Fluoride is toxic

Regarding the proposed plan to add fluoride to our water, I think it is important to understand what is being added. The studies which "proved" that fluoride would prevent cavities were evaluating the effects of actual groundwater minerals, not the chemicals that are being added today.

Fluorosilicic acid, which is a classified hazardous waste, is the substance used in 90 percent of the water fluoridation programs in the United States. This waste is also contaminated with lead, arsenic, mercury, and other heavy metals. The EPA considers it an environmental toxin. There are no government safety studies currently available on fluorosilicic acid.

The government is basing their fluoridation policy on the assumption that there is no chemical difference, after dilution into the water supply, between pharmaceutical grade sodium fluoride and the industrial waste fluorosilicic acid. However, results from a study, published in the International Journal of Environmental Studies, found significantly higher lead levels in the blood of children living in communities where fluorosilicic acid was added to the water. There are also studies linking an increase in bone cancer in children who live in fluoridated areas.

There are many respected groups that actually recommend against fluoridation, such as the EPA, National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, and the National Kidney Foundation. In addition, over 80 percent of Europe has chosen either not to fluoridate, or to cease the fluoridation of their water.

I urge all of you to educate yourselves as to the toxicity of what they are planning to add to our water. know I don't want it in mine, or my childrens'. Sheila Irwin Oak Park