What is the overall effect of fluoride on the Human body?

Question

Anyh toxicity?

Should water containing fluoride be given to tiny babies?

Are there any effects which are cumulative?

Answer 1

Many local water municipalities fluoridate their water supplies by adding fluoride in concentrations of less than 4 ppm. Fluoride is used mainly to help prevent cavities. I would consult your child's peditrician before giving any fluoride.

In high concentrations, fluoride compounds are toxic and can cause death. Fatalities have been reported in some human individuals at doses as low as 5 mg/kg of fluoride ion while symptoms of acute toxicity (e.g. gastrointestinal upset) have been reported to occur at doses as low as 0.1-0.3 mg/kg.

Cumulative effects of fluoride in the body:
Excessive ingestion of fluoride during the early childhood years can damage the tooth-forming cells, leading to a defect in the enamel known as dental fluorosis. Teeth impacted by fluorosis have visible discoloration, ranging from white spots to brown and black stains. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 32% of American children now have some form of dental fluorosis, with 2 to 4% of children having the moderate to severe stages (CDC 2005).

Fluoride's ability to damage the brain represents one of the most active areas of research on fluoride toxicity today. Concern about fluoride's impact on the brain has been fueled by recent human studies from China reporting IQ deficits among children exposed to excess fluoride, and by a growing number of animal studies finding damage to brain tissue (at levels as low as 1 ppm) and impairment of learning and memory among fluoride-treated groups. According to the US National Research Council, "it is apparent that fluorides have the ability to interfere with the functions of the brain."

In the 1990s, it was discovered that the pineal gland is a major site of fluoride accumulation within the body - with higher concentrations of fluoride than either teeth or bone. Subsequent animal studies indicate that the accumulation of fluoride in the pineal gland can reduce the gland's synthesis of melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate the onset of puberty. Fluoride-treated animals were found to have reduced levels of circulating melatonin and an earlier onset of puberty than untreated animals.
According to the US National Research Council, "any agent that affects pineal function could affect human health in a variety of ways, including effects on sexual maturation, calcium metabolism, parathyroid function, postmenopausal osteoporosis, cancer, and psychiatric disease.”

Excessive exposure to fluoride is well known to cause a bone disease called skeletal fluorosis. Skeletal fluorosis, especially in its early stages, is a difficult disease to diagnose, and can be readily confused with various forms of arthritis including osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. In its advanced stages, fluorosis can resemble a multitude of bone/joint diseases. In individuals with kidney disease, fluoride exposure can contribute to, and/or exacerbate, renal osteodystrophy.