For many years now, a battle has been going on over the use of fluoride. As early as 1961, fluoride was exposed as a lethal poison in the US water supply. Those who support its use say that fluoride occurs naturally and helps develop and maintain strong bones and teeth.

Opponents to the use of fluoride say that when fluoridated water is consumed, toxic levels of fluorine, the poisonous substance of fluoride, builds up in the body and causes severe harm to bone tissue and to teeth.

In the early part of this century fluoride was recognized as a dominant industrial pollutant. It is very common in the earth's crust and, whenever we mine raw materials, we bring up a lot of it. It is emitted from iron and steel manufacturing operations, from aluminum, copper, lead, and zinc manufacturing operations, and is a by- product of fertilizer.

Nobody really knew what to do with this toxic material, and then, simply through circumstance, somebody came up with an ingenious plan. It was reported that there were some areas in the United States where there were relatively high levels of natural fluoride in the drinking water supply, and that there appeared to be lower rates of dental cavities in those areas.

This was looked upon by the concerned industrial interests as a golden opportunity, and they seized it. Turn the public image of fluoride around from being an industrial pollutant, to being something that helps prevent cavities, and your problem about toxic waste disposal is solved.

The bottom line of course was this: Instead of having it cost a pile of money to dispose of this toxic waste material, some manufacturing industries are now making money by selling this toxic by-product to water companies as something that will help to prevent cavities by putting it into your drinking water.

The issue of fluoride was never about saving children's teeth; it was always about an industry-backed program to dispose of toxic waste.

It is important to understand that there are two different types of fluoride. The naturally occurring form of fluoride, calcium fluoride, is not toxic, but this form of fluoride is not used to fluoridate water, and is not used in toothpaste.

The salts used to fluoridate your water supply, sodium fluoride and fluorosalicic acid, are industrial by- products that are so notoriously toxic that they are used in rat poison and insecticides. This is the fluoride that is used in your water supply, and when we refer to fluoride in the rest of this article we are referring to sodium fluoride and fluorosalicic acid.

Fluoride is an acute toxin with a rating slightly higher than that of lead. According to the "Clinical Toxicology of Commercial Products", 5th edition, 1984, lead is given a toxicity rating of 3 to 4, and fluoride is rated at 4 (3 = moderately toxic, 4 = very toxic).

On December 7, 1992, the new EPA Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for lead was set at 0.015 ppm (parts per million), with a goal to reach 0.0 ppm. The MCL for fluoride is currently set for 4.0 ppm - that's over 250 times the permissible level of lead, and yet fluoride is listed as being the more toxic of the two.

Current fluoride intake is estimated to be between 5 and 7 mg per day in fluoridated areas. Intake is equally divided between drinking water (in fluoridated areas), food, canned products, beverages, and dental products; meaning that even if you don't live in a fluoridated area, you are still consuming fluoride.

The current level of fluoride in toothpaste in Canada and the US is up to 0.4%, which works out to 4000 ppm. It is known that half a tube of toothpaste can kill a child, and you do not know how much of the toothpaste that your child is using is being swallowed.

All toothpaste in the US and Canada has to carry a warning label advising parents of what to do in case their child swallows any toothpaste over a certain amount.

Going to the dentist to have your teeth cleaned and fluoride treatment applied can be even more dangerous. Fluoride treatments can contain between 10,000 to 20,000 ppm of fluoride. In fact, there are known cases of children dying in the dentist's chair. (New York Times, Jan 20, 1979: " $750,000 Given in Child's Death in Fluoride Case ", about a three year old child killed by fluoride treatment in the Dentist's office.)

As little as 0.04 mg/day has been proven to cause adverse health effects. As little as 2 mg/day will produce crippling skeletal fluorosis in a persons lifetime. What makes this toxic compound even more insidious is that it is a cumulative substance that builds up in your body. It is estimated that only about 50% of daily fluoride intake is eliminated and the other 50% gets absorbed in calcified tissues like bone and teeth.

Fluoride is considered a toxic product and is the most bone-seeking element known to man. The US Public Health Service has stated that fluoride makes the bones more brittle and the dental enamel more porous. The use of fluoride on your teeth leads to something called dental fluorosis, and it is estimated that 1 in 5 children are affected by this condition.

Dental fluorosis, also called mottled teeth or mottled enamel, is a disease of the teeth that causes permanent damage to the enamel. When fluoride reaches the cells of the tooth that make enamel, the cells become poisoned. As they degenerate, they lay down irregular enamel. Instead of producing regular enamel, the cells will produce mottled, porous, and thin enamel. If a lot of poison accumulates, the enamel may even be absent.

According to the US Public Health Service, fluoride also makes bones more brittle, and can lead to crippling arthritic deformities of the spine and major joints of the body.

There are other health problems associated with fluoride. In 1990 the National Cancer Institute found that fluoride was a carcinogen. In 1992 further studies revealed a 6.9% increase in bone cancer linked to fluoridated water, and as of 1997 there were over 80 references available, linking the use of fluoride to cancer. Other studies reveal an increase in hip fractures, brain damage, osteoporosis, arthritis..... and the list continues.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers fluoride an unapproved new drug for which there is no proof of safety or effectiveness. There are no reliable studies, conducted under ethical research guidelines that indicate any benefits of fluoride supplementation. There are however, more than 500 studies that indicate adverse health effects.

The above is an excerpt taken from the book "How to DEFEAT CANCER NATURALLY without Chemo, Radiation, or Surgery"

This and other articles by Ron Harder are available at www.defeatcancernaturally.com/health.html .

This article written by Ron Harder, Nutritional Health Consultant, Iridologist, and Author of "How to DEFEAT CANCER NATURALLY without Chemo, Radiation, or Surgery". A FREE CHAPTER of this new book is available at www.defeatcancernaturally.com/eight.html