
and marine animals. Because, in soft waters with low
ionic content, a fluoride concentration as low as 0.5
mg F-/l can adversely affect invertebrates and
fishes, safe levels below this fluoride/l
concentration are recommended in order to
protect freshwater animals from fluoride
pollution.

UNITED STATES EPA

Sewage sludge concentrations for Fluoride were411mg/kg
dry weight.

Background concentration of pollutants in soil were
calculated at 220mg/kg demonstrating that
theconcentration of fluoride in sewage sludge was
twice that found in uncomtaminated soil.
The Irish EPA have never examined sewage sludge for
fluoride content. Yet we dispose of over 120,000 tonnes of
sewage of land each year.

April 1993

Food grown in areas where soils have high amounts of
fluorides may have high levels of fluorides.

Food cooked in water with added fluorides may also have
increased fluoride levels.

The Irish EPA have found that fluoride
is a persistent toxin in freshwater
ecosystems, fluoride is also known to
be harmful to juvenile salmon and
trout at concentrations significantly
below those currently discharged from
wastewater treatment facilities as a
consequence of fluoridation of water.

99.5% of fluoridated water is
not used for the purpose if was
intended and is discharged
into the environment as an
environmental toxin.

No environmental study has been
undertaken since the
commencement of water
fluoridation examining the
environmental impact of
discharging over 75,000 tonnes of
fluoride into 120 salmonid rivers in
Ireland.

BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL 2007
Adding fluoride to water supplies
BMJ 2007; 335 doi: 10.1136/bmj.39318.562951.BE (Published 4 October 2007)
Cite this as:BMJ 2007;335:699

To suggest that the Medicines Act does not apply to fluoridation
because it is covered by the Water Act 2003 is naïve.[1] The
assumption that the fluoridation clauses in the Water Act
2003 allow the British Government to circumvent the
provisions of the legal constraints on medicines and food in
both the European and English legislationis entirely
wrong. Fluoridated water is, and will remain, legally a
medicinal product, irrespective of the Medicines and Healthcare
Products Regulatory Authority's (MHRA) refusal to grant it a
medicinal licence.


In fact, the Offences Against the Person Act 1861
prohibits the administration of any 'noxious or
poisonous' substance, including any material
containing such substances, to any person.
Sodium fluorosilicate is specifically listed as a
poison in Part II of the UK Poisons List Order
1982. Fluorosilicic acid, the fluoridation
substance of choice and somewhat more toxic
than the sodium salt, contains another Part II
listed poison, hydrogen fluoride. Adding either to
the public drinking water supply could be
interpreted as a violation of the 1861 Act.


The Department of Health's objectivity is
questionable—it funded the British Fluoridation
Society and, along with many other supporters of
fluoridation, it used the York review's findings
selectively to give an overoptimistic assessment of
the evidence in favour of fluoridation.

Against this backdrop of one sided handling of the
evidence, the public distrust in the information it
receives is understandable.

MEDICAL LAW INTERNATIONAL MARCH 2012
The legal fiction of water fluoridation.
David Shaw, School of Medicine, University of Glasgow,
Medical Law International March 2012 vol. 12 no. 1 11-27

This paper provides an analysis of the jurisprudence
and legislation concerning the fluoridation of water in
the United Kingdom. Water fluoridation is currently
permitted by the Water Act 2003, but this appears
to contradict legislation and regulations
governing food and healthcare in the UK and
the EU. It is concluded that the status quo rests on the
legal fiction that fluoridated water does not
constitute a medication.

“In summary, evidence of several types indicates that
fluoride affects normal endocrine function or response; the
effects of the fluoride-induced changes vary in degree and
kind in different individuals. Fluoride is therefore an
endocrine disruptor in the broad sense of altering
normal endocrine function or response, although
probably not in the sense of mimicking a normal hormone.
The mechanisms of action remain to be worked out and
appear to include both direct and indirect mechanisms, for
example, direct stimulation or inhibition of hormone
secretion by interference with second messenger function,
indirect stimulation or inhibition of hormone secretion by
effects on things such as calcium balance, and inhibition
of peripheral enzymes that are necessary for activation of
the normal hormone.”

(SOURCE: National Research Council. (2006).Fluoride in
Drinking Water: A Scientific Review of EPA's Standards.
National Academies Press, Washington D.C. p 223.)

Pregnant women with subclinical
hypothyroidism have abnormal thyroid hormone
levels but no symptoms.

They are at a increased risk of miscarriage, pre-
eclampsia and preterm birth with impaired
neuropsychological development in the child.

The Children of mothers with hypothyroidism
have lower IQ and suffer a greater incidence of
neurological disease including symptoms such
as attention deficit disorder.

This paper explores in detail the legal position of, and legal justifications
for, water fluoridation in the
UK. First, it examines the UK jurisprudence, which very much sets the
stage for the subsequent legislative analysis. It then goes on to consider the
wider European Union (EU) context and how that might (or should) impact
on the UK‟s position.

It concludes that an accurate and honest interpretation of
the law would result in the conclusion that water fluoridation
does indeed constitute medication, as it seeks to improve
health by the addition of a chemical, with the result that the
current manner of doing so (where it is done) is not
compliant with the law.

The annual budget for secretarial
services for the Forum for
Fluoridation (€400,000) combined
with the cost of silicofluoride
chemicals
(€4,700,000), supervision, training
and auditing costs (estimated at
€10,000,000), combined with
equipment
maintenance, overheads, insurance
and pollution prevention costs

SOME OF THE LEADING INTERNATIONAL ACADEMICS CALL FOR WATER FLUORIDATION BAN

•Dr.James Beck, MD, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Medical Biophysics, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada
•Dr. Dominique Belpomme, Professor in Medical Oncology, ARTAC's Cancer Research Center, Paris,
France
•Dr.Albert W. Burgstahler, PhD, Professor of Chemistry Emeritus, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas.
•Dr. Noel Campbell, BDSc, LDS, FACNEM, FASID, Hope Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia
•Dr.Paul Connett, PhD, Professor of Chemistry Emeritus, St. Lawrence University.
•Dr. Joe Cummins, PhD, Professor of Genetics Emeritus, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario,
Canada
•Dr. Samuel S. Epstein, MD, Professor Environmental & Occupational Medicine Emeritus, University of Illinois,
Chicago School of Public Health, Chairman, Cancer Prevention Coalition, Chicago
•Dr. Frank W. George, DO, MD(H), Adjunct Associate Professor, Midwestern University,
Neuromusculoskeletal specialist, AZ College of Osteopathic Medicine, Phoenix, AZ
•Dr. Boyd Haley, PhD, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
•David R. Hill, P.Eng., Professor Emeritus, University of Calgary
•Dr. Luc Hens, Vakgroep Menselijke Ecologie (Human Ecology Department), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB),
Brussels, Belgium.
•Dr. Donald Hillman, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University.
•Dr. C. Vyvyan Howard, MB, ChB, PhD, FRCPath, Professor of Bioimaging Molecular Biosciences, University
of Ulster, Coleraine, Northern Ireland and newly elected President of the International Society of Doctors
for the Environment (ISDE)
•Dr. William A. Ingram, MD, Assistant Professor, Dept. Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery, University of
Nebraska Medical Center.

•Dr. Robert L. Isaacson, PhD, Distinguished Professor, Center for Developmental and Behavioral
Neuroscience, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY. Member of the 2006 National Research Council
panel which reviewed the toxicology of fluoride, Binghamton, NY
•Dr. Antone G. Jacobson, PhD, Professor of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology Emeritus, The
University of Texas.
•Dr. Joel M. Kauffman, PhD, Professor of Chemistry Emeritus, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia,
•Dr. Leonardo Leonidas, MD, FAAP, Assistant Clinical Professor in Pediatrics, Tufts University School of
Medicine.
•Dr. Hardy Limeback, PhD, DDS, Professor and Head of Preventive Dentistry, University of Toronto, past
president of the Canadian Association for Dental Research, and Member of the 2006 National Research
Council panel which reviewed the toxicology of fluoride, Mississauga, Canada.
•Dr. Lynn Margulis, PhD, Distinguished University Professor in Evolutionary Biology, Department of
Geosciences, member of the National Academy of Sciences, and a 1999 recipient of the National
Medal of Science. Amherst, USA.
•Dr. Larry F. Mehne, PhD, Professor of Chemistry, Covenant College, Georgia, USA.
•Dr. Henry Micklem, PhD, Professor of Immunobiology Emeritus, University of Edinburgh, Scotland
•Dr. J. B. Neilands, PhD, Professor of Biochemistry Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley, USA.
•Dr. Perry O. Roehl, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Geology, Emeritus, Trinity University, Texas.
•Dr. Lisa R. Rogers, DO, Professor in Neuro-oncology, Department of Neurology, Taubman Center, USA.
•Dr. Caroline Snyder, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester New York.
•Prof. Joerg Spitz, Managing Director of the Society for Medical Information and Prevention in Germany,
Wiesbaden, Germany
•Dr. W. Gary Sprules, MA, PhD, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto,
Toronto, Canada.
•Dr. Anna Strunecka, DSc, Professor of Physiology Emeritus, Faculty of Sciences Charles University,
Prague, Czech Republic.

•Dick Thom, DDS, ND, Professor of Naturopathic Medicine, National College of Natural
Medicine, Portland, USA.
•Dr. Lennart Kroot PhD, Professor of Pathology Emeritus, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cornell
University, USA.
•Dr. Arvid Carlsson of Sweden, Professor in Neuropharmacology University of Gothenburg. Awarded the
Nobel prize for Medicine in 2000.
•Dr. Olof Lindahl, PhD Professor of Orthopaedics, University of Linkoping,
•Dr. Gunnar Gustafsson, Professor of Oral Pathology, University of Umea, Dr.Peter Soderbaum, Professor
emeritus at Mälardalen University, School of Sustainable Development of Society and Technology.
•Dr. Anders Thylstrup, PhD, Professor of Cariology at the University of Copenhagen
•Dr. Karl Arfors, PhD, Professor Biological Sciences (microcirculation and cellular inflammation), Uppsala
•Dr. Jan Sallstrom, PhD,  Associate Professor of Experimental Pathology University Hospital, Uppsala,
Sweden
•Dr. Richard J. Perry, PhD, Professor of Anthropology Emeritus, St. Lawrence University, Harvard College
•Dr. Qin Gao, PhD, Associate Professor in Pathology, Guiyang Medical University, Guiyang, China
•Dr. Zhi-Zhong Guan, MD, PhD, Professor in Pathology, Guiyang Medical University, Guiyang, China
•Dr. Kunli Luo, PhD, Professor, Institute of Geographic Sciences & Natural Resource Research, China
•Dr. Jifang Ren, MD, Professor in Public Health Medical University of Shamxi, Shamxi, China
•Dr. Quanjong Xiang, PhD, Associate Professor in Public Health, Nanjing, China
•Dr. Maria Rosario Garcia, Professor of Chemistry, University of Santo Tomas,
•Dr. Moises Norman Garcia, Professor of Environmental Science, University of Santo Tomas.
•Dr. Junie A. Quilatan, Professor of Ethics and Theology, University of Santo Tomas.

•Dr. Dariusz Chlubek, MD, PhD, Professor of Biochemistry, Pomeranian Medical
University, Szczecin, Poland.
•Dr. Anna Machoy-Mokrzynska, PhD, Assistant Professor, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin,
Poland.
•Dr. Katarzyna Pawlowska-Goral, PhD, Assistant Professor, Medical University of Silesia, Poland.
•Dr. Olvaldo Rosario, PhD, Professor of Environmental Chemistry, University of Puerto Rico.
•Dr. Paul Coetzee, PhD (Nuclear Chemistry), Professor of Chemistry and Head of Department, Dept of
Chemistry, University of Johannesburg.
•Dr. Bo H. Jonsson, MD, PhD, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm.
•Dr. Jan Rennerfelt, PhD, Professor in Biochemical Technology Emeritus, Stockholm.
•Dr. Richard Johns, PhD, LDS RCS (Eng.), Professor of Restorative Dentistry Emeritus, University of Sheffield,
Winchester, Hampshire, England.
•Dr. Henry Micklem, PhD, Professor of Immunobiology Emeritus, University of Edinburgh, Scotland.
•Dr. Dominique Belpomme, PhD, Professor in Medical Oncology, ARTAC's Cancer Research Center, Paris,
France.
•Dr, Murray J. Vimy, DMD, practicing dentist and Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine, Dept. of
Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
•Dr, Louis Ricci, PhD, Professor Clinical Psychology at the Universidade Federal de MInas Gerais, Belo
Horizonte,
•Dr. Marc Boogaerts, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine-Hematology, and Cancer Research University of
Leuven, Belgium.

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