Fluoridation - Declassified Documents
Fluoride is only a trace element in nature, but man-made fluoride compounds have become very abundant, partly as a result of the development of the A-Bomb in World War II.
This is a partial review of an article, entitled “Fluoride, Teeth, and the A-Bomb," that appeared in Earth Island Journal —Winter 1997-98. The researchers of the article were Joel Griffiths and Chris Bryson.
About five decades ago, the United States started a campaign to add fluoride to public water supplies. The public face of this huge PR push was reduction of cavities. Recently declassified documents are adding a new dimension to the history of the fluoridation movement. They reveal a surprising connection between fluoride and the dawning of the nuclear age.
The author states, “The government's hidden motives behind promoting fluoride as ‘safe' have not been revealed to the general public, nor to civilian researchers, health professionals or journalists—until now.”
The recently declassified documents reveal that fluoride was a key chemical in the production of atomic bombs. Throughout the Cold War, huge quantities of fluoride were needed. One of the most toxic chemicals known as fluoride became “the leading chemical health hazard of the U.S. atomic bomb program—both for workers and for nearby communities.”
Griffiths and Bryson chronicle the many details of the government's efforts to mitigate and hide the extent of the problem. This included public relations efforts. Many steps were taken to defuse the situation, including support for water fluoridation.
“Medical researchers, who have reviewed these recently declassified documents, fear that Cold War security considerations may have prevented objective and scientific evaluation of fluoride's true impact on public health.”
Mary Sparrowdancer, author of The Battle of Darkness and Light, says, “In what would turn out to be the biggest human experimentation in history, [high grade] sodium fluoride—NaF—was added into America 's drinking water in selected communities under the medical claim that the 'F' would prevent dental caries (cavities) in children.” (The Battle of Darkness and Light , p.3)
For more information on water fluoridation go to www.fluorideaction.net
