Why Do Fluoride and Chlorine Still Poison Our Municipal Water Quality?

The
fact that fluoride and chlorine by products are still poisoning our
municipal water quality is a modern travesty of epic proportions. The
following article is
an eye opening discussion of the indisputable facts behind the
systematic  poisoning of our water supply with fluoride, chlorine, and
other toxins, and the onerous price that we the people are paying for
it.

Citizens in Tallahassee, FL ask some serious questions

by Dr. Tom Termotto, BCIM

There's
a continuing saga in Tallahassee, FL that has gone on for many years,
which is representative of similar sagas that are taking place across
America.  It all revolves around the water specifically the water that
is filtered and treated by municipal water quality divisions in every
city and county throughout the nation.

A Tale of Two Separate and Independent Inquiries:

Unknown
to each other for many years, two healthcare professionals in
Tallahassee, FL began their independent research around the quality of
Tallahassee drinking water.  Dr. Tom Termotto, an Integrative Health
Consultant and author of this article, chose to focus on the unintended
consequences, toxic side effects and collateral damage caused by two
standard operating procedures long in place at the municipal water
quality division in Tallahassee, FL.  Dr. Ron Saff focused on the myriad
chemicals, contaminants and toxins that find their way into the water
by various means and from a multitude of sources.  Quite fortuitously
for the citizens of Tallahassee, their paths crossed when they were both
opposing the siting of a biomass incinerator last year in Gretna,
FL.

Both of these longstanding environmental health advocates knew that there was something very wrong
with the water in Tallahassee, yet realized that there were so many
vectors of groundwater contamination it could take years to accurately
identify both the sources and the numerous chemical
contaminants.  Hence, a collaboration was formed which has taken this
citizens' initiative all the way to the Mayor's office and beyond.  Just
this
month Mayor John Marks announced his intention to form of a Citizens'
Task Force, which will be appointed to further study and act upon the
many negative aspects of Tallahassee drinking water.  Some of these
issues have been found to be so problematic that they have, and will
continue to translate to, a whole host of serious health issues and
medical conditions within the local drinking and bathing population.

Where
Dr. Saff has set his gaze upon the list of chemicals which the US
Environmental Protection Agency and FL Department of Environmental
Protection have identified as carcinogenic, toxic to the human body and
especially deleterious to infants, young children, pregnant mothers and
their fetuses, Dr. Tom has focused on the water treatment processes that
are further contributing to the problems and, in some cases, making a
simple problem exponentially worse due to profound interactions causing
unintended consequences.

Just what water treatment processes are we talking about?

One of the major components and preferred method of water treatment
throughout the USA has been the standard chlorination procedure, which
has been in use for many decades.  It was first utilized over 100 years
ago, and since WWII has been the primary disinfection treatment by
virtually every municipal water district in the land.  What's inherently
defective about this method of disinfecting water?  And, that is its
only purpose disinfection.

"Disinfection by chlorination can be problematic, in some circumstances. Chlorine can react with naturally occurring organic compounds found in the water supply to produce dangerous compounds, known as disinfection byproducts (DBPs). The most common DBPs are trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs). Due to the carcinogenic potential of these compounds, federal regulations in the United States of America
require regular monitoring of the concentration of these compounds in the distribution systems of municipal water systems." (Per Wikipedia)

Just
in case you didn't understand this, here's another phrasing from the
water experts at Doulton/H2O International Inc. in Ontario, CA.

"What concerns health officials are the chlorination by-products,
"chlorinated hydrocarbons,"known as trihalomethanes (THM's). Most THM's
are formed in drinking water when chlorine reacts with naturally
occurring substances such as decomposing plant and animal materials. Risks for certain types of cancer are now being correlated to the use of chlorinated drinking water. Suspected carcinogens make the human body more vulnerable
through repeated ingestion and research indicates the incidents of cancer are 44% higher among those using chlorinated water."

That's twice now that you have read that the very process that is designed to treat
our municipal water also has the unintended consequence of polluting it
with a carcinogen.  We encourage all readers of this article to
further research this matter so that, by becoming well acquainted with a
fairly unknown issue, they can provide their local water authorities
with this critical information.

What
other toxic side effects does chlorination produce?  Did you know that
there is a direct correlation between chlorine and depression?  Repeated
exposure to chlorine, in both its liquid and gaseous form, can greatly
contribute to physically induced chronic depression.  How de we know
this?  Many allopathic and alternative healthcare practitioners have
recommended to their clients to stop drinking the tap water and begin
drinking distilled or activated carbon filtered water, which are both
free of chlorine.  Much anecdotal evidence and clinical observation has
revealed that, in many cases, the months or years of depression go away
very quickly, never to return again, when such depression is in fact due
to chronic exposure to chlorinated water.  This
phenomenon is even more dramatic when the often-female client installs a
whole house de-chlorination system in her garage and eliminates her
exposure to the previously chlorinated bath water.

What other water treatment processes are we talking about?

All of us have heard the question, "What are they drinking?"  This
question is alternatively posited as "They're drinking the water, aren't
they?"  Phrased another way:  "They must be drinking the Kool-Aid in
Tallahassee!"

Nothing and we mean nothing turns water into kool-aid
quicker than the fluoridation of a city's water
supply.  Hydrofluorosilisic acid (aka fluoride) simply has no place in
any water supply. "This
form of fluoride chemical added to water is an industrial by-product
from the phosphate fertilizer industry.  Unlike the fluoride used in
toothpaste, hydrofluorosilicic acid is not pharmaceutical-grade
quality.  It is an unpurified, industrial-grade, corrosive acid which
has been linked, in several recent studies, to increased levels of lead
in children's blood."
(Per FAN) This is the liquid form it usually takes when it is
introduced by water districts all over the country.  Here in
Tallahassee, it is no different.  So, just what are the real health and
medical issues surrounding this mysterious and generally misunderstood
chemical
known as fluoride, as well as the process known as fluoridation?  And
why is the City of Tallahassee allowed to deliberately contaminate its
water supply with a known toxin?!

Fluoride Action Network Speaks Out:

Let's begin by stating some facts about fluoride ingestion and exposure
when the aggregate amount from all sources is considered, especially
including the tap water as the primary source.  All of the following
quotes come from the Fluoride Action Network (FAN), an organization
staffed by MD's, PhD's, scientists, medical researchers and health
investigators from across a broad of range of disciplines and
specialties.  Much of their cross-referenced research has been
peer-reviewed and published in the most authoritative journals and
professional publications.

(1)  Fluoride & Dental Fluorosis "Excessive ingestion of fluoride during the early childhood years may damage the tooth-forming cells,
leading to a defect in the enamel known as dental fluorosis."  Relevant
scientific research provided by the Center for Disease Control (CDC)
can be found at the following link.

http://www.fluoridealert.org/health/teeth/fluorosis/

(2)  Fluoride & Allergy/Hypersensitivity "Symptoms of allergic/hypersensitive reactions have been reported to include: skin rashes (e.g. dermatitis, urticaria, eczema); mouth lesions (canker sores); gastric distress; headache; joint pain; weakness; visual disturbances; and lethargy." (Per Physician's Desk Reference)

The site below also links to research published in the Journal of Dental Medicine.

http://www.fluoridealert.org/health/allergy/index.html

(3)  Fluoride & the Kidneys "The kidneys
play a vital role in preventing the build-up of excessive fluoride in
the body. Among healthy individuals, the kidneys excrete approximately
50% of the daily fluoride intake. However, among individuals with kidney
disease, the kidneys' ability to excrete becomes markedly impaired,
resulting in a build-up of fluoride within the body."

http://www.fluoridealert.org/health/kidney/index.html

(4)  Fluoride & the Brain "Concern about fluoride's impact on the brain has been fueled by 18 human studies (from China, Mexico, India, and Iran) reporting IQ deficits among children exposed to excess fluoride, by 4 human studies indicating that fluoride can enter, and damage, the fetal brain; and by a growing number of animal studies finding damage
to brain tissue (at levels as low as 1 ppm) and impairment of learning and memory among fluoride-treated groups."

http://www.fluoridealert.org/health/brain/index.html

(5)  Fluoride & the Thyroid Gland
"Today, many people living in fluoridated communities are ingesting
doses of fluoride (1.6-6.6 mg/day) that fall within the range of doses
(2 to 10 mg/day) once used by doctors to reduce thyroid activity in
hyperthyroid patients. This is of particular concern considering the widespread problem of hypothyroidism
(under-active thyroid) in the United States. Symptoms of hypothyroidism
include obesity, lethargy, depression, and heart disease."

http://www.fluoridealert.org/health/thyroid/index.html

(6)  Fluoride & Bone "Excessive exposure to fluoride causes an arthrtiic bone disease called skeletal fluorosis. Skeletal fluorosis, especially in its early stages, is a difficult disease to diagnose, and can be readily confused with various forms of arthritis including osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. In the advanced stages, fluorosis can resemble a multitude of bone/joint diseases, including: osteosclerosis, renal osteodystrophy, DISH, spondylosis, osteomalacia, osteoporosis, and secondary hyperparathyroidism."

http://www.fluoridealert.org/health/bone/index.html

(7)  Fluoride & Bone Fracture "Studies on human populations consuming fluoride in drinking water have found an association between dental fluorosis and increased bone fracture in children; and between long-term consumption of fluoridated water and increased hip fracture in the elderly."

http://www.fluoridealert.org/health/bone/fracture/index.html

(8)  Fluoride & Cancer "Fluoride has been found to cause bone cancer (osteosarcoma) in government animal studies and rates of osteosarcoma among young males living in fluoridated areas
have been found to be higher than young males living in unfluoridated
areas. Osteosarcoma, while rare, is a very serious cancer. Children who
develop osteosarcoma face a high probability of death (usually within 3
years) or amputation."

http://www.fluoridealert.org/health/cancer/index.html

(9)  Fluoride & the Gastrointestinal Tract "Among people hypersensitive to fluoride,
gastrointestinal ailments have been produced following ingestion of 1
mg tablets of fluoride or consumption of 1 ppm fluoridated water. A
single ingestion of as little as 3 mg of fluoride, in carefully controlled clinical trials, has been found to produce damage to the gastric mucosa in healthy adult volunteers." http://www.fluoridealert.org/health/gi/index.html

(10) Fluoride & Tooth Decay "According to the current consensus view of the dental research community, fluoride's primary if not sole benefit to teethcomes from TOPICAL application to the exterior surface of teeth, not from  ingestion.   Perhaps not surprisingly, therefore, tooth decay rates have declined at similar rates in all western countries in the latter half of the 20th century irrespective of whether the country fluoridates its water or not. Today, tooth decay rates throughout continental western Europe are as low as the tooth decay rates in the United States despite a profound disparity in water fluoridation prevalence in the two regions."

http://www.fluoridealert.org/health/teeth/caries/index.html

(11) Flouride & the Reproductive System "High doses of fluoride have repeatedly

been found to interfere with the reproductive system of animals. Commonly

observed effects in fluoride-exposed animals include: oxidative stress, damaged

sperm, reduced sperm count, and reduced fertility."

http://www.fluoridealert.org/health/repro/index.html

(12) Fluoride & the Pineal Gland "Up until the 1990s, no research had ever been

conducted to determine the impact of fluoride on the pineal gland a small gland

located between the two hemispheres of the brain that regulates the production of

the hormone melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone that helps regulate the onset of

puberty and helps protect the body from cell damage caused by free radicals. It is

now known thanks to the meticulous research of Dr. Jennifer Luke from the

University of Surrey in England that the pineal gland is the primary target of

fluoride accumulation within the body. The soft tissue of the adult pineal gland

contains more fluoride than any other soft tissue in the body a level of fluoride

(~300 ppm) capable of inhibiting enzymes. The pineal gland also contains hard

tissue (hydroxyapatite crystals), and this hard tissue accumulates more fluoride

(up to 21,000 ppm) than any other hard tissue in the body (e.g. teeth and bone)."

http://www.fluoridealert.org/health/pineal/index.html

(13) Respiratory Risks from Occupational Fluoride Exposure

"Government claims* (which remain as unsubstantiated claims Per Author*)

of safety have been shown to be fatally wrong. Over the past 20 years, a vast

body of epidemiological and experimental research has proven that allowable

levels of fluoride in the workplace is hazardous to lung function, increasing the

risk of several respiratory disorders including asthma, bronchitis, and

emphysema. For many workers, the fluoride-induced damage to lung function

persists long after they cease working. While workers in industry are often

exposed to multiple air contaminants, large-scale epidemiological studies have

repeatedly found that fluoride dusts and gases (at levels as low as 0.05 mg/mg3)

are the key irritant responsible for the high rate of respiratory illness. The risk to

respiratory function from fluoride exposure is independent of the risk from

smoking, but the combination of fluoride exposure and smoking presents a risk

greater than either factor by itself."

http://www.fluoridealert.org/health/respiratory/

(14) Fluoride Exposure during Infancy "Not only is fluoride ingestion during

infancy unnecessary, it can also be harmful as suggested by a mounting body of

evidence linking fluoride exposure during the first year of life with the

development of dental fluorosis. Because of the risk for dental fluorosis, and the

lack of demonstrable benefit from ingesting fluoride before teeth erupt, the

American Dental Association - and a growing number of dental researchers -

recommend that children under 12 months of age should not consume

fluoridated water while babies under 6 months of age should not receive any

fluoride drops or pills."

http://www.fluoridealert.org/health/infant/index.html#20th

What other unintended consequences have emerged from water fluoridation?

There are other unintended consequences with far-reaching ramifications
that result directly from the fluoridation of municipal water
supplies.  For instance, did you know that in the process of
fluoridating water two toxic byproducts occur in considerably higher
concentrations, both of which are considered by all appropriate
regulatory agencies to be dangerous to human health at any level above
those that are truly naturally occurring?  We're talking about lead and
arsenic here.  The following paper was originally presented to the State
Lead Commission Hearing in Hannibal, MO in
1994.

http://www.sonic.net/~kryptox/environ/lead/lead.htm

Water
fluoridation has been shown to significantly increase lead and arsenic
exposure.  "Fluoride compounds put into water are often contaminated
with lead, arsenic and radio- nuclides since the fluoride compounds are toxic waste byproducts which largely come from pollution scrubbers of fertilizer plants. A study published in 2000 showed that the dumping of toxic silicofluoride compounds into water ("fluoridation") causes an
increase in blood lead levels in children." (Per FAN)

The
following statements from the Fluoride Action Network website ought to
be seriously considered by every mother or expecting mother who resides
within a fluoridating water district.

"Fluoride
chemicals added to public water supplies, boosts lead absorption in lab
animals' bones, teeth and blood, report Sawan, et al. (Toxicology
2/2010). Earlier studies already show children's blood-lead-levels are
higher in fluoridated communities, reports Sawan's research team."

".exposure
to increased amounts of lead and fluoride occurs at about the same age
(1-3 years). Therefore, this is a critical time when systemic exposure
to fluoride should be minimized since fluoride may increase lead
accumulation," the researchers caution."

"Low-level lead exposure is associated with lower IQ, ADHD and many health and behavior ailments."

In
February, 2008, NSF reported that 2% of the 245 fluoridation chemicals
sampled from 2000 to 2006 had detectable levels of Lead.  (There are
approximately 155,000 US public water supplies.) Lead is an allowable
trace contaminant in fluoridation chemicals along with antimony,
arsenic, barium, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, copper, mercury,
selenium, and thallium."

Dangerous Combinations, Interactions & Synergies:

NSF
has produced the "NSF Fact Sheet on Fluoridation Chemicals" that
reveals much of what has gone wrong in this water treatment, filtration
and purification industry.  The operative word here is "wrong".  When
toxicologists study chemicals and their numerous permutations in
isolation, they ignore the vast number of potential combinations,
interactions and resulting synergies, which can substantially ramp up
their toxic side effects.  There is in fact a great void in the
scientific literature concerning these matters even in the analysis of
tap water.

http://www.nsf.org/business/water_distribution/pdf/NSF_Fact_Sheet.pdf

In the few instances where research has been undertaken to identify
these reactions, it is clear that highly toxic byproducts are produced
that can do great harm to the human body, especially the developing
fetus, the infant and young child.  Drinking tainted water like
Tallahassee tap water on a regular basis should be done only with the
full knowledge of what is also being ingested with the water.

It
our contention that full disclosure has not taken place in earnest, and
is unlikely to take place in most of the water districts throughout the
country.  If such revelation was commonplace in the Water Quality
Annual Reports, there would certainly be a strong recommendation within
each for the purchase of a home-based, point of use filtration
system.  If for nothing else, at least as a dislaimer to hold harmless
the legally responsible water district.

Are Water Districts illegally practicing medicine without a license?

It
is extremely important to bear in mind that there is only one reason
which has been proffered as justification for medicating an entire
population within a water district. We've all heard the completely
unjustified and totally ridiculous explanation that water fluoridation
somehow prevents childhood cavities.  What is really surprising is not
the extraordinary and over the top sales pitch that has encouraged the
routine introduction of a known toxin into the nation's water supply;
rather it is the fact that so many academics, scientists and researchers
bought into a scheme to poison a national population!

Here's what a very prescient author stated in their recent essay that appeared at the Natural News website:

"Municipalities
all across America are currently dripping fluoride chemicals into their
public water supply, dosing over a hundred million Americans with a
chemical that they claim "prevents cavities."

What's
interesting here is that this biological effect of "preventing
cavities" is a medical claim, according to the FDA. And as such, making
this claim instantly and automatically transforms fluoride into a "drug"
under currently FDA regulations.

This
means that cities and towns all across America are now practicing
medicine without a license by dripping liquid medication into the public
water supply without the consent of those who are swallowing the
medication."

Yes,
it is quite shocking that a municipality has arrogated unto itself the
illegal power to medicate an entire population.  The toxic side effects
and health consequences clearly amount to the gradual, difficult to
detect, poisoning of a whole community.  The citizens in Tallahassee
will no longer idly stand by in the face of such an insidiously
undertaken chemical assault.

The
link below furnishes each reader, from whom common sense has not fled,
with 50 very good reasons why our governments should not be fluoridating
the water.  Only because aware and informed people everywhere have not
stepped forward to stop this dangerous and unsafe practice, does it
continue.  The only thing separating our city, as well as communities
everywhere, from fluoride-free, non-toxic and safe drinking water is
accurate and truthful information.

http://www.fluoridealert.org/50-reasons.htm

Let's
all do our part in disseminating and sharing this information however,
wherever and whenever we can.  Our lives, and quality of life, greatly
depend on it.

Dr. Tom Termotto, BCIM, DCAE

President, Healthcare Professionals for Clean Environment

National Coordinator, COALITION AGAINST CHEMICAL TRESPASS

Co-Founder, Concerned Citizens of Florida