Very true. I've been to some of the anti-fluoride talks and read a lot on both sides.
From what I gather, there simply isn't enough fluoride added to water to really make a difference. Add enough and you start getting dental floursis.
The people against municipal fluoride use a lot of the same bad maths to link fluoride to a plethora of ailments. Their evidence doesn't really add up either. Overall it looks like it's a wash.
I err on the side of it not being in water. It doesn't really help teeth unless applied topically in high concentrations, so we're better off spending money to give kids free toothpaste/brushes/education.
There's the question as to whether or not it can lead to things like osteoporosis, and honestly that question can't be answered easily. Long term toxicity buildup over 30~40+ years in humans is very difficult to test and control for. You can't put humans in a cage and have one group only drink water with fluoride and the other not. Our primate counterparts simply don't live long enough. People move around too much and drink too many different types of drinks to accurately survey exposure.
Of course this article is not about fluoride in water, so this is kinda a rabbit trail comment anyway.
Floride in water is really meant for the people who aren't going to use mouthwash, or floss, or brush their teeth as much as they should anyway. It brings up the dental health of the group with the worst dental health.
You said 'seems', which seems to leave the topic open to discussion in your mind. (:
What's the downside to adding appropriate amounts of fluoride to municipal water sources?
EDIT: after I posted this, I did some quick Googling, and man this is an all over the map topic. There APPEARS to be reasonable evidence on both sides of the debate, but honestly, I'm not personally vested in this enough to dig any more.
From what I gather, there simply isn't enough fluoride added to water to really make a difference. Add enough and you start getting dental floursis.
The people against municipal fluoride use a lot of the same bad maths to link fluoride to a plethora of ailments. Their evidence doesn't really add up either. Overall it looks like it's a wash.
I err on the side of it not being in water. It doesn't really help teeth unless applied topically in high concentrations, so we're better off spending money to give kids free toothpaste/brushes/education.
There's the question as to whether or not it can lead to things like osteoporosis, and honestly that question can't be answered easily. Long term toxicity buildup over 30~40+ years in humans is very difficult to test and control for. You can't put humans in a cage and have one group only drink water with fluoride and the other not. Our primate counterparts simply don't live long enough. People move around too much and drink too many different types of drinks to accurately survey exposure.
Of course this article is not about fluoride in water, so this is kinda a rabbit trail comment anyway.