Floride
Letter to the Editor
News Straits Times, March 23, 1999, pg. 11
With great interest I read both the articles in the New Straits Times "Directive ignored by toothpaste makers" (March 15) and "Toothpaste makers must label" (March 16). I commend the editorial staff of the NST for the position taken. However, in both articles it is mentioned that dental fluorosis is a "cosmetic effect".
Nothing could be further from the truth. Dental fluorosis is the first visible sign of fluoride poisoning, and an indicator that fluoride is also being stored in bones and soft tissue, as well as affecting the functions of the brain.
Largely based on the recent findings documenting the neurological damage caused by fluorides, the scientists at Environmental Protection Agency headquarters in Washington, D.C. have filed a grievance, demanding only fluoride-free bottled water in their offices.
These are the same people that are required by law to set a MCL (Maximum Contaminant Level) for fluoride in the water in the U.S.
They say that this level was set fraudulently, and that 90% of the data showing that fluoride is mutagenic was omitted.
Most people do not realize that fluoride is a cumulative poison, meaning that even in low concentrations it eventually becomes toxic.
Fluoride is rated more toxic than lead, and surely one would not brush one's teeth with lead, no matter what perceived benefit it might show for a portion of a tooth in one's mouth.
It is also no co-incidence that available data has clearly shown that dentists make more profit due to water fluoridation.
This fact was also published in the Journal of American Dental Association in 1972, and was again documented by the California Department of Health Services in 1994 and 1995.
The tooth becomes more brittle, as was described by the US Public Health Service in 1993, and thus requires more complex dental work.
At a time when intake of fluorides is already way too high due to food contamination, pesticide use, and the use of fluoridated water in the manufacturing process of beverages and other foods, active steps should be taken to reduce fluoride intake overall, not to promote it.
In harmony with your editorial, one can only commend Professor Dzulkifli Abdul Razak from the National Poison Center on the courageous stance taken, and hope that the Ministry of Health will act upon his recommendations and its own directive, and to do so as soon as possible.
Andreas Schuld
Vancouver, Canada
The writer is the Head, Parents of Fluoride Poisoned Children78 Malta Place, Vancouver, Canada