The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently announced its intent to lower the recommended fluoride level in drinking water to 0.7 milligrams per liter of water. But Dr. David Brownstein, editor of The Natural Way to Health newsletter and board-certified family physician, says the move does not go far enough.
Fluoride should be completely removed from public water supplies because ingesting it has never been proven to reduce dental cavity rates, and studies have shown overexposure of fluoride pits and spots teeth, weakens bones, and could be linked to bone cancers, he said.
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“Fluoride is a known neurotoxin,” he tells Newsmax Health. “It’s known to poison over 200 enzymes in the body, and there’s really no reason to put it in our water supply.”
The plan by federal officials would mark the first time in nearly 50 years that lower fluoride levels were ordered by the government. It comes in the wake of a report by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention that two out of five adolescents have teeth with streaks and spottiness — a condition known as fluorosis — caused by too much fluoride.
In addition, the Environmental Protection Agency recently released two research reviews on fluoride; one found that a high intake of fluoride over a long period of time raises the risk of brittle bones, fractures, and bone abnormalities, The Associated Press reported.
Dental hygiene products like toothpaste contain fluoride, but despite being credited with preventing cavities, fluoride isn’t a proven cavity fighter, Brownstein says. Many other sources, including juices, soups made with fluoridated water, and baby food contain the mineral as well.
While no one knows exactly how much the average person ingests, it’s higher than the government’s recommended limits, Brownstein says.
The fluoride used in water supplies is not from the naturally occurring source in the environment; rather, it’s a toxic waste product sold to the government by aluminum and fertilizer manufacturers, he says.
“If the government had our best interest at heart, they would remove the fluoride from the water supply, which most of the western European countries have done.”
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