Originally published June 9 2005
Fluoride may multiply lead contamination of drinking water
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
University of North Carolina researchers reported in a recent study that fluoride chemicals, added to drinking water to help prevent cavities, works with Chloramines, a water supply disinfectant, to pull lead from meters, solder and plumbing and deposit it into drinking water. “No amount of lead is safe for a young child’s developing brain,” says Paul Connett, PhD, Professor of environmental chemistry and toxicology at St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY. Elevated blood lead levels are linked to developmental delays in children under age six and fetuses. Connett is also the director of the Fluoride Action Network, a group that believes the government shows negligence when it engages in the "outdated" act of fluoridating drinking water.
Fluoride chemicals, combined with other water additives, pull health-damaging lead from plumbing systems into drinking water, according to University of North Carolina researchers reported a North Carolina newspaper on May 18, 2005 (a).
A combination of chloramines and fluorosilicic acid, especially with extra amounts of ammonia, leaches lead from meters, solder and plumbing systems, according to Richard P. Maas, PhD and Steven C. Patch PhD, co-directors of the Environmental Quality Institute at the University of North Carolina, Asheville.
Fluorosilicic acid, the chemical used by over 91% of U.S. fluoridating communities, attempts to improve dental health in those who drink it About 2/3 of U.S. public water supplies are fluoridated but tooth decay remains a national epidemic, according to the U.S. Surgeon General.
Maas said, "Tests showed lead levels three and four times higher in water with that combination of chemicals ...About 500 systems, across the country, have switched to chloramine treatment since 2001...and most also use fluorosilicic acid," according to the North Carolina newspaper, the News & Observer.
Maas said this chemical interaction could be responsible for the elevated lead levels recently plaguing Greenville, North Carolina.
Health authorities issued a lead advisory for water from the Greenville Utilities Commission when elevated lead levels showed up in 26 of 106 sampled homes.
Maas, who heads a lead poisoning prevention program in Western North Carolina funded by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said his lab has tested more than 150,000 homes across the country in the past 18 years and found that 10 to 15 percent have a significant lead contamination problem, according to the News & Observer article.
"No amount of lead is safe for a young child's developing brain," says Paul Connett, PhD, Professor of environmental chemistry and toxicology at St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY and Executive Director of the Fluoride Action Network.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml