Florida Town Votes to Remove Fluoride from Water

“The main chemicals used to fluoridate drinking water are known as “silicofluorides” (i.e., hydrofluorosilicic acid and sodium fluorosilicate). Silicofluorides are not pharmaceutical-grade fluoride products; they are unprocessed industrial by-products of the phosphate fertilizer industry. Since these silicofluorides undergo no purification procedures, batch samples and certificates of analysis that accompany shipments of fluoridation additives reveal that they’re often contaminated with elevated levels harmful toxins, including lead, aluminum, and arsenic — moreso than any other water treatment chemical. In addition, recent research suggests that the addition of silicofluorides to water is a risk factor for elevated lead exposure due to the extreme acidity of silicofluorides. They can increase corrosion of the water infrastructure, resulting in the leaching of heavy metals from pipes and fixtures into the water that residents rely on for drinking, cooking, and bottle-feeding their infants. Moreover, the caustic nature of fluoridation chemicals requires the introduction of an additional treatment chemical to the drinking water to inhibit corrosion, called orthophosphates.”

The lobbying group that supports water fluoridation is the chemical fertilizer industry. They don’t want to incur the cost of disposing of this byproduct.