My name is Becca Reynolds. I’m a wife and a mother to three beautiful girls.

My background is in health and nutrition, so naturally ingredients are important to me, I actually enjoy reading through research studies. Here is a bit of my findings and thoughts on a particular ingredient that is found in our water.

Earlier this month (Feb. 18) researchers in New York reported that “excessive fluoride ingestion during childhood results in defective tooth enamel mineralization, which can lead to dental problems later in life.” Too much fluoride causes fluorosis which actually increases the risk of cavities.

In 2019 the National Toxicology Program published a study concluding that “fluoride is presumed to be a cognitive neurodevelopmental hazard to humans. The conclusion is based on studies across several different populations showing that higher fluoride exposure is associated with decreased IQ or other cognitive impairments in children.”

Another study, at Harvard, went on to say that the proper studies have not been done and we do not know the complete impact of fluoride on children’s neurodevelopment. But would you want to sign your kid up to be a guinea pig in a research study of that kind? I know I wouldn’t.

But to keep giving kids or anyone, fluoridated water on a daily basis feels a bit like involving us in a research study that we didn’t consent to.

I personally know several individuals who are currently dealing with thyroid issues. Oddly enough, Up until about 1950, in Europe and South America, fluoride was prescribed as a thyroid suppressant for patients who had an overactive thyroid. It did not take much fluoride to successfully  slow down their thyroid activity.

There have been studies done in China, Russia and India showing a link between fluoride and hypothyroidism. Fluoride alters thyroid hormone production. I’m sure we are all aware of the fact that thyroid health is crucial for overall health. Thyroid issues may be common, but they are not normal. I believe this is due to chronic toxicity from long-term exposure to fluoride.

NO fluoride deficiency disease has ever been documented for humans. There’s not one case of documented fluoride deficiency because we are not fluoride deficient and we never have been. The scientific World Journal has stated that “Fluoride is not essential for human growth and development.”

Would you continue to supplement your diet with a product your body was not deficient in? Would you continue to supplement your child’s diet with a product they were not at all deficient in?

I could go on and on quoting research study after research study that gives us insight to why Sweden, The Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Israel and many others stopped fluoridating their water. In one way or another they claimed it was “due to concerns of safety and effectiveness.”

There is a world-wide trend happening. People are realizing that long-term fluoridation is unnatural and that it comes with harmful side effects.

Let me read to you the warning that comes on a regular box of fluoride toothpaste.

DO NOT SWALLOW

USE A PEA SIZED AMOUNT FOR CHILDREN UNDER 6

KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN UNDER 6

GET MEDICAL HELP OR CONTACT POISON CONTROL IF ACCIDENTALLY SWALLOWED

Am I expected to be unconcerned with continually ingesting fluoride over the course of my lifetime? What about my children?

Georgia is one of the most fluoridated states in America, with 96% of the population fluoridated. A tiny percentage of Georgians have a well on their property.

I’m concerned about public health but mostly, I’m standing before you as a concerned mother who wants the best for her children and their entire generation. The studies I’ve been digging through show us that children seem to be the most affected by fluoride ingestion in the form of fluoridated water.

The time has come to end this “mass medication.” (2013 study) Even federal Health and Human Services in a 2000 letter to Congress called fluoride a drug that should be regulated by FDA.

Nearly everybody today is aware of the dangers associated with lead. Lead causes brain damage. Lead-based paint was banned in 1978 but it was 74 years prior, in 1904, when the first reports surfaced about lead being highly poisonous. It took 74 years before the government finally banned it.

When it comes to fluoridated water, which side of history will you be on? Let’s work towards repealing the Georgia law that requires fluoridation.

Becca Reynolds
Peachtree City, Ga.

*Original letter online at https://thecitizen.com/2020/02/28/why-is-this-stuff-in-our-water/