Infant formulas with fluoridated water increase risk of discolored teeth: HHS

Mar 11 2011

All infant formulas, either concentrated or ready-to-feed, already contain some fluoride and, when routinely mixed with fluoridated water, increase the risk of dental fluorosis (discolored teeth), according to Dr. Howard Koh, Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in a video commentary published on Medscape.com, March 8, 2011.

Fluoride, added to water supplies ostensibly to reduce tooth decay, is also in food, beverages, dental products, medicines, and anesthesia and inhaled from ocean mist and air pollution. As a result, more than 41% of adolescents are fluoride-overdosed and afflicted with dental fluorosis - over 3% of it is moderate to severe (brown stains and pitting), according to the Centers for Disease Control.

The Environmental Protection Agency says, "Exposure to excessive consumption of fluoride over a lifetime may lead to increased likelihood of bone fractures in adults, and may result in effects on bone leading to pain and tenderness."

"However, no one is studying U.S. children with dental fluorosis to learn whether they also have fluoride-damaged bones or any other fluoride-induced health problems," says attorney Paul Beeber, President, New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation, Inc. "Absence of evidence shouldn't be misinterpreted as absence of harm."

According to a Journal of the American Dental Association study, "Most infants from birth to age 12 months who consume predominantly powdered and liquid concentrate formula are likely to exceed the upper tolerable limit [of fluoride] if the formula is reconstituted with optimally fluoridated water (0.7 - 1.2 ppm)." (October 2009)

HHS recently lowered recommended water fluoride levels to 0.7 ppm.

Beeber says, "Clearly, this level is still unsafe for babies. Through water fluoridation, government officials irresponsibly prescribe uncontrolled fluoride doses into children's bodies without monitoring for harmful health effects. Fluoridation must be stopped nation-wide."

Koh says, "…tooth enamel formation occurs from birth until about 8 years old. This is also the time when dental fluorosis may occur with excess fluoride consumption."

Koh advises low-fluoride bottled water be used for routinely reconstituting infant formula.

Fluoride, neither a nutrient nor essential for healthy teeth, was never FDA safety-tested for human ingestion. FDA regulates fluoridated toothpaste as a drug for topical application which requires poison warning labeling.

Twenty-four studies link fluoride to lower IQ in children and 100 animal studies link fluoride to brain damage.

According to a study in The Anatolian Journal of Cardiology, "Fluorosis has some hormonal, gastrointestinal, hematological, skeletal, renal, respiratory, cardiovascular, immunological, neurological and development side effects."