Health Claim For Fluoridated Bottled Water Applauded By ADA
Main Category: DentistryAlso Included In: Water - Air Quality / Agriculture
Article Date: 25 Oct 2006 - 0:00 PDT
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The American Dental Association (ADA) supports the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) decision to allow bottlers to claim that fluoridated water may reduce the risk of dental cavities or tooth decay.
"Whether you drink fluoridated water from the tap or buy it in a bottle, you're doing the right thing for your oral health," says ADA executive director James B. Bramson, D.D.S. "Thanks to the FDA's decision, bottlers can now claim what dentists have long known--that optimally fluoridated water helps prevent tooth decay."
The ADA also agrees with the FDA that this health claim is not intended for use on bottled water marketed to infants for whom lesser amounts of fluoride are appropriate.
According to the FDA's Center for Food Safety and applied Nutrition, "the food eligible to bear the claim is bottled water…containing greater than 0.6 and up to 1.0 mg/L total fluoride, and meeting all general requirements for health claims…."
The American Dental Association (ADA) continues to endorse fluoridation of community water supplies as safe and effective for preventing tooth decay. This support has been the Association's position since policy was first adopted in 1950. Approximately 162 million people in the United States are served by public water systems that are fluoridated. The ADA, along with state and local dental societies, continues to work with federal, state, and local agencies to increase the number of communities benefiting from water fluoridation.
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Contact: Fred Peterson
For more information regarding fluoride and fluoridation, visit the American Dental Association's "Fluoride and Fluoridation" Web site at http://www.ada.org/goto/fluoride.
About the American Dental Association
The not-for-profit ADA is the nation's largest dental association, representing more than 153,000 members. The premier source of oral health information, the ADA has advocated for the public's health and promoted the art and science of dentistry since 1859. The ADA's state-of-the-art research facilities develop and test dental products and materials that have advanced the practice of dentistry and made the patient experience more positive. The ADA Seal of Acceptance long has been a valuable and respected guide to consumer and professional products. http://www.ada.org/
Contact: Leslee Williams
American Dental Association
Visit our dentistry section for the latest news on this subject.
MLA
15 Feb. 2012. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/54790.php>
APA
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/54790.php.
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FDA Approval Of Fluoridated Bottled Water Is Premature
posted by NYSCOF on 25 Oct 2006 at 2:47 amFDA Never Safety-Tested Fluoride Ingestion
New York -- October 24, 2006 -- Because of a glitch in the law,3 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) never safety-tested fluoride for ingestion.1 Yet, the FDA recently OK’d cavity-preventing claims on fluoridated bottled water labels,2 giving Americans a false sense of security about the safety and effectiveness of drinking bottled water with fluoride added..
Sodium fluoride was sold before FDA safety and effectiveness testing laws were enacted in 1938 and 1962, respectively. So fluoride was exempt from scrutiny, or “grandfathered in,” without any FDA human or animal studies.3 “The premise was that all pre-1938 drugs were considered safe,” according to FDA correspondence.3
Sodium fluoride was already sold pre-1938 but not as a decay preventive. As strange as it sounds, it commonly sold as a rat poison. The FDA has no information on the medical uses of fluoride before 1938.3
According to the FDA’s website: “New products that are designed to treat human conditions or diseases are scrutinized by FDA's reviewers for safety and effectiveness before they can be made available to consumers.” 4 But this never occurred for fluoride or fluoridated bottled water.
In fact, the FDA can't assess whether something added to the water is safe because there's no way to know how much people will consume, according to an FDA spokesperson quoted in a Colorado newspaper. 5 "The drug approval process requires specific dosing and conditions to be treated and clinical trials,’ [FDA spokesperson] Koontz said,” according to the Daily Camera.
The FDA approved fluoridated toothpaste, as a drug, for topical application as in toothpaste; but not for swallowing. In fact, toothpaste tubes are imprinted with FDA “do not swallow” warnings.
However, fluoridated bottled water is meant to be swallowed. Not a nutrient, fluoride is a drug prescribed to treat humans against tooth decay. The FDA never studied fluoride ingestion, in any form, for adverse health effects or to discover if it really reduces tooth decay.6
Adding fluoride chemicals into public water supplies (water fluoridation) began in the mid 1900’s. It was then believed fluoride worked from the inside, that is to say, ingested fluoride incorporated into children’s, and only children’s, developing tooth enamel to shield against tooth decay. However, modern science proves fluoride absorbs into enamel by topical means alone or from the outside and it can occur over the lifetime of the tooth..
Unfortunately, science also tells us that ingested fluoride has many health risks, including tooth damage or dental fluorosis – white spotted, yellow, brown and/or pitted teeth – a consequence of fluoride over-ingestion which is a growing U.S. problem.7
The following side effects may be early signs of possible chronic fluoride overdose, according to the Mayo Clinic website: 8
Pain and aching of bones; skin rash; sores in the mouth and on the lips; stiffness; white, brown, or black discoloration of teeth.
“Modern studies also link fluoride to arthritis, allergies, kidney and thyroid dysfunction, bone damage and cancer even at the low levels dentists claim is optimal to reduce tooth decay,” says lawyer Paul Beeber, President, New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation, Inc. “Adding fluoride to bottled water implies to the American public that FDA studies give fluoride a clean bill of health – and that’s not true,” says Beeber.
No studies link fluoride-free bottled water to more tooth decay, according to the American Dental Association (ADA).9
“The ADA should lobby for fluoride content labeling on all foods,” says Beeber. “Because fluoridated water is used in processing and because of fluoride pesticide residues, virtually all foods and beverages have a fluoride content – even soda, candy, french fries, grape juice and some chicken products. Americans are actually over-fluoridated now; and should avoid fluoridated water – whether from the tap or the bottle, in our opinion.” says Beeber.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture lists the fluoride content of many foods here: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/Data/Fluoride/Fluoride.html
Contact: Paul Beeber, nyscof@aol.com
President and General Counsel
New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation, Inc.
PO Box 263
Old Bethpage, NY 11804
http://www.orgsites.com/ny/nyscof
Past News Releases: http://tinyurl.com/6kqtu
Paul Connett, PhD, paul@fluoridealert.org
Executive Director
Fluoride Action Network
http://www.FluorideAction.Net/health
SOURCE: New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation, Inc.
References:
1) U.S. FDA Approved Drug List
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/drugsatfda/
2) US FDA, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Office of Nutritional Products, Labeling, and Dietary Supplements, October 14, 2006, “Health Claim Notification for Fluoridated Water and Reduced Risk of Dental Caries
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/flfluoro.html
3) E-mail correspondence at bottom of article
http://fluoridedangers.blogspot.com/2005/12/fluoride-never-fda-approved-for.html
4) “FDA’s Growing Responsibilities for the Year 2001 and Beyond,” Page 2 – Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Adminstration
http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/budgetbro/budgetbro.pdf
5) Daily Camera, “FDA wants out of 2B dispute - Feds say they didn’t expect comments to appear in ad,” By Ryan Morgan, October 24, 2006
http://www.dailycamera.com/bdc/county_news/article/0,1713,BDC_2423_5089663,00.html
6) Letter from Assemblyman John V. Kelly to Senator Robert Smith, August 14, 2000 http://www.fluoridealert.org/fda.htm
7) Surveillance for Dental Caries, Dental Sealants, Tooth Retentin, Edentulism, and Enamel Fluorosis --- United States, 1988—1994 and 1999—2002
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5403a1.htm
8) Mayo Clinic - Drugs & Supplements – Vitamins and Fluoride (Systemic) http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/drug-information/DR202600
9) E-mail correspondence with the American Dental Association
http://www.zerowasteamerica.org/Fluoride&ADA.htm
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