Update on EPA and Pesticides…

EPA Finally Proposes Ban on Fluoride Pesticides, But Researchers Say It’s Not Enough

The EPA recently announced a proposal to “phase out fluoride pesticide,” an insecticide and fumigant used on stored grain such as wheat and oats, as well as on dried fruit, coffee and cocoa beans, and other foods.

This is a huge victory in the fight for eliminating this dangerous substance from public life. epa and pesticidesUnder the EPA’s plan, many food uses of fluoride-based pesticides would stop within 90 days.

Unfortunately, as pointed out on the Truth is Treason and the Bob Tuskin websites, the EPA’s proposal does nothing to remove this dangerous poison from our water supply:

    If you are reading this article and still think that fluoride is somehow good for you, perhaps you should take a look at a recent study that shows it can damage the brain.

    “The prolonged ingestion of fluoride may cause significant damage to health and particularly to the nervous system,” concludes a review of studies by researchers Valdez-Jimenez, et al. published in Neurologia (June 2011), reports New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation, Inc. (NYSCOF).

    The research team reports, “It is important to be aware of this serious problem and avoid the use of toothpaste and items that contain fluoride, particularly in children as they are more susceptible to the toxic effects of fluoride.”

    “Fluoride can be toxic by ingesting one part per million (ppm), and the effects are not immediate, as they can take 20 years or more to become evident,” they write.

    Most fluoridating U.S. public drinking water suppliers add fluoride chemicals to deliver 1 ppm fluoride (equal to about 1 milligram per quart) intending to benefit teeth and not to purify the water.

    “Fluoridation clearly jeopardizes our children and must be stopped,” says attorney Paul Beeber, President, NYSCOF. “We can actually see how fluoride has damaged children’s teeth with dental fluorosis; but we can’t see the harm it’s doing to their brains and other organs. No U.S. researcher is even looking,” says Beeber.

Indeed, an avalanche of credible research exists regarding the harms of fluoridated drinking water.

Possible harms from fluoride span a range from risk of Down’s Syndrome among younger women to lowered IQs in healthy children to other general health problems such as gastrointestinal disorders, mouth sores, rashes, headaches, and arthritis, to more serious concerns such as cancers and neurological complaints. Some researchers also suspect that widespread fluoridation of drinking water may be the explanation for epidemic hypothyroidism.

Ironically, an equally compelling body of evidence suggests fluoridation actually does nothing to improve dental health, and may even make it worse. Hopefully, as more and more evidence against fluoride comes to light, it will finally be removed from our water supply.

Meanwhile, what can you do? You might want to research the effects of fluoride and maybe even get involved in your community’s decisions regarding water fluoridation. You can also choose to buy natural toothpaste without fluoride, especially for young children. Finally, you might opt for filtered or bottled waters. Watch out, though. Some water filters remove fluoride, but carbon-based filters do not, so do your homework before you buy.