Ignoring Neurotoxicity Evidence, Albany Approves Water Fluoridation
In a move akin to reintroducing lead paint or leaded gasoline, the Albany, New York Common Council voted 12-0 to fluoridate its drinking water on February 22, after months of lobbying behind the scenes by dental interest groups.
Albany had never adopted water fluoridation, as it was opposed by a string of mayors.
However, current Mayor Kathy Sheehan favors the policy.
The sole Common Council member to offer any public opposition to the law was Seventh Ward representative Sergio Adams. Adams made a motion to table the law while a federal court case related to the use of fluoride in municipal water supplies is decided. The motion failed, according to the Times-Union February 23.
“The city’s water supply will not be changing right away. Water Department Commissioner Joe Coffey previously told the council it will be at least a year before fluoride is added to the city’s water supply,” reported the newspaper.
Local citizens opposed the effort after it was suddenly raised in October. Residents and local professionals spoke out at public hearings and formed the group Safe Water Albany with the help of an advisor from FAN. They’re continuing their campaign, awaiting a ruling in federal court on the neurotoxicity of fluoridation chemicals.
Chief sponsor of the fluoridation resolution, Tom Hoey, is on record stating that he and the Common Council will withdraw the fluoridation bill if the lawsuit against the EPA is successful.
Source: https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/albany-approves-adding-fluoride-water-supply-18684621.php
Optimal Fluoride Exposure Associated With Diminished Fetal Cord Blood Proteins
An analysis of fetal cord blood from 48 pregnant women in Northern California found an association between higher fluoride levels and lower levels of certain proteins, some of which are associated with the development of the fetal hematopoetic or blood-production system, according to a new report from the University of California at San Francisco.
The research report from Prof. Pamela Den Betsen’s laboratory, which was posted on the Research Square website on March 1, and is currently undergoing peer review, concluded, “Nine cord blood proteins were significantly correlated with maternal serum fluoride concentrations. Six of these proteins, including apolipoprotein B-100, delta homolog 1, coagulation factor X, mimecan, plasma kallikrein, and vasorin, were significantly decreased in the cord blood from women with the highest serum fluoride levels.”
The community water fluoridation levels for all subjects varied only slightly, with the authors noting, “Community water fluoride concentrations for all subjects were near or below 1.0 ppm, which was the optimal water fluoride levels recommended by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) at the time of collection.
The authors added, “Urine fluoride concentrations of this cohort were similar to cohorts from larger retrospective studies of Canadian and Mexican women showing fluoride related change in offspring neurodevelopment.”
The report concludes, “Our finding in this pilot study, that cord blood proteins
associated with the development of the fetal hematopoietic system were significantly downregulated relative to maternal fluoride exposure, supports the possibility that fluoride related mechanisms affecting fetal development may be associated with the placenta and fetal hematopoesis during second trimester fetal development. The second trimester of fetal development is also critical for development of the prefrontal cortex and integration of control of attention, thought, emotions and actions.”
Source: https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3995767/v1
Fluoride Exposure Worsens Morphine Effects on Brain in Rats
Researchers at the Pomeranian Medical University in Poland, concerned that exposure to fluoride may enhance the molecular and cellular effects of morphine on the brain, have reported finding a variety of inflammatory effects in rats in different regions of the brain that are caused by both fluoride and morphine exposure, and that certain morphine effects are influenced by prior exposure to fluoride.
In considering the causes of opioid addictions, the authors note, “Physical dependence is associated with the formation of neuroadaptive changes in the central nervous system (CNS), both at the molecular and cellular levels, depending on factors including the type of drug, method and timing of use, genetic predisposition, and exposure to environmental factors and the associated development of chronic low-grade inflammation, particularly in the central nervous system.”
“Morphine addiction is a major social problem. Neuroinflammation increases tolerance to morphine, and neurodegenerative effects caused by fluoride in structures related to the development of dependence may impair the functioning of neuronal pathways, change the concentration of neurotransmitters, and cause memory and learning disorders, which implies this element influences the development of dependence,” write the authors in the introduction to their paper, published January 9 in the open access International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
Regarding the level of fluoride given to the rats, the authors write, “The rats drank approximately 31.1 mL (±4.2 mL) of fluoridated water [50 mg/L] daily, which equals 1.56 mg F-/rat/day. Based on previous reports, the dose of fluoride was adjusted to represent its concentration in the rat’s blood similar to that observed in the serum of people environmentally exposed (water, food) to fluoride (to achieve rat serum F concentrations similar to those in humans…”
In summarizing their results, they write, “We provide evidence that both morphine administration and fluoride exposure have an impact on the inflammatory response by altering the [production of certain proteins] in brain structures involved in dependence development, such as the prefrontal cortex, striatum, hippocampus, and cerebellum. We observed that the expression of COX-1 and COX-2 in morphine-dependent rats is influenced by prior fluoride exposure, and these changes vary depending on the specific brain region.”
Source: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25020826
Microbiologists Focus on Sugar Consumption as Cause of Tooth Decay; Look to Nanoparticles Instead of Fluoride for Controlling Pathogenic Oral Bacteria
Noting that tooth decay is a widespread disease around the world, microbiologists from Middlebury College, Cornell University and the Mayo Clinic, while acknowledging that sugar consumption is the cause of decay, describe a complex oral microbiome that can’t be controlled by fluoride, and call for new therapeutic substances to counter the decay.
The authors make clear that sugar consumption, not a lack of fluoride, is the cause of tooth decay, writing, “Decades of scientific investigations have indicated that sugar consumption is the most significant contributing factor to disease initiation and progression. The global burden of sugar-related dental caries based on data from 168 countries has provided new evidence that confirms the correlation between the excessive consumption of sugar and dental caries and documents the many dimensions of disparities and financial burdens in dental caries.”
However, rather than study the effects of reductions in sugar consumption on the oral bacteria, they focus on recent developments in the bacteria’s biology and the need for new therapeutics to counter the microbes.
“Due to its multifactorial nature, caries has been difficult to prevent. The use of topical fluoride has had a significant impact on reducing caries in clinical settings, but the approach is costly; the results are less sustainable for high-caries-risk individuals, especially children. Developing treatment regimens that specifically target Streptococcus mutans and other acidogenic bacteria, such as using nanoparticles, show promise in altering the cariogenic microbiome, thereby combatting the disease,” report the authors.
The report, which appeared in the open access journal Microorganisms on January 7, includes a history of tooth decay microbiology, and a discussion of the various groups of bacteria that decay teeth.
The paper includes an uncritical endorsement of claims for water fluoridation’s effectiveness, ignoring international data that tooth decay has declined similarly in many countries that do not use water fluoridation.
They conclude by presenting an oral microbiome that seems hopelessly complex and in need of more sophisticated treatments.
“Caries risk in individuals can change to high risk at any time depending on shifts in the symbiotic–dysbiotic supragingival microbiome and the natural demineralization–remineralization balance at the enamel–biofilm interface, which is influenced by sugar intake. The “cariogenic microbiota” has evolved not only to include increased numbers of acidogenic and acid-tolerant microorganisms identified in the biofilm but also an extended list of functional traits and molecules that are involved in the oral microbial community and ecological system of disease,” they conclude.
Source: https://doi.org/10.3390/ microorganisms12010121
Berridge Sees CDC, National Institute of Dental Research Biased on Fluoridation
Two of the federal agencies that use their prestige to promote water fluoridation are biased on the matter, according to the former director of the National Toxicology Program.
In an interview with The Defender newsletter, Brian Berridge, DVM, Ph.D exposed the commercial interests behind federal bureaucracies that promote fluoridation, calling their interference “obstructive.”
Commenting on efforts to suppress the release of the NTP report on fluoride’s neurotoxicity, Berridge is quoted by The Defender as saying:
“I did voice concerns that I felt like there was an extraordinary amount of challenge coming from some of the stakeholders, and these are stakeholders that would have an obvious bias.”
“Obviously, the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] division of oral health would have a bias. This is something that they have advocated for a very long time, and NIDCR [National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research] is sort of a research representative of the dental community. Obviously, it would have a bias.”
•• Michael Dolan can be contacted at <mdolan.ecsn@outlook.com>
•• The archives of The Fluoridation Review are available at: https://
Print 
PDF