14 Jan 08. What are we putting in our drinking water?

Transcription

1 What are we putting in our drinking water?

2 We are putting hydrofluorosilicic acid into our drinking water Unprocessed scrubbing solution from the smoke stack emissions of the phosphate mining industry containing: ~ 23% Hydrofluorosilicic acid [H2SiF6] an environmental contaminant ~ 77% water containing various recognized contaminants such as arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury, etc. Other water fluoridation chemicals [e.g. sodium silicofluoride, sodium fluoride], are derived from hydrofluorosilicic acid. does not occur in water naturally

3 Hydrofluorosilicic Acid Analysis Alberta Report on February 17, METAL AMOUNT PPM Arsenic 57 mg/l 57 ppm Lead 3 mg/l 3 ppm Mercury 0.01 mg/l 0.01 ppm Chromium 0.1 mg/l 0.1 ppm

4 Does Anyone Know? Is this an attempt to hide what is actually put into our drinking water?

5 Safe & Effective? There are NO safety studies on hydrofluorosilicic acid. EPA, FDA, NSF letters 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, NRC 2006, Health Canada 2007 There are NO efficacy studies to demonstrate that hydrofluorosilicic acid is effective at reducing cavities, when swallowed, at the recommended doses. Any claims that these products are safe and effective are without merit. Safety and efficacy cannot be determined by rhetoric or endorsement.

6 Relative Toxicity Robert E.Gosselin et al, Clinical Toxicology of Commercial Products 5th ed., 1984 LD50 lethal dose at which 50% of test subjects die MAC of lead = 15ppb MAC of fluoride = 1,500 ppb MAC of arsenic = 10ppb Public policy affords tolerance to fluoride which seems unjustified Permits fluoride to be used at 100 times higher doses than lead even though they have similar toxicities.

7 CEPA: Toxic Substances List - Updated Schedule 1 as of December 27, 2006 Lead Mercury Inorganic arsenic Inorganic fluorides Toxic Substances (CEPA): 1. Persistent (cannot be destroyed) 2. Bioaccumulative (accumulates in animals and plants) 3. Toxic (dangerous immediate or long-term effects) 4. Anthropogenic (made/released by humans) Note: HFSA, Sodium Silicofluoride, Sodium Fluoride, are all inorganic fluorides

8 Contaminants: ARSENIC, LEAD There is absolutely no legitimate government interest fulfilled by adding arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury and other contaminants to our drinking water.

9 Hydrofluorosilicic Acid If this stuff gets out into the air, it s a pollutant; if it gets into the river, it s a pollutant; if it gets into the lake, it s a pollutant; but if it goes right straight into your drinking water system, it s not a pollutant. That s amazing! Dr. Hirzy 2000 USA Senior EPA chemist

10 Is the public concerned about lead in toys? Fluorosilicates and/or Chloramine = Increased Water & Blood Lead Levels 2 New Sept 2007 studies show Hydrofluorosilicic acid may double lead exposure in children

11 Brass Fittings, Lead Water Pipes, Lead Solder Increased blood lead levels were found in homes without lead service lines or lead soldered copper piping. The only possible lead source had to be leadedbrass plumbing and/or brass faucets.

12 WHY? Hydrofluorosilicic acid is a good solvent for lead. Chlorine, ammonia, and chloramine induce copper stress cracking and/or can dissolve it. Ammonia + hydrofluorosilicic acid = ammonium fluorosilicate - an established solvent for copper alloys/brass and any lead contained in it.

13 Fluorosilicates Increase Blood Lead Levels Blood lead data for twin boys born in 2000 in Washington, D.C. a Fluoridated City After the levels were found to be higher than CDC s [Centers for Disease Control] level of concern, DOH [department of health] inspected their home for lead paint and found only a remote exterior door as an admittedly unlikely source. However, painting the door failed to bring down the boys blood lead levels. But when they stopped drinking tap water and it was no longer used in cooking their meals, the boys blood lead levels declined rapidly. Renner R. 2006

14 Maas et al. September 2007 Neurotoxicity Over the first test week with chlorine flushing, lead concentrations nearly doubled [from 100ppb to nearly 200ppb]. When fluorosilicic acid was added, lead concentrations spiked from 100ppb to over 900ppb. (that s 9 times higher) Lead concentrations from the chlorine-based waters appeared to be decreasing over the study period, Lead concentrations seemed to be increasing with the chlorine + ammonia + fluorosilicic acid combination.

15 Does The Public Know? Due to shortages in North America, fluorosilicates are now coming from China. Kip Duchon (CDC) reported in 2007 that when U.S. Agrichemicals withdrew from the market in 2005, about half of U.S. sodium silicofluoride supplies began to be imported from a producer in China.

16 Fluoride Concentration? ROW 2005 Annual Reports: recommended guidelines for fluoride concentration achieved between 7.2% % of the time that year, per well. ROW 2006 Annual Report: fluoride concentration levels in water were 3.3mg/L May 22-24, 2006.

17 Fluoride Dose? The dose is determined by how much fluoridated water you consume in a day. The dose is determined by how much fluoride you consume from other sources: dental products, consumer products, air, food. The dose is influenced by how well your body filters/eliminates toxic substances; e.g. kidney status. The dose is influenced by the nutritional status of an individual. The dose is cumulative over a lifetime. The dose is relative to body size and age (babies consume more water per body weight).

18 Fluorides in drinking water are the largest source of fluoride - NRC 2006 The major dietary source of fluoride for most people in the United States is fluoridated municipal (community) drinking water, including water consumed directly, food and beverages prepared at home or in restaurants from municipal drinking water, and commercial beverages and processed foods originating from fluoridated municipalities. NRC 2006 p24

19 Fluoride in drinking water is the easiest if not the only fluoride source we can eliminate. We cannot stop breathing We cannot tell people what to eat We cannot tell people what to drink We cannot control either the concentration or the dose of fluoride in drinking water We CAN control whether hydrofluorosilicic acid is put into our water or not

20 NRC Case Studies The following case studies are from the NRC 2006 Report on Fluorides in Drinking Water p

21 Case Study Infants ingest more fluid, therefore more HFSA per body weight Infant (less than 6 months) Recommended dose is 0 (1997 Canadian Consensus) Actual dose: mg fluoride/day from fluoridated water alone (NRC 2006 p31)

22 Children should not swallow HFSA or fluoride American Dental Association Centers for Disease Control Academy of General Dentistry

23 Similar levels of water fluoridation between Canada and the USA USPHS: 0.7ppm-1.3ppm Health Canada: ppm 1/3 of babies exceed recommended dose when consuming recommended water concentration of 0.8mg per liter "babies who are exclusively formula fed face the highest risk Source: Environmental Working Group, "EWG Analysis of Government Data Finds Babies Over-Exposed to Fluoride in Most Major U.S. Cities", March 22, 2006.

24 Case Study Diabetes and Kidney Disease Patients unable to filter fluoride adequately "According to the National Institute of Dental Research, also part of NIH, fluoride levels in water are set according to normal consumption of water. If an individual is consuming abnormally large quantities of water, drink bottled water. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Dept. of Health Human, 1991

25 Case Study Kidney Patients unable to filter fluoride adequately "HD (hemodialysis) patients need to practice dietary control for the restriction of oral F [fluoride] intake." Usuda et al The effect of hemodialysis upon serum levels of fluoride. Nephron 75: It is important to control the intake of this element [fluoride] and the prolonged use of fluoridated dental products in the subjects with chronic renal insufficiency, to avoid a risk of fluorosis. Torra M, et al Serum and urine fluoride concentration: relationships to age, sex and renal function in a non-fluoridated population. Science of the Total Environment 220: 81-5.

26 Case Study Major League Baseball Player consumes more fluoridated water, therefore more HFSA Athlete: Major League Baseball Player (NRC 2006 p31) Actual dose mg fluoride/day.

27 Case Study Outdoor Worker consumes more fluoridated water, therefore more HFSA Outdoor Worker (NRC 2006 p31) Actual dose 5-11 mg fluoride/day.

28 Case Study Lactating Mother consumes more fluoridated water, therefore more HFSA Lactating mother (NRC 2006 p31) Actual dose 5-11 mg fluoride/day.

29 Hypersensitivity Peanuts Penicillin 1-4% of population are believed to be hypersensitive to fluoride (Grimbergen 1974, Feltman 1961)

30 Physicians Desk Reference 1994, 48th Edition, p "In hypersensitive individuals, fluorides occasionally cause skin eruptions such as atopic dermatitis, eczema or urticaria. Gastric distress, headache and weakness have also been reported. These hypersensitivity reactions usually disappear promptly after discontinuation of the fluoride."

31 Case Study Diabetes Insipidus Patient consumes more fluoridated water, therefore more HFSA Diabetes Insipidus Patient Moderate and severe enamel fluorosis have been reported in diabetes insipidus patients in other countries with drinking water containing fluoride at 0.5 mg/l (Klein 1975). (NRC 2006 p33)

32 Case Study Hypothyroid Patient vulnerable to fluoride when iodine deficient Hypothyroid Patient Actual dose 3-5 mg fluoride per day Table 8-2 shows that several of the effects are associated with average or typical fluoride intakes of mg/kg/day (0.03 with iodine deficiency), others with intakes of 0.15 mg/kg/day or higher. (NRC 2006 p260) Interpretation: For a 70-kg person, fluoride doses as low as 3.5 mg/day for those with an adequate intake of iodine, and 0.7 mg/day for those with an inadequate intake of iodine may have an affect on the thyroid. US Centers for Disease Control - 36% of women in the USA are iodine insufficient

33 Case Study Arthritis cumulative dose of too much fluoride increasing numbers of people with carpal-tunnel syndrome, arthritic-like pains, osteoporosis may be due to the mass fluoridation of drinking water. EPA 2003 Annual Report

34 Skeletal Fluorosis cumulative dose of too much fluoride "Clinical Phase 1 Fluorosis: Sporadic pain; stiffness of joints Clinical Phase 2 Fluorosis: Chronic joint pain; arthritic symptoms; slight calcification of ligaments..." Department of Health and Human Services. (1991). Review of fluoride: benefits and risks. Report of the Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Fluoride. Washington, DC. Photo: Forearm X-ray of patient showing increase in bone density and calcification of the interosseous membrane due to over-exposure of fluoride. Journal of the International Society for Fluoride Research:

35 Case Studies Bone Cancer The osteosarcoma rate for males living in fluoridated areas has increased markedly in recent years US PHS ATSDR 1993 Evidence now suggests young males, under the age of 20, are 5 to 7 times more likely to develop osteosarcoma when they drink fluoridated water. Bassin 2006, NTP 1999, Cohn 1992, Hoover 1991 Recent research is suggesting that fluoride may be connected to a number of serious conditions, including the development in teenage boys of osteosarcoma, the rare bone cancer that killed Canadian icon Terry Fox... G&M Nov 23, 2007 According to the EPA guidelines, one such study linking fluoride to human cancer should result in a maximum contaminant level goal of ZERO.

36 14 Jan 08 For those who live long enough z With a retention of 2 mg of fluoride per day (daily intake of 4-5 mg, because healthy kidneys filter about 50% of fluoride) z "an average individual would experience skeletal fluorosis after 40 yr..." NRC Canada 1977 z Photos: Bones of Icelandic Sheep that died due to fluoride over-exposure. Roholm, K Fluoride Intoxication: A Clinical Hygienic Study With a Review of Literature and Some Experimental Investigations. H.K. Lewis and Co.,

37 National Research Council 2006 Teeth Chapter 4 Bones Chapter 5 Reproductive & Developmental Effects Chapter 6 Brain, Nervous System Chapter 7 Endocrine Function (Thyroid, Parathyroid, Pineal Glands) Chapter 8 Gut, Kidney, Liver, Immune System Chapter 9 Cancer Chapter 10