Fluoride in our Water
Fluoride exists naturally in water sources and is derived from fluorine, the thirteenth most common element in the Earth's crust.
It is well known that fluoride helps prevent and even reverse the early stages of tooth decay. However, the content of fluoride in drinking water and toothpaste attracts much more public attention nowadays.
On the one hand, fluoride is added to many drinking waters in small quantities to prevent dental cavities.
On the other hand, fluoride is a carcinogen, a bone seeker and is linked to hip fractures and brittle bones. Recalling the basics of inorganic chemistry we should keep in mind that among the four best known halogens (chlorine, bromine, iodine, and fluorine) namely fluorine is the most chemically active, being a very strong oxidant.
All salts of fluorine are toxic, but some of them more, some less. Sodium fluoride, for example, a common additive to toothpastes nowadays, is a very toxic compound - far more toxic than calcium fluoride salts, and is used also as a wood preservative and pesticide.
Research of several investigators during the last 10 years has proved that life-long impact and accumulation of fluorides causes not only human skeletal and teeth damage, but also changes in the DNA-structure, paralysis of volition, cancer, etc.
Fluoride consumption by humans 1.5 mg F/day is a figure that should never be exceeded. The recent study showed that the optimum fluoride concentration in temperate climates is 1.0–1.2 mg/L. The concentration of fluoride in groundwater in different regions varies from 0 to 6 mg/L, which means that the limits are exceeded quite frequently.
It is well known that fluoride helps prevent and even reverse the early stages of tooth decay. However, the content of fluoride in drinking water and toothpaste attracts much more public attention nowadays.
On the one hand, fluoride is added to many drinking waters in small quantities to prevent dental cavities.
On the other hand, fluoride is a carcinogen, a bone seeker and is linked to hip fractures and brittle bones. Recalling the basics of inorganic chemistry we should keep in mind that among the four best known halogens (chlorine, bromine, iodine, and fluorine) namely fluorine is the most chemically active, being a very strong oxidant.
All salts of fluorine are toxic, but some of them more, some less. Sodium fluoride, for example, a common additive to toothpastes nowadays, is a very toxic compound - far more toxic than calcium fluoride salts, and is used also as a wood preservative and pesticide.
Research of several investigators during the last 10 years has proved that life-long impact and accumulation of fluorides causes not only human skeletal and teeth damage, but also changes in the DNA-structure, paralysis of volition, cancer, etc.
Fluoride consumption by humans 1.5 mg F/day is a figure that should never be exceeded. The recent study showed that the optimum fluoride concentration in temperate climates is 1.0–1.2 mg/L. The concentration of fluoride in groundwater in different regions varies from 0 to 6 mg/L, which means that the limits are exceeded quite frequently.