| Description |
xv, 372 p. : ill. ; 23 cm. |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (p. [291]-355) and index. |
| Contents |
pt. 1. Ethical and general arguments against fluoridation : Poor medical practice ; An inappropriate and inefficient practice ; The chemicals used ; Who is in charge? ; An experimental program -- pt. 2. The evidence that fluoridation is ineffective : Fluoridation and tooth decay ; The early evidence reexamined ; Key modern studies -- pt. 3. The great fluoridation gamble : The great fluoridation gamble, 1930-1950 ; The great fluoridation gamble, 1950- -- pt. 4. The evidence of harm : Dental fluorosis ; Fluoride's chemistry, biochemistry, and physiology ; Fluoride poisoning of humans: early reversible effects ; The 2006 National Research Council Report ; Fluoride and the brain ; Fluoride and the endocrine system ; Fluoride and bone ; Fluoride and osteosarcoma ; Fluoride and the kidneys, and other health issues -- pt. 5. Margin of safety and the precautionary principle : Margin of safety ; The precautionary principle -- pt. 6. The promoters and the techniques of promotion : Weak and inadequate science ; Promoters' strategies and tactics ; Self-serving governmental reviews ; A response to pro-fluoridation claims ; The promoters' motivations -- Review and conclusion -- Appendix 1: Fluoride and the brain ; Appendix 2: Fluoride and bone. |
| Summary |
When the U.S. Public Health Service endorsed water fluoridation in 1950, there was little evidence of its safety. Now, six decades later and after most countries have rejected the practice, many cities and towns across the United States continue to fluoridate their water supply and the Center for Disease Control and the American Dental Association continue to endorse it, despite increasing evidence that it is not only unnecessary, but potentially hazardous to human health. In this timely and important book, Dr. Paul Connett, Dr. James Beck, and Dr. H. Spedding Micklem take a new look at the science behind water fluoridation and argue that just because the medical establishment endorses a public health measure, that doesn't mean it's safe. In the case of water fluoridation, the chemicals used to fluoridate the water that more than 180 million people drink each day are not pharmaceutical grade, but rather hazardous waste products of the phosphate fertilizer industry; it is illegal to dump them into rivers and lakes or release them into the atmosphere. And water fluoridation is a prime example of one of the worst medical practices possible-forced medication with no control over the dose or who gets it. Perhaps most shocking of all, it is not subject to any federal regulation. At once painstakingly-documented and also highly-readable, The Case Against Fluoride brings new research to light, including links between fluoride and harm to the brain, bones, and kidneys, and argues that while there is possible value in topical applications like brushing your teeth with fluoride toothpaste, the evidence that swallowing fluoride reduces tooth decay is surprisingly weak. The Case Against Fluoride doesn't question the good intentions of dentists who support fluoridation, but rather explores the poor science, bizarre tactics, biased reviews, and puzzling motivations of a relatively small number of influential people who continue to push this practice on a largely ill-informed public. |
| Subject |
Water -- Fluoridation -- Health aspects -- United States.
|
|
Water -- Fluoridation -- United States -- History.
|
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Fluorides -- Toxicology.
|
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Fluoridation -- adverse effects -- United States. |
|
Health Policy -- United States. |
|
Water -- adverse effects -- United States. |
| Added Author |
Beck, James S.
|
|
Micklem, H. S.
|
| ISBN |
9781603582872 |
|
1603582878 |
|
