The vote to end water fluoridation happened despite heavy opposition by dentists who insisted the move would cause more rotten teeth and harm the health of disadvantaged children.
The rise of a “New Conservatism” is credited with the reversal. Todd Pressman, a Pinellas County activist, describes it as a mood shift that is occurring across the country with the Tea Party representing only the tip of the iceberg.
The vote attracted nationwide attention likely due to the large number of people affected and the fact that Florida is a swing state and represents the pulse of the nation on many issues.
County Commissioner John Morroni who changed his mind on the issue the last time a vote was taken in 2003, said that the county should not be in the business of doling out medicine to the public any more than the federal government should mandate health insurance.
“People are not dying because they don’t have fluoride,” Morroni said.
Other commissioners who voted against water fluoridation noted conflicting evidence presented by both dentists and national health organizations. They also cited repeated complaints by taxpayers over the years about the overreach of government in putting drugs in the drinking water.
The Safety of Fluoride is Questionable at Best
Activists have lobbied for the removal of fluoride from drinking water for years and this victory in Pinellas County Florida is a huge win for the anti-fluoridation movement.
Even if water fluoridation really did reduce cavities – which is doubtful and it very well may increase tooth problems such as fluorosis (white spots) over the long term – the many health problems associated with exposure to the fluoride levels present in drinking water patently override any such questionable benefit.
Probably the most disturbing complication from exposure to fluoride in drinking water is the likely reduction in the IQ of children who drink it.
Click here for a list of 23 published studies showing reduced IQ from fluoride exposure.
The other huge health concern is the depression of thyroid function in those drinking fluoridated water. Hypothyroidism is at epidemic levels in modern society and contributes to weight issues among other serious health challenges.
In a nutshell, fluoride is an enzyme poison. Its presence in the body even in small amounts competes for the receptor sites on the thyroid gland. If fluoride occupies these sites instead of thyroid stimulating hormone, less thyroid hormone is manufactured resulting in a slow but steady decline in thyroid function.
Here’s the really scary part.
Fluoride displaces iodine in the body. Without sufficient iodine, even less thyroid hormone will be produced and even taking iodine supplements may not help much if a constant infusion of fluoride is occurring via the drinking water, toothpaste, dental fluoride treatments etc.
In short, water fluoridation is an unmitigated public health disaster.
I applaud the Pinellas County Commissioners for eliminating fluoridation of the drinking water of its citizens. It’s so nice to be able to write glowingly for a change about a government action as forward thinking and beneficial to the public – especially our children.
Source: Pinellas County Nixes Fluoride in Water After Heated Debate
Sarah Pope has been a Health and Nutrition Educator since 2002. Her work is dedicated to helping families effectively incorporate the principles of ancestral diets within the modern household. She is a sought after lecturer around the world for conferences, summits, and podcasts.
Her work has been covered by major media including USA Today, ABC, NBC, and many others.
Would You Ever Use Chemo or Radiation for Cancer?
Lucky you!
Yeah! I wrote letters for YEARS! when I lived there1
Actually, we have a well … we bought the house with that in mind not wanting any part of city water due to the fluoridation issue. I no longer live in Pinellas .. I live in an adjacent county that still does fluoridate the water.
@ Shannon good for you! Those letters probably helped as the commissioners who voted against the measure to fluoridate the water cited complaints to the county about it.
Awesome. My kids’ pediatrician told me to get my kids on tap water so they can get fluoride. I played dumb and asked why. She said because it helps bones grow. I guess she doesn’t study any longer or she’d realize that there is a reason we have water filters sold in stores and kids between the ages of 1-5 get fluorosis the most. She even asked if I had fluoride in my well water and if not, I need to ask my landlord to add tabs. I mentioned this to my husband (who works with chemicals daily) and his eyes bugged out of his head. I asked his coworkers and they nearly fainted. She also must have forgotten that not that long ago, tap water in Houston was flameable.
Is there a significant difference between “naturally flouridated” water and water that has fluoride added into it?
Yes–there is a HUGE difference between natural calcium fluoride and the so-called “fluoride” they use for fluoridation. What they mostly use is Hydrofluorosilicic acid. It is an unrefined toxic hazardous industrial waste product! Not only is the chemical form of this fluoride infinately more toxic than natural calcium fluoride but it is also contaminated with lead, mercury, aresnic, chromiun 6 (the bad form), radioactive particles etc. It is a real witches brew : (
To make matters worse you do not have to drink it to get exposed because it is absorbed directly through the skin everytime you take a shower or even just wash your hands.”Fluoride is readily absorbed through the skin (and inhaled). Two-thirds of the fluoride we take into our bodies using fluoridated public water comes from bathing and wearing clothes washed in it. Drinking fluoride-free water in a fluoridated district only reduces fluoride intake by about a third.” Click here: Fluoride Follies by Donald W. Miller, Jr., MD
so what do we do then?????
Wonderful! I’m always so glad to hear about these kinds of things!
@ Bonny – I think that most dentists are brainwashed about the “benefits” of fluoride. AND this is great news about Pinellas County – hopefully their example will start a trend towards reason.
I just took our 3 kids to the dentist and asked them to leave out the fluoride treatment. I then got a lecture from the dentist that they need it and cases of having and damage/danger are very minimal….I just let it go in one ear and out the other.
Too bad that the City of St Petersburg isn’t part of the good news. Maybe in time.
I love my dentist and there are a growing number of excellent ones out there, but generally speaking – dentists are some of the most narrow minded of all healthcare providers in my experience.
#Fluoride BAD. http://t.co/twH0eMx3
DOES REVERSE OSMOSIS REMOVE FLOURIDE??
I would not drink RO water. Just me.
If I had fluoridated water in my home, I would buy large glass bottles of spring water for drinking.
Hi Sarah, I’m interested to know why you wouldn’t drink RO water. Is it because it strips the water of minerals? If so, do you think adding himalayan salt puts enough minerals back into the water? That’s what I’ve been doing after reading it somewhere.
Yes, it strips out the minerals rendering the water acidic. I don’t feel adding salt is good enough. This is not to say that I won’t drink RO water from time to time if somewhere where that is all that is available. I just am saying I wouldn’t drink it regularly or accept that as the drinking water in my home.
Here’s a case in point: RO water kills kombucha. If you try to ferment kombucha cultures with RO water, it eventually kills them and they don’t create babies/the brew won’t ferment any longer. That to me speaks volumes.
Any thoughts on RO water for cooking? We just moved into a rental property with a well and I think at one point there was some concern about lead having contaminated the well water. We get shipments of spring water for drinking, and the kitchen has an RO filter on it. Do you think its an okay idea to use that water for cooking? And what about for showers/baths (where there is currently no filter)? Any recommendations on a filter for those?
That should be fine since you wouldn’t be using a lot of it.
Sorry Sarah, but I just had to interject on this point. I have been using RO water for years, and make Kombucha weekly with absolutely no problems. It ferments fine, and get great new babies most of the time.
Joan
I use RO water for my water kefir, but before I use it, I add it Concentrace Trace Minerals purchased on Amazon. It adds back in all or most of the necessary minerals that are stripped.
Check my comment below for other serious issues with RO water. It really is not a healthy water to use even if you put minerals back in.
Yes, it removes most of it.
I have to agree with Joan, I have been brewing my Kombucha with RO water for over a year now and have very strong babies develop. My Kombucha is very bubbly and active, haven’t had any problems at all. And I started my own mother to begin with using a bottle of KT from the store!
Here’s hoping Pinellas’ neighbors follow their lead.
Densely Populated Florida County Rejects Water Fluoridation – The Healthy Home Economist http://t.co/8LyqRld2
I’m going to be moving to St. Pete next year. I’m so happy to hear this news.
Unfortunately, the city of St. Pete is not included in this water fluoridation ban. Make sure you settle just outside the city limits in the unincorporated area of the county which is governed by the county commission and not the City of St. Pete.
Will do. Thanks for letting me know.
@ Bonny Why don’t you email him the link to the 23 published studies that associate lower IQ with children who are exposed to fluoride. The link is on the blog post.
If people don’t take a stand and stop the powers that be from putting whatever they want in the water supplies we will all end up looking like me.I think if someone wants to take flouride i’m sure you can buy tablets somewhere, i’ve noticed now they have even tried to sneak it into water filtration devices like britta, read the ingredients in your water filter, should be an option not an authoritative given…
I’m glad I live in Winter Springs where our water is NOT flouridated! With government budgets being an issue everywhere this should be a no brainer budget cut for every flouridated city or county!
This is wonderful news! I am happy for you! I wish the county I live in would stop poisoning the water with fluoride. Most European countries have stopped.. I hope this movement spreads.