6 ms·

If you're lucky enough to live somewhere where the crazies haven't defluorinated your water because "you're polluting our pure water with chemicals..."

coopermor1 10y ago
I don't think it's that clear - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3491930/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3491930/
Drdrdrq 10y ago
Crazies or people who actually care about environment? Fluorinating water must be one of the least efficient ways of doing this.
- toomuchtodo 10y ago
  If you'll coordinate an effort to get florinated products into the hands of everyone in the US who can't afford them, I'll agree with you.
  - mod 10y ago
    Like toothpaste? You actually think it's easier/cheaper to put it in the entire water supply vs handing out some free toothpaste?
    - Retra 10y ago
      Toothpaste isn't free. Producing toothpaste, putting flouride in it, and distributing it are all harder than putting fluoride in water and distributing it. Water is pumped to people's houses from central locations. Toothpaste has to be placed in tubes and shipped around on boats and trucks.
  - thatcat 10y ago
    The reason foridation has additional FDA requirements is because it's essentially a medicine, not a food supplement like iodine - which is an essential nutrient. So to justify the medication of entire communities at the exact same dose of a non-essential pharmacological product in an effort to ensure poor people receive enough flouride seems misguided. Calcium has a similar hardening effect on teeth and is present in water already - forming the scale you see in the shower Ca(CO3). Additionally, flouride stains your teeth [0]. [0]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_fluorosis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_fluorosis
    - brassic 10y ago
      Hard water has calcium and soft water doesn't. My city gets naturally soft water and we don't get scale. But we do get added fluoride.
- schwap 10y ago
  > Crazies or people who actually care about environment? The environment??? Fluoride, like many minerals, is naturally occurring in many water sources, just not (all) of the ones that are used for drinking water. Additionally, the concentration of fluoride for this purpose is minuscule (0.7 mg/L according to Health Canada).
  - DiabloD3 10y ago
    This comment is why you absolutely must test well water every 2-3 years. Up here in Maine we have a pretty bad fluoride issue in some areas, and a lot of people are not testing their well water, and ending up with fluoride poisoning.
2AF3 10y ago
It's not the role of government to brush my teeth.
- bduerst 10y ago
  It is when tooth decay is a major public health concern.
  - kakarot 10y ago
    Actually no, it still isn't.
    - dx034 10y ago
      I think it is, not for you but for your children. Too many parents don't take proper care of their children's teeth and this can cause non-reversible damages. Adding flouride is not the perfect solution but it can help to some degree.
      - kakarot 10y ago
        The problem is a combination of sugar over-consumption and bad dental hygiene. Those are the issues that need to be addressed. Adding flouride to our drinking supply does not address these issues.
    - freehunter 10y ago
      If you can't afford insurance, the government makes sure you get the health care you need to stay alive and healthy. So the government has a vested interest in making sure people stay healthy, because if a poor person gets sick, the government is paying for their healthcare. Not everyone brushes their teeth, not everyone can afford toothpaste. Everyone has to drink water, though, and fluoride in water causes no real health problems. It's a very quick win for public health, because otherwise the government would be paying to replace poor people's teeth.
      - 10y ago

coopermor1 10y ago

I don't think it's that clear - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3491930/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3491930/

Drdrdrq 10y ago

Crazies or people who actually care about environment? Fluorinating water must be one of the least efficient ways of doing this.

toomuchtodo 10y ago
If you'll coordinate an effort to get florinated products into the hands of everyone in the US who can't afford them, I'll agree with you.
- mod 10y ago
  Like toothpaste? You actually think it's easier/cheaper to put it in the entire water supply vs handing out some free toothpaste?
  - Retra 10y ago
    Toothpaste isn't free. Producing toothpaste, putting flouride in it, and distributing it are all harder than putting fluoride in water and distributing it. Water is pumped to people's houses from central locations. Toothpaste has to be placed in tubes and shipped around on boats and trucks.
- thatcat 10y ago
  The reason foridation has additional FDA requirements is because it's essentially a medicine, not a food supplement like iodine - which is an essential nutrient. So to justify the medication of entire communities at the exact same dose of a non-essential pharmacological product in an effort to ensure poor people receive enough flouride seems misguided. Calcium has a similar hardening effect on teeth and is present in water already - forming the scale you see in the shower Ca(CO3). Additionally, flouride stains your teeth [0]. [0]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_fluorosis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_fluorosis
  - brassic 10y ago
    Hard water has calcium and soft water doesn't. My city gets naturally soft water and we don't get scale. But we do get added fluoride.
schwap 10y ago
> Crazies or people who actually care about environment? The environment??? Fluoride, like many minerals, is naturally occurring in many water sources, just not (all) of the ones that are used for drinking water. Additionally, the concentration of fluoride for this purpose is minuscule (0.7 mg/L according to Health Canada).
- DiabloD3 10y ago
  This comment is why you absolutely must test well water every 2-3 years. Up here in Maine we have a pretty bad fluoride issue in some areas, and a lot of people are not testing their well water, and ending up with fluoride poisoning.

2AF3 10y ago

It's not the role of government to brush my teeth.

bduerst 10y ago
It is when tooth decay is a major public health concern.
- kakarot 10y ago
  Actually no, it still isn't.
  - dx034 10y ago
    I think it is, not for you but for your children. Too many parents don't take proper care of their children's teeth and this can cause non-reversible damages. Adding flouride is not the perfect solution but it can help to some degree.
    - kakarot 10y ago
      The problem is a combination of sugar over-consumption and bad dental hygiene. Those are the issues that need to be addressed. Adding flouride to our drinking supply does not address these issues.
  - freehunter 10y ago
    If you can't afford insurance, the government makes sure you get the health care you need to stay alive and healthy. So the government has a vested interest in making sure people stay healthy, because if a poor person gets sick, the government is paying for their healthcare. Not everyone brushes their teeth, not everyone can afford toothpaste. Everyone has to drink water, though, and fluoride in water causes no real health problems. It's a very quick win for public health, because otherwise the government would be paying to replace poor people's teeth.
    - 10y ago