Photo: Piqs.de
Fluoride is usually added to tap water as an economical public health measure to prevent tooth decay among children. However, a new study has come up with disturbing revelations. According to the study, the fluoride seems to increase the risk of bone cancer among boys although it does not seem to have a similar effect in girls. What is responsible for this difference is not yet known.
Photo: DanLocton
The new American study infers that boys between five and ten years of age who are exposed to fluoride are more likely to suffer from osteosarcoma from the age of ten to nineteen.
Both the governments of the UK and America recommend the addition of fluoride to tap water, and around 170 million Americans use fluoridated water. 10% of UK's population (about six million people) use fluoridated tap water and there are plans to extend the service to more regions.
Photo: Ildar Sagdejev (Specious)
The studies were carried out at the same exposure levels as those used in both the UK and the US. The research was carried out at Harvard School of Dental Health, being the first study about the connection between the use of the chemical at a crucial time in children's development and the age at which bone cancer begins to develop.
Osteosarcoma accounts for only 3% of all childhood cancers, but it is extremely dangerous - the mortality rate among the sufferers is 50% within the first five years. Almost all those who survive end with amputated limbs, often the legs.
The reputable Washington-based research group, Environmental Working Group, made the research available. The organization says that it has brought together a "strong body of peer-reviewed evidence" and recommends that fluoride should be included among the known cancer-causing substances. The researchers say that the risks of cancer far outweigh the benefits of fluoride.
Photo: European Chemicals Bureau
About half of ingested fluoride remains in the body and accumulates in calcifying tissues like bones and teeth. 90% of the stored chemical accumulates in the bones.
These findings were revealed only through a winding method, as researchers are not allowed to report such alarming and controversial issues. Although the study was completed in 2001, its findings were kept from environmental groups.
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