By Dr. Joseph Mercola
     with Rachael Droege

Imagine a drug being prescribed to the entire U.S. population with no consent and no way to track dosage or individual reactions, and without concern for some people’s increased vulnerability to the drug. It sounds crazy, but that is exactly what is happening in the United States with water fluoridation.

Fluoride has been added to the U.S. water supply for over 50 years in order to prevent dental decay. Not only is the practice unsafe, which I will address later, it is also ineffective. Data compiled by the World Health Organization shows no difference in tooth decay in countries that use fluoridated water compared with countries that don’t use fluoridated water.

Further, several additional studies have found that tooth decay rates do not increase when water fluoridation is stopped, and in some cases the rates even go down. The largest U.S. survey, conducted from 1986 to 1987, found that fluoridated water made no difference in tooth decay when measured in terms of DMFT (Decayed, Missing and Filled Teeth), and made a statistically insignificant difference (on about 0.5 percent of 128 tooth surfaces) when measured as DMFS (Decayed, Missing and Filled Teeth Surfaces).

When water fluoridation first began it was believed that fluoride had to be ingested for it to be effective. However, this has since changed and the dental community now almost unanimously believes that fluoride’s benefits result from topical application, not when it is swallowed.

Despite fluorides apparent ineffectiveness, it is still used in the United States, but not without consequence. The fluoride that we ingest from the water supply and from a number of other sources such as toothpaste, mouthwashes, processed food, some vitamin tablets, and beverages like fruit juice, soda and tea is associated with a number of negative health effects. Consider that:

• Fluoride accumulates in the bones, making them brittle and more easily fractured, and in the pineal gland, which may inhibit the production of the hormone melatonin, which helps regulate the onset of puberty
• Fluoride damages tooth enamel (known as dental fluorosis) and may lower fertility rates
• Fluoride has been found to increase the uptake of aluminum into the brain and lead into blood
• Fluoride inhibits antibodies from forming in the blood
• Fluoride confuses the immune system, causing it to attack the body’s tissues. This can increase the growth rate of tumors in people prone to cancer
  

Noting these and other health risks and the obvious ethical issue of medicating an entire population without their consent, many European countries have banned water fluoridation.

The U.S. National Research Council is now compiling a review of fluoride data, as about 10 years ago the group found significant gaps in the available data on fluoride safety and efficacy. However, it will likely be some time before water fluoridation is stopped in the United States.

For now you can protect yourself from fluoride by using only non-fluoride toothpaste and not receiving fluoride treatments from your dentist. Eating a healthy diet and avoiding processed foods will ensure that your teeth stay healthy naturally.

Of course it's also important to avoid drinking fluoridated water. Testing for tap water contaminants that can harm you and your family is one of the most crucial health steps you should take now, but knowing how and where to find a truly reliable source for that is not always easy. Therefore, I decided it was important for my team and me to do our due diligence on this issue and provide you with a solution you can trust--and afford.

AquaMD, as the water testing division of the American Water Council, is considered one of the nation's "Premier Testing Laboratories" (laboratory certification # PH-0465). They are an Environmental Protection Agency registered lab, certified by the EPA's NELAC/NELAP standards. (NELAC and NELAP are acronyms for the National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Conference (NELAC), which manages the National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (NELAP). NELAP is an EPA program and is the only attempt at a standardized and ubiquitous national testing certification policy.)

AquaMD provides "Certified Testing," an important distinction as many labs provide mere "Informational Tests" or "Screening" that is inferior to certified testing, which adheres to certified protocols.

Of course, though AquaMD is considered a top-notch water-testing agency, I decided it was important to do our own independent research just to make sure I was providing you with the most reliable service. In short, we provided the same tap waters pulled at the same time for a variety of different tests at AquaMD and another agency that is also credentialed as a premier testing laboratory, and they showed like results across the board.

I worked with Brian Cronin, director of AquaMD, and other water safety experts, to create the "Mercola's Recommended Water Tests"--and to make them affordable compared to other sources. For those with municipal tap water supplies, I highly encourage you to consider the FULL test package, which includes testing for VOCs (48 harmful contaminants) and MTBE. If that package is not possible, the BASIC package is still a very smart move, as it tests for the most common contaminants including harmful bacteria.

A separate package has been designed for those with well water supplies, catering to the most common and dangerous contaminants for that source. If you have well water and live in or near a region with heavy agricultural activity, you should also consider adding the test for pesticides & herbicides to your package (AquaMD enables you to add additional tests to your package or customize your testing package entirely, for instance they offer a fluoride test on its own).

Even if you are unable to test your water at this time, I encourage you to take the free water evaluation at AquaMD. AquaMD has compiled data on municipal water supplier's reported results and this is a good place to get at least a general idea of your water quality.

For the "Mercola Recommended Water Tests," the customized water test options, and the free municipal water evaluation, follow these steps:

Go to http://www.aquamd.com/mercola/labtests.cfm

Read the simple 4-step procedure and then choose one of the three options at the bottom of the page

If you'd prefer to order your water tests by phone versus online, call 1-866-278-2634, and please tell them that Dr. Mercola sent you

If you order today, AquaMD will have your water test results within 10 business days. AquaMD can also guide you to an appropriate solution should your tests show one is required.

Related Articles:

Is Fluoride Really As Safe As You Are Told?

How Fluoride Kills Human Cells

New Fluoride Recommendations

Prominent Researcher Apologizes for Pushing Fluoride

Toothpaste and Other Fluoride Sources Can Damage Preschoolers' Teeth

Fluoride Links Page