Fluoride: An Invisible Killer
by Floyd Maxwell, BASc
Author of the International Anti-Fluoridation Database
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"We would not purposely add arsenic to the water supply. And we would not purposely add lead. But we add fluoride. The fact is that fluoride is more toxic than lead and just slightly less toxic than arsenic." (source)
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"The federal maximum contaminant level (MEL) for lead is 15 parts per billion (ppb), 5 ppb for arsenic and 4000 ppb for fluoride." (source)
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1952: The Delaney Committee 82nd Congress Hearings on Fluoride revealed that there was no actual scientific basis for the fluoridation of water supplies in the prevention of tooth decay. The recommendation of the Committee was that more research be done, before proceeding with this national mass medication. Their recommendation was totally ignored.
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A common obstacle one runs into when trying to inform others of the dangers of a product is being told you are not an "expert". This can, however, be used to one's advantage if one happens to find an "expert" who verifies your own views on the benefits of natural versus chemical approaches to health.
My background is that of a Chemical Engineer, having earned my B.A.Sc. from the University of British Columbia in 1984. When it comes to chemistry I can say that I am an "expert" in this area due to studying it full time for over 10 years.
Luckily I also retained the ability to think for myself...
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Built on Basics
Chemistry is built on basic principles. For example, "like dissolves like" means that salt (a polar molecule) dissolves in water (highly polar) but does not dissolve in oil (non polar).
In studying the elements (see the Periodic Table of the Elements graphic above), application of just a few basic principles can lead to a grouping of families of elements based on their similar chemical properties.
As one goes down the Table, the size of elements increases while the reactivity decreases.
The second-to-last column of the Periodic Table are the halides, and start with F (Fluoride), then Cl (Chlorine), Br (Bromine), I (Iodine) and As (Astatine).
Applying the reactivity rule one can accurately say that Fluorine is more reactive than Chlorine, that is more reactive than Bromine, that is more reactive than Iodine.
This reactivity rule also holds true for molecules/compounds (composed of two or more atoms that may be the same element or different ones) provided that one atom remains the same and only the halide changes.
Thus, we can infer that HF is more reactive than HCl. HCl (Hydro Chloric acid) was the strongest acid we used in school. But HF is so reactive, and so deadly that it was never seen or used in any of the 10 years of chemistry demonstrations and labs I took part in. Allen Hoffmann ([email protected]), a former Scientific Glassblower, was forced to be in contact with HF as part of his work (and is now seeking Worker's Compensation for the damage it did to his body) notes that:
HF can't be smelled until 24ppm but has an IDLH (Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health) concentration level of 30ppm.
In other words, by the time you smell it, your life is danger! -- hence the title of this article: "Fluoride: An Invisible Killer".
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How strong, and prevalent, are fluorine-containing compounds?
HF is one of the strongest acids in the world. So strong it can etch glass (in fact, this is a common test for the presence of fluoride), making storage of this compound rather difficult!
Not to mention the danger in handling it!
Searching for "hydrofluoric acid" on Google produced about 12,000 web pages, evenly divided between typical chemical data sheets [with stringent handling procedures!] and health warning pages!
In fact, Fluorine is the most reactive of all the elements (elemental Fluoride is never found by itself in nature) and it was only the relatively recent laboratory-induced joining of Fluoride to Xenon, one of the previously "inert" elements (those in the right-most column in the picture above) that caused this group of elements to be renamed "noble" instead.
This photograph shows what the fluorine added to Calgary, Alberta's drinking water has done to a thick and "corrosion resistant" steel water supply valve.
Fluoride is used extensively in computer chip and Aluminum and steel manufacture, causing a staggering amount of environmental damage.
In fact, in May, 2000, 3M Corporation announced it was discontinuing a whole family of fluorinated compounds, including Scotchgard, due to their incredible destructiveness to the environment.
Fluoridated compounds are also extremely effective in killing bugs. The wholely predictable side effect of spraying crops with fluoridated pesticides is that fluoride remains on the produce, making fluoride-caused food contamination a very real concern and a good reason, by itself, to consider eating only organic food. Beverage drinkers are not safe either.
Fluorine is also found in mind-affecting drugs like Prozac and the "date rape" drug Rohypnol. Click here for a more complete list of drugs containing fluorine.
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