The Case Against Fluoride: How Hazardous Waste Ended Up in Our Drinking Water and the Bad Science and Powerful Politics That Keep It There

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*The Case Against Fluoride: How Hazardous Waste Ended Up in Our Drinking Water and the Bad Science and Powerful Politics That Keep It There.* [rear cover:] "Sweden rejected fluoridation in the 1970s, and in this excellent book these three scientists have confirmed the wisdom of that decision. Our children have not suffered greater tooth decay, as World Health Organization figures attest, and in turn our citizens have not borne the other hazards fluoride may cause." -- DR. ARVID CARLSSON, Nobel Laureate in Medicine or Physiology (2000) When the U.S. Public Health Service endorsed water fluoridation in 1950, its safety was still unproven. Now, six decades later and after most countries have rejected the practice, more than 70 percent of Americans (as well as 200 million people worldwide) drink fluoridated water. Disturbingly, the Center for Disease Control and the American Dental Association continue to promote it despite increasing evidence that it is not only unnecessary, but also potentially hazardous to human health. In this timely and important book, Connett, Beck, and Micklem carefully investigate the science behind water fluoridation--concluding that endorsements from dental and medical establishments do not mean a public-health measure is effective or safe. At once painstakingly documented and also highly readable, *The Case Against Fluoride* brings new research to light--including links between fluoride and harm to the brain, bones, and endocrine system--arguing that the evidence of fluoridation reducing tooth decay, the very reason it is added to drinking water, is surprisingly weak. "Alfred North Whitehead said the scientific method means leaving 'options open for revision'. An ancient Roman adage says that 'whatever touches all must be approved by all'. These characterizations of science and democracy are the reasons for reading this book. Especially if you and your family are drinking administratively mandated fluoridated water." -- RALPH NADER The Case against Fluoride - Front Cover Advance Praise for 'The Case Against Fluoride' Title Page Printer's Imprint Contents Foreword Acknowledgments Introduction Abbreviations PART ONE: Ethical and General Arguments against Fluoridation 1. Poor Medical Practice 2. An Inappropriate and Inefficient Practice 3. The Chemicals Used 4. Who Is in Charge? 5. An Experimental Program PART TWO: The Evidence That Fluoridation Is Ineffective 6. Fluoridation and Tooth Decay 7. The Early Evidence Reexamined 8. Key Modern Studies PART THREE: The Great Fluoridation Gamble 9. The Great Fluoridation Gamble, 1930–1950 10. The Great Fluoridation Gamble, 1950– PART FOUR: The Evidence of Harm 11. Dental Fluorosis 12. Fluoride’s Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Physiology 13. Fluoride Poisoning of Humans: Early Reversible Effects 14. The 2006 National Research Council Report 15. Fluoride and the Brain 16. Fluoride and the Endocrine System 17. Fluoride and Bone 18. Fluoride and Osteosarcoma 19. Fluoride and the Kidneys, and Other Health Issues PART FIVE: Margin of Safety and the Precautionary Principle 20. Margin of Safety 21. The Precautionary Principle PART SIX: The Promoters and the Techniques of Promotion 22. Weak and Inadequate Science 23. Promoters’ Strategies and Tactics 24. Self-Serving Governmental Reviews 25. A Response to Pro-Fluoridation Claims 26. The Promoters’ Motivations Review and Conclusion Appendix 1: Fluoride and the Brain Appendix 2: Fluoride and Bone Endnotes About the Authors Index Publisher's Press Notices Rear Cover