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Negative Effects of Fluoride

Fluoride is an abundant element found naturally in soil, water, plants and some crops. The negative effects of fluoride have been at the center of a debate since the chemical was introduced into the municipal drinking water supplies of some states in 1945, in an attempt to improve the dental health of children and adults,

  1. Fluoride

    • Fluoride can be administered in two forms, topical and systemic. Topical fluoride is used in toothpaste, rinse and gel to be applied directly to the teeth; systemic fluoride is a supplement taken in treated water. By 2000, approximately 66 percent of the municipal water systems had added fluoride. When swallowed in water, tooth decay decreases by 20 to 40 percent in adults, Indiana State Department of Health reports.

    Age

    • Fluoride is a volatile and active chemical when swallowed into the body, and the young and elderly are particularly susceptible to its effects. Large amounts of fluoride swallowed by children can cause dental fluorosis, which produces a mottled or yellowing appearance of affected teeth. Approximately 30 percent of children who drank fluoridated water daily suffer from dental fluorosis on two or more teeth, reports HistoryofWaterFilters.com, a water filtration technology website. Among the elderly, Alzheimer's disease and dementia are linked to treated water supplies as fluoride enables aluminum to pass into the brain, the website states.

    Medical

    • Fluoride is a known thyroid depressant used in the treatment of an overactive thyroid. When the thyroid gland works normally, fluoride can cause it to slow, which can cause obesity. In addition, fluoride can depress the functioning of hormone activity within the human body, with insomnia caused by a reduction of the hormone melatonin.

    Bone

    • The bone disease skeletal fluorosis can be brought on by the regular drinking of fluoridated water. Skeletal fluorosis in its mild form consists of chronic joint pain, similar to the problems caused by arthritis, according to HistoryofWaterFilters.com.

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