History of Fluoride

Larry A. Law

In my book, There's An Elephant in the Room—Exposing Hidden Truths in the Science of Health I discuss how fluoride was introduced in the United States into our drinking water (see pages 81-82). Dentists and toothpaste manufacturers support the use of fluoride on the surface of teeth and there is some science suggesting that it does help harden teeth. However, when it comes to ingesting fluoride, that is a completely different story. 

Issues With Fluoride

One of the first signs of overdosing fluoride are the brown spots that show up on children's teeth. There are numerous other problems associated with ingesting it as it is one of the most reactive elements in the chemical grouping of halogens. Fluoride and bromide both displace iodine on cell receptors. This displacement on thyroid cell receptors can create problems for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland. Fluoride also disrupts hundreds of enzymes within the human body. Thyroid disease is a growing epidemic in the United States. The autoimmune disease called Hashimoto's is the number one autoimmune issue affecting Americans. It occurs when the body's immune system attacks the thyroid's cells, causing inflammation and potentially destroying the gland. This can reduce the thyroid's ability to produce hormones, which can lead to hypothyroidism, or an underactive thyroid. 

History of Fluoride

Here is a link to a dramatic YouTube video (has some commercials as a result) that explains how fluoride came to be added to our water. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has erroneously claimed for years that "fluoridation is one of the ten greatest health achievements of the 20th century." Virtually all of Europe refuses to fluoridate their water and they have no more tooth decay than people in the United States. Actually, good nutrition (whole, real foods and no processed foods) is the key to eliminating dental disease and cavities. 

Federal Judge Rules Fluoride in Water Poses "Unreasonable Risk"

In September 2024, Judge Edward Chen of the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of California wrote a long-awaited decision in a landmark lawsuit brought against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). He ruled that fluoridation at current U.S. levels (0.7 milligrams per liter) posed an "unreasonable risk" of reduced IQ in children. 200 million Americans drink water treated with fluoride. Judge Chen ruled that scientific evidence demonstrated irrefutably that fluoride treatments at that level could damage human health, especially that of pregnant mothers and young children. The lawsuit took seven years as the CDC, EPA, the American Dental Association (ADA), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) raised technical challenges resisting all the scientific studies showing harm. The EPA's legal defense rested on their belief that determining the exact level at which fluoridation is harmful is too unclear for the agency to decide whether the chemical presents an unreasonable risk. Judge Chen ruled that their argument was "not persuasive." The EPA requires a margin of error by a factor of at least 10 to exist between the hazard level for a toxin and the acceptable human exposure level. Judge Chen determined that a preponderance of scientific data shows that 0.7 mg/L definitely exceeds the safe range. 

It is not clear what the EPA will do after this ruling. They could appeal the ruling or take regulatory actions ranging from simply notifying the public of risks to actually banning the chemical treatment. This controversy has been going on for over 70 years, but hopefully this ruling represents a significant turning point in the struggle for water that is safe to drink. Stay tuned!