By Cheryl Erb Santa Monica
I’d like the city of Santa Monica and the MWD (Metropolitan Water District) to inform the public as to how much fluoride will be added to the water supply in Santa Monica (“Fluoride becomes standard,” Aug. 23).
My research revealed the following: Fluoride is present naturally in all water sources. Community water fluoridation, which has been around for over 50 years, is simply the process of adjusting the fluoride content of fluoride-deficient water to the recommended level for optimal dental health. That recommended level is 0.7 — 1.2 parts fluoride per million parts water. Fluoride compounds, usually calcium fluoride, are naturally found in low concentration in drinking water and some foods, such as tea, seaweed and fish bones (as in fish soup).
Water with underground sources are more likely to have higher levels of fluoride, while the total concentration in seawater has an average concentration of 1.3 parts per million (ppm). Fresh water supplies generally contain between 0.01-0.3 ppm, while the ocean contains between 1.2 and 1.5 ppm. The ocean contains higher levels than the recommended level for optimal dental health.
Symptoms of acute toxicity (e.g. gastrointestinal upset) occurs at doses as low as 0.1-0.3 mg/kg.
An adverse effect of low concentration fluoridation, at this time, is fluorosis. It is a condition caused by ‘excessive’ intake of fluorine compounds over an extended period of time, and can cause yellowing of teeth and spotting of the enamel. The definition of ‘excessive’ in the context of fluorosis falls on the order of parts per million and is generally accepted to mean significantly higher than the 0.7 to 1.2 ppm amounts recommended for fluoridated water.
Some opponents of fluoridation have expressed concern that fluoride damages body function. One of the key concerns is that fluoride can weaken bone strength, leading to an increase in hip and wrist fracture. Additional concerns of fluoridation opponents include the potential for fluoride to damage the brain, reduce thyroid function and cause bone cancer in adolescent boys. While a recent review from the U.S. National Research Council supports concerns that fluoride may cause some of these effects, at least at high doses.
I wish other concerned citizens of Santa Monica would put the pressure on the MWD and city of Santa Monica to stop the addition of fluoride to our drinking water in October and/or the future.
What would it take to stop this — gathering signatures? Come on, let’s hear from anyone in Santa Monica who would like to drink our water. People need to think for themselves instead of gulping down anything their dentist tells them. After all, dentists get rich from people with dental problems.
It looks like adding fluoride to water also increases medical problems, so M.D.s could also get rich from the increased problems associated with adding fluoride to our drinking water. Who loses: People who get sick.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 28, 2007. Read the original PDF.