New York – March 12, 2007 — Trace amounts of arsenic are found in fluoride chemicals added to drinking water supplies, reports the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) website.
Fluoridation is a controversial attempt to reduce tooth decay in tap-water consumers.
Fluoridation chemicals – sodium fluoride, sodium fluorosilicate, and fluorosilicic acid (FSA) – are all derived from the manufacture of phosphate fertilizer, reports the CDC. Trace amounts of unwanted contaminants, such as antimony, barium, beryllium, arsenic and others, are allowed to remain in fluoridation chemicals before flowing through America’s faucets.
The CDC reports, tests by National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) revealed arsenic was present in sample batches of FSA. When trace amounts were present, the treated water had an average of 0.43 parts per billion (ppb) of arsenic, with a high of 1.66 ppb attributable to the fluoride additive.
The NSF sets the allowable level of arsenic in fluoridation chemicals at 2.5 ppb. The maximum contaminant level of arsenic in treated water is 10 ppb, set by the Environmental Protection Agency.
However, trace levels of arsenic in drinking water increase a person’s risk of developing cancer, according to a report from the prestigious US National Academy of Sciences. “People drinking water containing just one part per billion of arsenic have an increased risk of developing bladder or lung cancer of one in 1,000,” reports New Scientist magazine.
In an analysis of 25 states, the National Resources Defense Council found about 8,000 U.S. water systems, serving 57,000,000 people, contained arsenic levels at 1 ppb or higher.
“Fluoridation has proven useless in fighting tooth decay in America’s low-income population as the recent unfortunate ‘tooth-decay’ death of a 12-year-old Maryland boy living in a fluoridated area has proven,” says lawyer Paul Beeber, President, New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation. “No child is or ever was fluoride-deficient. But many are dentist-deficient,” says Beeber.
“No water company should purposely be adding toxins to water supplies – even in trace amounts and even when it’s attached to a chemical perceived to be beneficial,” says Beeber.
“Besides, modern science establishes that fluoridation is ineffective at reducing tooth decay, harmful to health and a waste of taxpayer money,” says Beeber.
“We’re glad the CDC finally admits that arsenic can be found in fluoridation chemicals. But CDC should go further and list all undesirable chemicals and impurities allowed in the fluoridation chemicals, and make it publicly known so consumers truly can make an informed choice,” says Beeber.
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