Yesterday marked the start of National Fluoride Awareness Week, August 7 – 13. Why should Dogsters care about this?
Because, according to the Fluoride ActionNetwork,Fluoride is a drug that’s proven to cause serious health issues, including damage to the bones, teeth, kidneys, thyroid, pineal gland, and brain. It’s a potent neurotoxin. Over 40 percent of all American teens between the ages of 12 and 15 show visible signs of fluoride overexposure, and recent studies indicate that even small doses can lower the IQ in children.
Fluoride is addedto municipal water supplies reaching more than 180 million Americans – and that’s not counting our dogs, who drink from the same sources as we do. The United States is only one of eight countries in the entire developed world that fluoridates more than 50 percent of its water supply. (The other seven are: Australia, Colombia, Ireland, Israel, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore.)
In Europe, Ireland is the only country that fluoridates more than 50 percent of its drinking water, and England fluoridates 10 percent. Most of mainland Europe is not fluoridated, and yet, according to World Health Organization data, their teeth are just as good, if not better than Americans’.
Water fluoridation, which began in the 1940s, has been hailed as as one of the top 10 greatest public health achievements of the 20th century. But Dr. Joseph Mercola asserts that “it may actually be more accurate to describe it as one of the greatest mass poisonings in our history. Sodium fluoride, which is a far simpler toxin than the fluoride compounds used for most water fluoridation, has been used for rat and cockroach poisons, so there is no question that fluoride is highly toxic.”
As we’ve seen here, Dogsters are taking care to avoid cockroach poisons in our homes by using non-toxic pest control; why would we want to undermine our efforts byfilling our beloved pets’ bowls withthe very toxins we’re trying to avoid?
Despite overwhelming scientific evidence demonstrating that fluoride is not an effective preventive strategy against tooth decay, and may be causing significant health problems in many individuals, the practice of adding fluoride to municipal water supplies continues. A majority – 64 percent – of all drinking water in the United States is still fluoridized.
As Dr. Mercola points out, “the only science that mildly supports the use of pharmaceutical-grade fluoride as a preventive against dental caries is topical use of fluoride (although even that is debatable, based on more recent findings). There is really no scientific basis at all for ingesting fluoride to protect your teeth! In fact, when fluoride is taken internally, it actually damages your teeth, causing a condition known as dental fluorosis; the pitting and discoloration of teeth. Today, 41 percent of American children between the ages of 12 and 14 have dental fluorosis.”
Newsflash: dogs get dental fluorosis too.
Swallowingfluoride can also cause weakened bones and fatal bone cancer (osteosarcoma); hyperactivity and/or lethargy; lowered thyroid function; impaired mental development, lowered IQ, and dementia; arthritic symptoms; and chronic fatigue.
In November of 2006, the American Dental Association (ADA) sent out an email to alert its members of their recommendation to parents to not use fluoridated tap water when making infant formula. Why? Because an average glass of treated water contains 250 times more fluoride than breast milk.The CDC issued a similar internal warning. But neither the ADA nor theCDC openly informed the public. Asa result, Dr. Mercola points out, “millions of parents are still using tap water to make up formula, completely oblivious of the fact that the agencies that promote fluoridation in this country have also issued a specific warning against using fluoridated water for this purpose.”
Here’s some good news: Sixtypercent of Canada is already non-fluoridated.A few weeks ago the city of Calgary stopped fluoridating over a million people and last October the citizens of Waterloo, Ontario voted it out in a referendum.If the rest of Canada stops fluoridating their water, the U.S. might be compelled to follow.
Dogsters, if you’d rather not give your family members – including and especially your dogs – a daily dose of fluoride with their drinking water, then join the anti-fluoride movement. Contact your elected officials about the matter. And tell the EPA you expect them to uphold their duty to protect you and your family from this toxic food fumigant.
In New York City, council member Peter Vallone, Jr. introduced legislation on January 18 “prohibiting the addition of fluoride to the water supply.” A victoryin NYCcould signal the beginning of the end of fluoridation in the U.S. (For more information, contact the New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation.)
Two other major citieswhere the watersupply is fluoridatedare Austin, Texas and San Diego, California.
Dogsters, what do you think of fluoridated water? Please share your thoughts in the comments!
