In these trying times, where the interval between denouncing something as a crazy right-wing conspiracy theory, and admitting ‘well okay that’s true’ is rapidly shrinking, I was amused to discover another, much older conspiracy theory is also true.  What am I talking about?  Fluoride in the water of course!

 

 

How it started

Fluoride is a naturally occurring chemical that is frequently found in ground water.  In the early 20th century, researchers discovered that people who lived in areas with more fluoride in the water had fewer cavities.  In 1945, fluoride was added to the drinking water in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The results published in 1950 showed that fluoride reduced cavities and fluoridation became US policy by 1951.  As of 1999, the CDC considered fluoridation of water one of the 10 greatest public health achievements. Proving that COVID-19 is not the first time governments around the world landed on the same public health measures; fluoridation is also widely practiced outside the US – including UK, New Zealand, Malaysia, and Australia, to name just a few.

In the 1950s and 1960s, opposition to water fluoridation came from libertarians and the John Birch Society who argued that it violated individual rights.

 

 

How it’s going

In part, the push for fluoride in the water was based on the belief that cavity prevention occurred before tooth emergence.  This has turned out to be wrong – topical fluoride applications to teeth also work. I grew up on well water and thus had to have regular fluoride treatments growing up.

Once other fluoride treatments became available, some countries (Germany and Sweden for example) stopped fluoridating water.  More and more research is showing that long term exposure to fluoride in water can have adverse impacts such as increased bone fractures and cognitive problems (such as ADHA or reduced IQ ). Harvard says that countries that did not add fluorine to drinking water also saw a reduction in cavities.

The establishment continues to insist they are right and fluoride in the water is good, but in 2011, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced a proposal to reduce the recommended fluoride level to 0.7 ppm.