Cynthia Thomas of Newcastle has started a petition in hopes of banning the presence of fluoride from public water supplies in the state.
“It’s mass medication without anyone having the ability to say if they want it,” said Thomas.
The petition as worded requests the matter be put to a ballot in November 2011. Thomas has long suspected high levels of fluoride are under researched and could be the cause of larger health effects. She cites recent studies that show fluoride causes damage to bones.
“Both my husband and I have had cancer and while I can’t prove a direct link, it needs to be investigated,” she said.
Coincidentally in a Jan. 10 memorandum, the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services has proposed the recommended level of fluoride in drinking water be set the lowest end (0.7 parts per million) of the current optimal range (0.7 to 1.2 parts per million) to prevent tooth decay.
Roger L. Crouse, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control, said recent studies show a high level of “dental white spotting” that is attributed to fluoride.
“The old recommendation was made in the 1960s,” Crouse said. “We now are exposed to fluoride in a myriad of ways from processed food to advanced dental products. It is entirely reasonable to make a change.”
In the 1940s leaders of the American Medical Association, the American Dental Association, and many other scientists questioned the safety of mass medication with fluorides in any amount in public water supplies. Both the ADA and the CDC now agree that fluoride applied topically – to the outsides of teeth – prevents cavities – not ingesting it. According to Crouse, Maine first introduced fluoride to the drinking water in 1952 and said any harmful effects are purely “cosmetic,” a distinction Thomas refutes.
“I believe it goes well beyond a cosmetic problem and can lead to skeletal fluorosis,” she said.
The World Health Organization said, ingestion of excessive fluoride can cause fluorosis which affects teeth and bones. Moderate amounts lead to dental effects, but long-term ingestion of large amounts can lead to severe skeletal problems. Paradoxically, low levels of fluoride intake help to prevent dental caries.
WHO further cites, “acute high level exposure to fluoride is rare and usually due to accidental contamination…people affected by fluorosis are often exposed to multiple sources of fluoride, such as in food, water, air (due to gaseous industrial waste), and excessive use of toothpaste. However, drinking water is the most significant source.
In 1993, the National Research Council stated, “Crippling skeletal fluorosis might occur in people who have ingested 10-20 mg. of fluoride per day for 10 to 20 years.”
Thomas argues the majority of fluoride is imported from China and cites the “disconcerting” provenance of other Chinese products as a reason to doubt the safety of fluoride. She also points to prescription drugs as a source of fluoride, drugs that are being flushed into the public drinking supply in increasing numbers.
In addition Thomas said, the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, (and the US DHHS website www.hhs.gov) confirms, a study has found over 40 percent of adolescents have discolored teeth, a direct cause of too much fluoride.
The change in recommended levels of fluoride is expected to take place in the next three or four months, said Crouse. Locally, the change will not impact agencies such as the Great Salt Bay Sanitary District, who is already within range of the targeted amounts.
“We average around 1.1 parts per million so this won’t be a huge change in operation. If anything it will save money,” said GSB Water Division Manger Scott Abbotoni.
For more information on the petition or to learn more contact Cynthia Thomas at 563-1017 or MCDC’s Roger Crouse at 287-5684.
For more information on the subject of fluoride levels, visit The World Health Organization, at www.who.org.
