Toothbrush and fluoridated toothpaste on white background | Image by gotphotos/Shutterstock
Lawyer Michael Connett recently spoke The Dallas Express about the federal lawsuit he brought against the EPA for failing to protect the public from fluoride.
“The CDC named drinking water fluoridation one of the 10 major public health interventions of the 20th century because of the dramatic decline in cavities since community water fluoridation began in 1945,” the CDC states. website is reading.
Connett couldn’t disagree more with that statement.
“If fluoridation was really one of the top 10 public health achievements, you’d think … the other Western industrial powers would be doing it,” Connett said. “If you look at the World Health Organization data, these countries have the same levels of caries or less.”
Connett points to fluoridation as one of the main and indisputable dangers of fluoride consumption. Fluoride affects the teeth more strongly causing streaks or stains. However, this is not the worst consequence of fluoride, Connett said.
A study from 2016 found a strong negative correlation between the amount of fluoride in drinking water and children’s IQ. These findings were are reproduced many times, including animals. Another study found a significant increase in depressants behavior among rats consuming fluoride.
Another surprising study revealed the relationship between fluoride and hypothyroidism. An NIH-funded study found that hypothyroidism was strongly and almost linearly associated with fluoride consumption. The study concluded that even relatively small amounts of fluoride can delay thyroid function.
Connett noted that fluoride advocates often argue that fluoride is only dangerous in high doses. The NIH says 4 mg daily of fluoride is safe for the typical adult male.
DX asked Connett if fluoride is like inorganic mercury, where small doses can build up in the brain and cause damage over time after consumption, or if fluoride is like glyphosate, where the body flushes it out quickly but is in so many things that are even supposed to be “safe”. doses can quickly rise to dangerous levels. Connett replied that fluoride is the worst of both worlds. Research shows that fluoride bioaccumulates in the bones of both people and animals. He claimed it is also an intentional or unintentional ingredient in so many food products that people often consume far above the supposed safe dose.
Supporters of fluoride argue that direct application to the teeth can help fight tooth decay through “remineralization”. Connett agrees that fluoride dental treatments could have some benefits. However, concerns remain about how fluoride ultimately moves from the teeth to the digestive system.
Connett said his research for his lawsuit revealed that industries such as steel and aluminum heavily funded fluoride research in the 1950s as a means of finding some connection to a common waste. His beliefs appear to be supported by independent research conducted by Professor Frank Zelko, the author of Make it a green peace! The rise of countercultural environmentalism.
In an online article for fluorine, Prof claims“Probably the only major problem that would result from the end of fluoridation is that Florida’s phosphate industry would have to find a different way—undoubtedly a more expensive and less convenient one—to dispose of its toxic waste.”
Some see the case differently. Prominent political figures in Texas, such as former state Sen. Don Huffines, have argued that this is government ego. After a film screening of Connett’s lawsuit, Huffines, who moderated a Q&A between Connett and the audience, said major health agencies like the CDC or HHS don’t want to be caught in “a 70-year-old lie. ” as previously reported by DX.
Connett pointed to the interests of the big oral health companies that have promoted fluoride in many products such as toothpaste, as they are interested in maintaining fluoride’s reputation. However, he reserved his harshest words for the American Dental Association (ADA).
“The American Dental Association has very aggressively promoted fluoridation for a long time… [and] Dentists, 80 percent of whom do not receive Medicaid … strongly oppose efforts to provide low-cost dental treatment for people who need care,” Connett said.
“Fluoridation is very attractive in this respect,” he added. “Put some industrial pixie dust in your water and you might look like you’re trying to do something about the tooth decay problem, but you’re not doing anything that really threatens your business monopoly.”
DX reached out to the ADA for comment on Connett’s review, but did not hear back. However, the organization website says, “The ADA recognizes the use of fluoride and community water fluoridation as safe and effective in preventing tooth decay in both children and adults.” A final section on the same website advocates fluoride supplementation to prevent tooth decay in children.
After years of legal negotiations, trials and retrials, they disagree Food & Water Watch, Inc. v. EPA completed in March. Now, all that remains is for a federal judge in the Northern District of California to rule on whether fluoridation at levels occurring across the country presents an unreasonable risk of injury to health under the Toxic Substances Control Act .
If the answer is yes, Connett claims the EPA will be forced to ban fluoridated water nationwide. This means that fluoride would be banned in every state and locality.
However, don’t expect too many multi-million dollar class action lawsuits to follow suit if his case is successful. Connett explained at the screening of the documentary that there are several procedural hurdles in the law that would preclude most cases.
While the country awaits the court’s decision, some jurisdictions in Texas have taken matters into their own hands.
“After careful consideration and thorough evaluation of scientific research, public opinion, and potential health and environmental impacts, we have concluded that it is in the best interest of our community to discontinue the practice of water fluoridation effective December 1, 2023 “, Shean R. Dalton, general manager of the Brushy Creek Municipal Utility District, he wrote to residents last fall.
