Water fluoridation--a public health hazard. journal of the International Commission on Occupational Health

摘要

To the Editor.-In his response to my letter1 critiquing his earlier article, Pollick muddies the waters concerning the meager benefit and serious health risks of water fluoridation.Pollick states that I provided "no specifics that refute" his claim that "there is no harm from water fluoridation." This is simply not true. In my letter I focused on multiple specific and serious threats fluoridation poses to human health at 3 parts per million (ppm) fluoride or less. I provided primary source evidence on bone fractures in children4; hip fractures in the elderly at 1.5 to 4.3 ppm; lowering of IQ at 1.8 ppm; lowering of thyroid function at 2.3 ppm; and lowered fertility at 3 ppm.In a situation where a whole population is being exposed to a toxic substance, and exposure levels vary widely, toxicologists would seek a margin of safety (toxic dose divided by the therapeutic dose) of at least 100.10 If we assume comparable water consumption, the margin is less than 3 and is thus grossly inadequate to protect either those who ingest more than average amounts of fluoride (from water and other sources), or the most vulnerable, such as the very young, the elderly, and people with impaired kidney function. Pollick diverts attention from the latter point by claiming that fluoride does not damage the kidney. Even if this were true, it's not responsive. The argument I made is that those with existing kidney impairment are more vulnerable to fluoride's toxic effects, especially bone damage, and an adequate margin of safety is critically important to protect them from harm.