Arguments Against Fluoridation Of Water

Water fluoridation is the addition of fluoride to the water supply, and in particular, 75% of America’s water supply.
Despite the fluoridation of the public water supply being a topic of controversy, there are studies related to harmless side effects, strict regulation levels, and positive results from usage.
Several groups believe that the fluoridation of public water is dangerous to the public’s health. In a February 2006 article in Journal of Controversial Medical Claims titled "The Debate over Fluoridation of Drinking Water," L. Fleming Fallon Jr. states, “ “In 1986, the US Environmental Protection Agency established a Maximum Containment Level of four parts per million. This was established to avoid skeletal fluorosis, a condition characterized
Due to this established containment level, there is a possibility that humans may have already previously been exposed to and suffered from the high fluorine levels. Additionally, Fallon states, “Acute toxicity to fluoride has been reported with exposures in the range of 1 to 5 mg/kg of body weight. Symptoms of toxicity associated with fluoride ingestion include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, sialorrhea, and abdominal pain. Other less frequently reported symptoms include cardiac arrhythmias and death” (2). These reports claim that there are multiple side effects linked to people’s bodies being unable to withstand certain levels of fluoride according to the ratio of their weight and the levels of fluoride. This is significant because if the reports can accurately contribute the fluoride to body weight ratio with the side effects of toxicity than it suggests that fluoride levels would need to be adjusted or removed to prevent illness. Lastly, an April 30, 2013, article from the Mercola.com website states, “But according to a 500-page scientific review, fluoride is an endocrine disruptor that can affect your bones, brain, thyroid gland, pineal gland and even your blood sugar levels” (Mercola). The scientific
A 2016 article from the ilikemyteeth.org website states, “Dental fluorosis is a minor change in the appearance of the teeth, usually resulting in faint white marks on the enamel. People anywhere can have fluorosis, even in communities that do not add fluoride to the water” (Is Fluoride Dangerous?). In the United States there are still communities that do not have fluoride in their water for various reasons, although the majority of the United States does. The communities that do not drink water with fluoride in it have experienced cases that show that the side effect of dental fluorosis, which typically happens due to overexposure of fluoride over long periods of time, still appears in areas that have non-fluoridated water. Although dental fluorosis is considered a side effect of water fluoridation, there are other natural sources of fluoride that could have contributed. A 2006 book titled “Fluoride in Drinking Water: A Scientific Review of EPA's Standards (2006)” from The National Academies Press.com website states, “Some studies in the international literature have reported severe mottling of the teeth that could not be attributed to fluoride exposure” (111). The United States is one of the few countries that does have water fluoridation,