1998, p. 129
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FLUORIDE 31(3) 1998, p. 129 |
International Society for Fluoride Research | Table of Contents |
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Throughout history, officially-promoted viewpoints in science have often held sway for remarkably long periods of time. A familiar example is the Ptolemaic geocentric view of our solar system, which was shown to be incorrect but was nevertheless stoutly defended by ruling ecclesiastical authority.
Surprising as it may seem, a similar situation prevails in science policy even today. For over fifty years the United States Public Health Service, with the endorsement of leading national and international dental and other professional organizations, has insisted that the levels of fluoride ingested from water fluoridation not only significantly reduce tooth decay but are also virtually without any toxic effects other than mild dental mottling. This view, however, like that of Ptolemy, contradicts available scientific evidence.
As can be seen in the two unanswered letters to the presidents of the US National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine published herein on pages 153-157, officials of these two prestigious scientific bodies have ignored unrefuted evidence contradicting their proposed dietary reference standards for human exposure to fluoride. To anyone even slightly acquainted with the relevant peer-reviewed literature cited in the two letters, the suggested "tolerable upper level" fluoride intake of 10 mg/day for individuals aged nine or older clearly falls in a well-verified toxic range, not only for teeth and bones but also for various soft-tissue organs. Moreover, under scientific scrutiny, the major dental benefits claimed for ingested fluoride are illusory and are no longer widely accepted, at least in most non-English speaking countries (cf. letter to the editor, pages 171-174).
Further serious ethical aspects of this issue are highlighted by the manner in which administrators of the US Environmental Protection Agency in 1985 set 4 mg/L as the Recommended Maximum Contaminant Level for fluoride in drinking water. A recent paper delivered at the 23rd Annual Conference of the National Association of Environmental Professionals held June 20-22, 1998, in San Diego, California, dealt specifically with flagrant violations of this organization's code of ethics by EPA management in setting the 4 mg/L RMCL for fluoride. In its report to the EPA, USPHS officials had altered the 2 mg/L RMCL of its scientific panel to 4 mg/L, and EPA management then ordered the support document prepared by EPA professionals to be altered in conflict with known facts.
Sadly, even today, authoritarianism can still overrule solid science.
AWB