By Shirra Leavitt Santa Monica
Some readers may be vaguely aware that the Metropolitan Water District has begun implementing plans to fluoridate the water of their 18 million customers in Southern California. Santa Monica’s water supply will begin the fluoridation process on Nov. 19. Most readers, however, are completely unaware of the source of the fluoride being used. It is not a pharmaceutical-grade chemical developed in a laboratory; it is hydrofluorosilicic acid taken directly from the pollution scrubbers of a phosphate fertilizer plant in Florida.
The origins of water fluoridation can be traced back to the aluminum industry. In the 1930s, the director of the Aluminum Company of America wrote a letter to Gerald Cox of The Mellon Institute of Industrial Research. He was worried about the health effects of fluoride pollution on workers in aluminum plants and resulting litigation. His idea, however, was to see how well this highly toxic, corrosive substance cleaned teeth. In time, The Mellon Institute — also staunch defenders of DDT, asbestos and tobacco — began a massive spin campaign to promote the use of fluoride as a healthy addition to public drinking water. From there, the Kettering Laboratory (who also promoted the use of lead in gasoline), formed a highly-funded alliance with the National Institute of Dental Research to sell fluoridated water and dental products to the American public.
Hydrofluorosilicic acid is an industrial-grade hazardous waste that ranks between lead and arsenic in toxicity. Adding any amount at all to the state and to the rest of our nation’s water supply is not only hazardous to our health, but also to our democratic process and our supposed freedom of choice.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 17, 2007. Read the original PDF.