Fluoridation and Tea Don’t Mix, Studies Continue to Show

Fluoridation puts tea drinkers at risk of damaged bones, discolored teeth and soft
tissue harm, studies show.

Tea has naturally high fluoride levels. Excess fluoride can weaken bones and
discolor children’s un-erupted teeth. When fluoridated water is used to make tea,
fluoride levels consumed can be health damaging.

Four cups, of 20 teas sampled, delivered 0.8 to 1.8 mg of fluoride, when non-
fluoridated water was used, reports Cao et al. in Food Chemistry.

“Among populations habitually consuming black tea, water fluoridation is not only
unnecessary but also possibly harmful…The target organs of chronic fluoride
intoxication are not only the teeth and skeleton, but also the liver, kidney,
nervous and reproductive systems,” they write.

A March 2008 Food and Chemical Toxicology study found up to 4.5, 1.8, and 0.5
mg/L fluoride in black, green and white teas, respectively, when brewed for 5
minutes (61 teas sampled).

Brewed teas could contain up to 6 mg/L fluoride depending on the amount of dry tea
used, the water fluoride concentration and the brewing time, according to the
American Dental Association (ADA).

According to 1997 ADA data, 3 and 4 milligrams daily is adequate for women and
men, respectively, to prevent fluoride’s adverse effects. It’s much lower for
children. In 2006, the National Research Council reported the basis for those
levels should be reduced.

Case Reports by Cao and Yi in the Journal of Fluorine Chemistry (February 2008)
“Tea and fluorosis:”

--A 57-year-old Englishman’s misdiagnosed Paget’s disease (weakened bones) with

osteoarthritis was finally correctly diagnosed as skeletal fluorosis caused by his
long-term heavy tea-drinking habit.

--A Pakistani woman’s dental fluorosis resulted solely from tea which she consumed
from age two.

--A 36-year-old Chinese woman’s ten-years of joint pain disappeared when she
stopped drinking tea.

--French doctors identified 5 patients who developed bone softening (osteomalacia)

from drinking tea.

-- An American woman's fluoride-caused debilitating joint pains disappeared when

her two-gallon-a-day iced-tea habit stopped.

"By 2020, one in two Americans over age 50 will be at risk for fractures from
osteoporosis or low bone mass," according to the Surgeon General.

“It’s clear that fluoridation is increasing Americans’ bone damage. Presidential

candidates must pledge to stop water fluoridation if they truly care about
individuals and not fluoridation-supporting special interest groups such as the
American Dental Association,” says attorney Paul Beeber, President, New York State
Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation, Inc.
Fluoride is in many foods as determined by the USDA
http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=6312

According to American Dental Association, the adequate intake of fluoride to avoid

moderate fluorosis (yellow teeth) is:

-- 0.01 mg/day for 0 to 6-month-olds

-- 0.5 mg/day for 7 through 12 months
-- 0.7 mg/day for 1 to 3-year-olds
-- 1.0 mg/day for 4 to 8-year-olds

Mild fluorosis is white spots, lines or blotches to the teeth and can occur at
levels lower than the above.

The CDC reports that fluorosis afflicts up to 48% of US school children - 4% of it

severe.

Both the ADA and CDC advise that infant formula should not be mixed with
fluoridated water.

New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation

http://www.orgsites.com/ny/nyscof

http://www.FluorideAction.Net

Past News Releases: http://tinyurl.com/NewsReleases

References:

Food Chemistry, "Safety evaluation on fluoride content in black tea," by Cao et

al. (November 2004)

Food Chemical Toxicology, "Assessment of fluoride concentration and daily intake

by human from tea and herbal infusions," by Malinowska et al. (March 2008)

Journal of Fluorine Chemistry, "Tea and fluorosis," by Juan Yi and Jin Cao
(February 2008)