Misinformation campaigns increasingly target the cavity-fighting mineral, prompting communities to reverse mandates. Dentists are enraged. Parents are caught in the middle.
The culture wars have a new target: your teeth.
Communities across the U.S. are ending public water fluoridation programs, often spurred by groups that insist that people should decide whether they want the mineral — long proven to fight cavities — added to their water supplies.
The push to flush it from water systems seems to be increasingly fueled by pandemic-related mistrust of government oversteps and misleading claims, experts say, that fluoride is harmful.
“The anti-fluoridation movement gained steam with Covid,” said Dr. Meg Lochary, a pediatric dentist in Union County, North Carolina. “We’ve seen an increase of people who either don’t want fluoride or are skeptical about it.”
There should be no question about the dental benefits of fluoride, Lochary and other experts say. Major public health groups, including the American Dental Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, support the use of fluoridated water. All cite studies that show it reduces tooth decay by 25%.
…what?
AND THEY DON’T SEEM TO LIKE THE FACT THAT THEY HAVE THE FREEDOM TO FILTER THE FLUORIDE BACK OUT OF THE WATER.
fluoride is not easy to filter - its smaller than water molecules.
Right.
Let’s put any amount of contaminates in our drinking water just so people can “filter them out.”
I swear, some of you people are just too far gone.
“Contaminants” 🙄
Again, there are places where fluoride occurs naturally in drinking water at higher concentrations than it is added artificially and there don’t seem to be significant health problems.
Hmmmmm no ! I’m not against fluoride in water, I don’t care since I don’t live in north america but spreading disinformation does not help.
There is regions, especially in India, where fluoride occurs by naturally in water in high concentration which is causing multiple serious health issues.
Neurology of endemic skeletal fluorosis
Cool. I said higher concentrations that are added artificially, not extremely high concentration.
I’m simply replying that there is places where fluoride occurs naturally in drinking water at higher concentration that it is added artificially and there is significant health problems in these places.
Does it means that fluoride in low concentration like in the US water system is dangerous ? No, it just means that very high concentration can be dangerous.
I was talking about concentrations in the U.S. I think that should have been obvious.
“There are higher concentrations of fluoride in water than we usually put in it that is still healthy to drink” != “Any concentration of fluoride in water is safe”
Any substance becomes toxic if you ingest too much of it. If you exceed by a factor of 20 the amount of plenty of things people usually consume, it isn’t difficult to find things that are dangerous or even lethal. Say, coffee, beer, anti-inflammatories, chocolate, Coke.
Except fluoride isn’t a contaminate.
According to what?
Every single scientific study regarding the use of fluoride in drinking water to help protect oral health. Link me a scientific study that proves flouride in drinking water is harmful.
Right. Scientific consensus has never been wrong before.
And… you read or are aware of every single scientific study? Wow! I didn’t know you were such an expert on the matter!
I’m not going to argue sources with you, but try to understand that scientific consensus once said that it’s safe to put lead in gasoline, paint, and pipes.
Please show this consensus.
https://nyamcenterforhistory.org/2015/10/23/50-years-ago-building-the-case-against-lead/
Have fun reading. You could stand to brush up on your history if you have no idea about the lies surrounding lead.
You’re not going to argue sources because you don’t have any and your account is a 28 day old troll account.
I’m not going to argue sources because it’s a waste of time.
You’re just saying I’m a troll because you don’t want to acknowledge how you treat science like a religion.
Goodbye.
The fluoride in your tap water is not a contaminant.
Nobody said dump contaminants in the water supply.
If you don’t have something meaningful to contribute then stop spread fear and misinformation over something that is perfectly healthy to consume in the quantities we currently do.
What’s next? Are you going to start whining about the iron content of your meat? The calcium in dairy?
Says who?
Says accountable organizations that you’ll never trust because you put ideology above discretion and good judgment.
There is no number of groups I can rattle off to satisfy you. You have already made up your mind based on what I can only assume is bunk science and braindead YouTube channels if you’ve actually managed to base it off of anything.
Literally every person who understands science and water treatment
Didn’t know there were so many water experts on lemmy.
Lol three weeks later… I know you’re being facetious, but I’m literally an engineer. I’d rather not dox myself so I won’t be more specific, but yes I do know about water treatment.
Sure you do.
Yes, the World Heath Organization (WHO) does say it is not a contaminent and that appropriate levels are needed.
WHO is never wrong.
all scientists and health authorities are wrong so instead we should believe a wacky guy on the internet with no sources, credentials, or evidence? Ok…
I never said that.
Remember when chucklefucks said that as WHO went “Covid is serious and we are about to have a pandemic” and then millions needlessly died because they decided to put their politics above common sense?
But sure let’s keep cherry picking vague notions of experts being wrong as if that somehow invalidates the over half a century of info we have on fluoride in our water supply with a sample size equal to literally every American who ever consumed tap water. That makes sense.
Complains about cherrypicking as he cherrypicks.
Lol. Jk. They’re right about most things, but are they right about everything?
That’s the problem with treating science like a religion.