To the editor:

20 Feb. 2015

Original → HERE

     When a highly intelligent friend asked me to look into fluoridation, I nearly dismissed her request in an automatic response. After all, questioning fluoridation went against my dental school training and much of the news crossing my desk from the ADA. However, since fluoride was the most common prescription I was writing at the time, I decided to take a look into this “sacred cow” of public health policy.

The more I dug through medical journals and books, the more confused I became. There were positive articles and negative ones. Fluoride was either a miracle drug or a lethal poison. I kept digging backward in time with research, not limited to American literature, but reading from seven different translated languages.

Fluorine was used to etch glass as early as 1670. In the 18th century, prominent chemists tried to isolate fluorine from its compounds, causing many to sicken and die. Henri Moissan finally isolated the element, and won the Nobel Prize for it in 1906. However, he died soon after at age 54. On his deathbed he blamed fluorine exposure.

Up until about 1940, fluoride was always deemed a poison. After all, it alters enzymes used by all living organisms in order to carry out the business of life. Around WWII, an abrupt about-face occurred in the literature. I came to realize that without understanding the basic science of this element, there could be only confusion.

Fluorine is the most reactive and volatile element on the planet. It spontaneously combusts when exposed to air. It’s a key ingredient in rocket propulsion, and vital for enriching uranium used for nuclear weapons and power. It’s necessary as a flux for the production of high-quality steel, aluminum and copper. Commonly applied as a rodenticide, insecticide and wood preservative, this is because it kills all forms of life. Industrial uses of fluoride are legion, causing it to become a “protected pollutant.”

Acute exposure to fluoride does harm in obvious and immediate ways. But the small daily dose exposures accumulate in the body over time, building up like arsenic or lead. Ingesting fluoride is like taking in a ticking time bomb.

“The Devil’s Poison” became fluorine’s nickname in the 17th and 18th centuries. After studying volumes on the subject, spanning several centuries, from here and abroad, it has become clear to me that fluorine and its fluoride compounds have probably caused more disease and death than any other substance known to mankind. This information has been cataloged in my book titled “The Devil’s Poison: How Fluoride is Killing You.” 

Those who advocate fluoridation simply do not understand the nature of the substance in question or the extent of its harmful effects. I sincerely hope that the citizens who have taken up the cause of ending fluoridation will prevail.

       Dean Murphy, DDS

       Rockford, Illinois