Fluoridation is the practice of adding fluoride to the public water supply to reduce dental decay. Fluoride is more poisonous than lead and just slightly less poisonous than arsenic. It has been used as a pesticide for the control of mice, rats, and small pests. No one is going to die from drinking just one glass of fluoridated water, just as no one will die from smoking just one cigarette, it is the long-term chronic effects of glass after glass that will take a toll in human health.
Some of the harmful effects I found while reading the many debates associated with fluoridation included; dental fluorosis, skeletal fluorosis, gene mutations, cancer, reproductive effects, and hyperactivity in children. .
Studies show that fluoride damages teeth by obstructing the proper formation of collagen in the tooth during the formative stages. Fluoride can also cause bone damage such as skeletal fluorosis. Osteoporosis is one of the first signs of poisoning due to fluoride in the water. Along with bone damage, reports of premature wrinkled skin and arthritis were of greater frequency in fluoridated communities. .
A study by Procter and Gamble showed that as little as half the amount of fluoride used to fluoridate public water resulted in a considerable boost in genetic damage. .
Animal studies established a link between fluoride exposure and a rare form of liver cancer, hepatocholangiocarcinomas. The study was performed on male and female mice. Numerous studies show an increase in cancer death rates in fluoridated areas. .
Fluoride-induced damage to the immune system can bring about problems such as colds, which never seem to go away, and to other immune deficiency diseases. .
One of the largest studies done related to fluoridation was whether or not this process reduced tooth decay. The study found that fluoridation does not reduce tooth decay. It did, however, prove that tooth decay was similar in both fluoridated and non-fluoridated areas.