Infant Fluoride Warning from CDC & ADA

The announcements in 2006 by the Centers for Disease Control and the American Dental Association which warn parents against the use of fluoridated tap water for the reconstitution of infant formula does not seem to take into account that the baby does not have teeth until about six months from birth. These are only temporary teeth, and the adult teeth appear about seven years from birth. The assumption here is that less fluoride in the diet during the first six months will help prevent fluorosis. However, fluoride is found in many different food and drink sources, mouthwash and toothpaste that kids encounter all during those years. Fluoride is an accumulative toxin that lodges in the teeth and bones of the body and apparently certain organs of the body as well. Fluorosis may only be the tip end of the problem while young teeth are forming.

The announcement does not take into account emerging research indicating that fluoride has an adverse effect on cellular development in internal organs at very low levels. So, more than just the teeth are being affected by the ingestion of fluoride. More serious and unbiased research is badly needed concerning this internal cellular damage.

Also consider that babies ingest much more liquid for their body mass than do adults. And, because of this, the amount or dosage of fluoride received each day is much higher for children when compared to that of a fully grown adult. This is the period of rapid growth, and the period of most concern for healthy development into adulthood. Exposure to toxins during this developmental stage may result in permanent damage that follows the individual into his/her adult years. Essentially, babies and young children ingest much more fluoride than the safe levels approved by the CDC and ADA. And, because much of what they drink and eat is processed from fluoridated water, children receive much more fluoride per day than the officially recommended levels.

In fact, even at the recently amended level of drinking water fluoridation, mother's milk, the best indicator of what nutrients are best for childhood development, contains 175 times less fluoride than tap water. The level of fluoridation recommended prior to the January 7th announcement by Health and Human Services was .7 to 1.2 parts per million, and was based upon the theoretical amount of water ingested by an individual for a particular region's weather or ambient temperature. It did not account for the wide range of ingestion amounts according to an individual's daily needs. For instance, a road worker in 95 degree sun is going to drink much more water than a computer worker who stays indoors at 72 degrees all day. The road worker would therefore ingest much more fluoride than would the computer worker, and would therefore be expected to see much more serious problems from long term exposure to the toxin.

In a surprise announcement, Health and Human Services publicly stated on January 7th, 2011 that their new recommendation for fluoride in drinking water would be a flat .7 parts per million. They stated that Americans were getting too much of a good thing, and that this level had been determined to help prevent fluorosis in young children. Statistically, the CDC now records florosis across the country at over 40 percent of children. Those are epidemic numbers and a staggering number of individuals who have no further choice in the matter. Those who are bothered by their tooth streaks, pits and brown stains when they smile must pay for expensive dental work to correct fluoride's damage. And, some who have sustained moderate to severe fluorosis may end up losing some teeth. Health and Human Services would not admit that a simple adjustment of this amount would do little to protect children from fluorosis when there are so many other sources of the substance in our foods, drinks, mouthwash and toothpaste.

Of course, the Fluoride Action Network continues to recommend a fluoride level of ZERO for all drinking water. We feel this is the only level of fluoride that will guarantee no damage to anyone in a population from fluoride's adverse health effects.

* originally published in 2011