This is an excellent video interview by Dr. Becker with Melissa Gardner on the very real possibility that the high fluoride levels in raisins, due to the use of the pesticide cryolite in growing grapes, is responsible for renal failure in dogs. Dog owners are known to feed raisins and grapes to their pets based on the assumption that they are considered healthy low-fat snacks.

Fluoride is well known to have adverse effects on the kidney, see:
• An overview of fluoride’s serious effects on the kidney;
• Over 300 published papers online in our Study Tracker.

Dr. Karen Becker writes a daily bulletin called “Healthy Pets” that is published by Dr. Mercola. In October 2016 she interviewed Melissa Gardner.

Melissa Garnder is the author of a new booked titled The Hidden Cause of Acne: How Toxic Water Is Affecting Your Health and What You Can Do about It, available at Amazon.

Notes about Cryolite: this is its molecular formula

There are only two known pesticides used in agriculture that leave a fluoride residue.

The first is Cyrolite. This insecticide has been used since 1957 on fruits and vegetables (and ornamental crops).  According to EPA, it is used today predominantly on grapes, potatoes (only with special exemptions) and citrus fruit (orange, grapefruit, lemon, lime, tangelo, tangerine) and most vegetables. It is sprayed on crops either from the ground or by aircraft. The California Organic standards approved its use for many years until the U.S. National Organic Standards came into effect between 2001-2002. At that time, Cryolite was removed for use in California organic agriculture.

3 Things to Know about Cryolite:

1. This is the pesticide that is primarily responsible for the fluoride contamination of our vegetables, fruits, fruit drinks, and wine.
2. For decades regulatory agencies got away with the worst type of risk assessment for this pesticide and as a consequence cryolite was given a free pass.
3. You can avoid exposure to fluoride residues from cryolite by buying organic or growing your own food.

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The second pesticide that leaves very high fluoride residues on food is Sulfuryl fluroide. It is used as a fumigant on post-harvest crops and processed food.  See this list of the allowable levels of fluoride on food approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. See  also adverse effects, albeit dated and many links do not work.

There was a little discussion in the video about the use of cyrolite in organic agriculture. Cryolite was approved by the California Organic Standards prior to the Final Rule for National Organic Standards in 2000*. On the day the Final Rule was published I called the California Organic Board to ask if they would still allow the use of cryolite for organic agriculture, and their response was “no”.

*USDA/AMS. 2000. 7 CFR Part 205. National Organic Program; Final Rule. Federal Register 65(246): 80564. December 21.