Fluroide on foods

[Guest guest]

This issue seems to be dying, tho it is still going on...

There is as much fluoride in powdered eggs as in toothpaste?

Dow Chemicals in their test of ProFume, their new fumigant for food handling

facilities found a residue of 754 ppm (parts per million) of fluoride anion in

powdered eggs. 1 They have petitioned the USDA to permit a maximum of 900 ppm

of fluoride anion residue in powdered eggs, which was granted in July of this

year (2006). Concentrations of fluoride in toothpaste sold in the United States

range from 1,000–1,500 ppm. 2 Toothpaste comes with a warning " Keep out of

reach of children under 6 years of age. If more than used for brushing is

accidentally swallowed, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center

right away. " To reconstitute 1 egg you would need a tablespoon of powdered

eggs. 3 That is a lot more fluoride than what is in toothpaste!

According to Geofrey Nochimson, MD, Consulting Staff, Department of Emergency

Medicine, Sentara Careplex Hospital, " Ingested fluoride initially acts locally

on the intestinal mucosa. It can form hydrofluoric acid in the stomach, which

leads to GI irritation or corrosive effects. Following ingestion, the GI tract

is the earliest and most commonly affected organ system. " 4 If eaten in enough

quantity, it can eat through the stomach lining. According to the Minnesota

Poison Control System, " HydroFluoric Acid is a particularly dangerous acid

because of its unique ability among acids to penetrate tissue. " They go on to

say that this can cause soft tissue damage, bone erosion, and electrolyte

abnormalities. It leaches calcium and magnesium from the body creating

deficiency, and is " directly toxic to a number of cellular enzymes and metabolic

processes. "  5

I decided to look into this more to find out why on earth they would allow so

much fluoride to be consumed by the general public.

I found this on the USDA website: " Sulfuryl fluoride (ProFume) is considered by

many to be the postharvest fumigant of the future, replacing the

soon-to-be-eliminated methyl bromide… Unlike methyl bromide, which is being

phased out because it was determined to be an ozone depleting substance,

sulfuryl fluoride is not an ozone depleter. " 6

On the EPA site I found the following, " SUMMARY: This regulation establishes a

tolerance for residues of sulfuryl fluoride and of fluoride anion in or on

commodities in food processing facilities. Dow AgroSciences LLC requested this

tolerance under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), as amended by

the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 (FQPA).

DATES: This regulation is effective July 15, 2005. Objections and requests for

hearings must be received on or before September 13, 2005. " 7

How much fluoride will be in our food?

Here is some of what they have approved so far: " residues for fluoride anion on

all processed food commodities where a separate tolerance is not already

established at 70 ppm;

cattle, meat, dried at 40 ppm;

cheese at 5.0 ppm;

cocoa bean, postharvest at 20 ppm;

coconut, postharvest at 40 ppm;

coffee, postharvest at 15 ppm;

cottonseed, postharvest at 70 ppm;

eggs, dried at 900 ppm;

ginger, postharvest at 70 ppm;

ham at 20 ppm;

herbs and spices, group 19 postharvest at 70 ppm;

milk, powdered at 5.0 ppm;

nut, pine, postharvest at 20 ppm;

peanut, postharvest at 15 ppm;

rice, flour, postharvest at 45 ppm;

and vegetables, legume, group 6, postharvest at 70 ppm. " 7

What does the EPA/USDA think is a toxic amount of fluoride?

When they talk about toxicity, they say " A MCL is an enforceable level that is

set as

closely as feasible to the Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) of a

contaminant. The MCLG is the maximum level of a contaminant in drinking water at

which no known or anticipated adverse effect on the health of persons would

occur, and which allows an adequate margin of safety. MCL goals are

non-enforceable health goals. For fluoride, both the MCL and the MCLG have been

set at 4.0 ppm (4 milligrams/liter (mg/L)). EPA

chose the MCL value to protect against crippling skeletal fluorosis effects that

were only seen where there was daily consumption of 20 mg or more of fluoride

for 20 or more years. (50 FR 47142) (November 14, 1985). A 4 mg/L level in water

is designed to limit total daily exposure to approximately 8 milligrams day

(mg/day). "

" The Institute of Medicine (IOM) examined fluoride in 1997 and recommended a

no-observed-adverse-effect-level (NOAEL) for use in evaluating the risk posed by

fluoride exposure. Its examination of the available data identified a NOAEL of

10 mg/day as relates to fluoride intake and skeletal fluorosis. The IOM further

pointed out that exposures of 10 or more years are required to develop this

condition and therefore concluded that skeletal fluorosis is not a concern for

children under the age of 8. Their analysis results in a tolerable upper intake

level of 10 mg/day for children age 8 and above and adults...therefore, the safe

dose level for skeletal fluorosis based on the IOM (Institute of Medicine)

analysis is 10 mg/day. " 7

" Sulfuryl fluoride has been classified as " not likely to be carcinogenic to

humans " and there is no evidence showing an increased risk of cancer following

exposure to fluoride. Therefore, EPA has not conducted an assessment of cancer

risk from dietary exposures

for either sulfuryl fluoride or fluoride anion. " 7

Chronic Fluoride Poisoning

This contradicts the website of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry of The

University of Western Ontario where it says, " In the broadest sense, the term

" Fluorosis " describes a state of toxicity of the trace element, Fluorine

(commonly referred to in its ionic state as Fluoride) within an organism…Humans

appear to vary considerably with respect to their susceptibility to Fluorosis.

As a general guideline, prolonged total Fluoride intake exceeding 1.0 mg/day can

produce clinical signs of Fluorosis in adults. " The site goes on to say,

" Generally speaking, human Fluoride toxicity will manifest as any combination

of;

§ Dental Fluorosis: the most obvious and easily diagnosed form of Fluorosis by a

characteristic bilateral white mottling of the dentition. Dental Fluorosis is

usually caused by over-exposure to Fluoride when the dental enamel is actively

mineralizing during early childhood.

§ Skeletal Fluorosis: involves abnormal mineralization of bone and soft tissues

and/or the disruption of normal activity of the osteocytes. For this reason,

Skeletal Fluorosis often mimics " generic " osteoarthritis and/or osteoporosis in

relatively young adults.

§ Systemic Fluorosis: due to the chemical nature of Fluoride and its action(s)

within mammalian systems which are not limited to teeth and bone, Fluoride

toxicity may potentially be linked to every major multiple cause ailment of the

20th century from cancer to Attention Deficit Disorder.

Fluoride toxicity may be acute or chronic, with affects ranging from cosmetic

damage, to disability and even death. With the exception of Dental Fluorosis,

Fluoride-related illness is often attributed to other diseases or syndromes

(i.e. osteoarthritis for Skeletal Fluorosis, cardiovascular failure for death by

acute Fluoride poisoning) making Fluorosis in itself very difficult to track

epidemiologically in the absence of an ecosystem health framework. " 8

How to tell if you have fluorosis? Here's what they said:

" What are the symptoms of Fluorosis?

Though apparently vague and non-specific, most of the symptoms of Fluoride

toxicity point towards some kind of profound metabolic dysfunction, and are

strikingly similar to the symptoms of Hypothyroidism.

Symptoms of Fluorosis

1. Learning Disorders/Difficulty Concentrating/Incoherence/Memory Loss/Confusion

2. Body Temperature Disturbances/Cold Shivers

3. Chest Pains

4. Heart Palpitations

5. Depression

6. Dizziness/Vertigo

7. Dyspepsia

8. Excessive Sleepiness/Fatigue

9. Headaches/Migraines

10. Joint Pains

11. Nausea

12. Restlessness

13. Sensitivity to Light

14. Shortness of Breath

15. Difficulties Swallowing

16. Thirst

17. Tinnitus

18. Visual Disturbances

Major Related Diagnoses: Alzheimer's Disease/demyelinizing diseases, anemia,

arthritis, breast cancer, carpal tunnel syndrome, decrease in

testosterone/spermatogenesis, altered vas deferens/testicular growth, decreased

dental arch, dental crowding, delayed tooth eruption, diabetes insipidus,

diarrhea, Down Syndrome, early onset of puberty, eosinophilia, eye/ear/nose

disorders, fever, gastro-intestinal disturbances, gingivitis, heart disorders,

hypertension, hypoplasia, hypothyroidism/thyroid cancer, kidney dysfunction,

osteosarcoma, low birth weight, candidiasis, multiple sclerosis, oral squamous

cell carcinoma, Parkinson's Disease, seizures, slurred speech, skin irritations,

ankylosing spondylitis, telangiectasia, thrombosis, ulcerative colitis, uterine

cancer, vaginal bleeding, weak pulse. " 8

Fluoride and the Thyroid

A major point of disturbance about the USDA's tolerance of 8 – 10 mg/day of

fluoride is that it only takes 2 – 5 mg/day to disrupt the thyroid. Here's what

Fluoride Alert has to say:

" Starting in the 1930s and extending through to the 1970s, fluoride was utilized

by European and South American doctors as a drug to treat HYPER-thyroidism

(over-active thyroid).

Of concern today in the United States, and other highly fluoridated countries,

is the fact that some people are now regularly receiving doses of fluoride that

overlap, and exceed, the doses once shown to reduce the activity of the thyroid.

Whereas doses of 2 to 5 mg/day of fluoride were shown effective at depressing

thyroid function, adults in fluoridated communities in the U.S. are now

regularly receiving between 1.6 and 6.6 mg/day according to a 1991 report from

the Department of Health and Human Services.

While it may be that the thyroid in a patient with hyperthyroidism is

particularly susceptible to the anti-thyroid actions of fluoride, there is

concern that current fluoride exposures may be playing a role in the widespread

incidence of HYPO-thyroidism (under-active thyroid) in the U.S.

Hypothyrodisim, most commonly diagnosed in women over 40, is a serious condition

with a diverse range of symptoms including: fatigue, depression, weight gain,

hair loss, muscle pains, increased levels of " bad " cholesterol (LDL), and heart

disease.. The drug (Synthroid) used to treat hypothyroidism is now one of the

top five prescribed drugs in the U.S. " 9

The USDA document did not mention effects on the thyroid, nor any of the

symptoms described by the University of Western Ontario. One has to assume that

they did not analyze for safety of the long-term effects of such high fluoride

consumption as it relates to our thyroids, bones, or other body organs.

References (this was 3 years ago, so I don't know if they're still there).

1) http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-PEST/2005/March/Day-04/p4281.htm

2) http://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/waterfluoridation/other.htm

3) Honeyville's Whole Dried Eggs

4) http://www.emedicine.com/EMERG/topic181.htm

5) Minnesota Poison Control System http://www.mnpoison.org/index.asp?pageID=151

6) http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/np/mba/oct00/sulf.htm

7) Federal Register Environmental Documents

http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-PEST/2005/July/Day-15/p13982.htm

8) Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, The University of Western Ontario CASE

STUDY FOR THE 4TH YEAR COURSE IN ECOSYSTEM HEALTH

DENTAL FLUOROSIS (under development)

http://www.med.uwo.ca/ecosystemhealth/education/casestudies/fluorosismed.htm

9) http://www.fluoridealert.org/health/thyroid/

10) Washington Post " Professor at Harvard Is Being Investigated " By t

Eilperin Wednesday, July 13, 2005; Page A03