Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Fluoride and Fluorite: First Change since 1962: Decreased Levels of Recommended Fluoride in Drinking Water by the United States

          On Monday, April 27, 2015, the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services decreased the recommended amount of added fluorite in drinking water to about half the original recommendation. It is the first change in the recommended amount since 1962.



        
          The main documented side effect to over-fluoridation is fluorosis, a condition marked by white marks on the teeth. There are proven great benefits to low fluoride amounts to decreasing dental caries. Most people in the U. S are already getting fluoride directly on their teeth in the form of toothpaste and dental rinses. The NPR link above notes some believe fluoridation at higher levels is linked to other problems including thyroid issues, skeletal fluorosis, and ADHD.





           Much of the western world has already eliminated or decreased fluoride amounts in water supplies. There are some areas of the world that have naturally occurring fluoride which is over 1.5 mg/l (See world map here.) The high fluoride levels are linked to types of granite with the naturally occurring fluorite mineral (the purplish mineral in the pinkish granite below):




            The mineral fluorite, CaF2, is a member of the halide sequence.

          And, of course, fluorite is the namesake poster child for fluorescence under ultraviolet light:

          I am curious to hear about your views on the fluoride controversy. What is yours? Surely, the decreasing of the acceptable level by half is significant. 

Going with the fluo,

 Steph




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35 comments:

  1. janApril 29, 2015 at 11:06 AM

    The most monstrously conceived and dangerous communist plot we have ever had to [smiley] face.

    ReplyDelete
  2. janApril 29, 2015 at 11:12 AM

    Here in New Jersey, we're not up to arguing about whether to fluoridate at the old, higher, or the new, lower level. For the most part, we don't fluoridate at all. Ridiculous!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Word WomanApril 29, 2015 at 11:23 AM

      Wow, I was surprised at the wide fluctuations amongst the states.

      Delete
    2. Word WomanApril 29, 2015 at 11:29 AM

      Make that wide fluoctuations ;-).

      Delete
    3. janApril 29, 2015 at 11:39 AM

      Maybe we could convince some wildcatters to add fluoride to their fracking fluid?

      Delete
    4. Word WomanApril 29, 2015 at 11:49 AM

      OK, that was worth a big laugh! Thanks, jan.

      Delete
    5. janApril 29, 2015 at 11:55 AM

      At least our kids can have Oreos with their lunch!

      Delete
    6. Word WomanApril 29, 2015 at 12:19 PM

      Sheesh! This makes absolutely no sense: "If they have potatoes, the child will also need bread to go along with it. "

      What the frack?!

      Delete
    7. janApril 29, 2015 at 12:22 PM

      Yeah, I have a feeling the article wasn't edited by a nutritionist...

      Delete
    8. Word WomanApril 30, 2015 at 9:41 AM

      Well, since we were talking about kids' lunches check out Girl With a Pearl Earring Lunch Box Art

      Delete
    9. janApril 30, 2015 at 12:04 PM

      I have admiration, envy, and loathing for people with that much artistic talent and time on their hands.

      Delete
  3. janApril 30, 2015 at 12:36 PM

    I wouldn't say that I'm anti-EmDrive. But without conservation of momentum, I'd say I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto.

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  4. janApril 30, 2015 at 2:41 PM

    We may not be facing The Sixth Extinction just yet, but maybe the threat of the extinction of a sixth of all species.

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    Replies
    1. Word WomanApril 30, 2015 at 3:12 PM

      Not as widespread as the Permian extinction but still devastating.

      Delete
  5. legolambdaApril 30, 2015 at 3:52 PM

    My hometown, Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, is known for its pure water. When I was a boy, the water I drank elsewhere, even in nearby Eau Claire, ironically, tasted funny. I refused to drink all but Chippewa Falls tap water. I think I recall my elders telling me that other water tasted odd to me because other cities added fluoride to their water supply. I am not sure, however, if that was true.

    As I have aged, and taste buds and brain cells have died off, all taps water now tastes the same to me.

    LegoWaterSnob

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    Replies
    1. janApril 30, 2015 at 5:05 PM

      Funny, my in-laws used to have a house on Martha's Vineyard with well water that left rust stains and tasted ironic, literally. For drinking water, we would fill plastic bottles from an always-running artesian well a half-mile away that supplied a fire-department connector and drained into Menemsha Pond. My sister-in-law would mimic bottled water ads, whispering, "From a single rusty pipe..."

      Delete
    2. Word WomanApril 30, 2015 at 5:19 PM

      Soft water tastes funny to me.

      We drank the water in Sonora, Mexico, when I worked there--the first night. After being sicker than I have ever been, I stuck with bottled water for the rest of the six months.

      Delete
    3. Word WomanApril 30, 2015 at 5:23 PM

      Lego, how high are the falls in Chippewa Falls?

      Delete
    4. Word WomanApril 30, 2015 at 5:24 PM

      Lego, how high are the falls in Chippewa Falls?

      Delete
    5. Word WomanApril 30, 2015 at 5:24 PM

      Lego, how high are the falls in Chippewa Falls?

      Delete
    6. legolambdaApril 30, 2015 at 7:52 PM

      On second, more lucid thought, perhaps it was chlorine, not fluoride, in the neighboring cities’ water supply. Is fluoride tastless? Like a poker-playing-pups painting or velvet Elvis wall hanging?

      The real “Falls” of Chippewa is on the Chippewa River, below the Northern States Power damn near downtown. But there is also a more scenic falls below the Glen Loch dam in our wonderful Irvine Park. Duncan Creek runs through the park, and flowed across the street from my boyhood home. Above the Glen Loch dam was (still is?) a damn fine swimming hole/haunt for teens. Here are some photos .

      LegoFallsGuy

      Delete
    7. Word WomanApril 30, 2015 at 7:58 PM

      I believe fluoride is tasteless, just like black velvet Elvis, Lego.

      So, guesstimating from the images you linked to, maybe 10-12 feet high for Chippewa Falls?

      Delete
  6. Word WomanMay 2, 2015 at 9:17 AM

    Bat-Winged Dinosaur Fossil

    ReplyDelete
  7. janMay 2, 2015 at 12:07 PM

    Venus

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Word WomanMay 2, 2015 at 1:38 PM

      {smirk}

      Delete
    2. PaulMay 2, 2015 at 2:31 PM

      So they were the 'real' pilgrims ‽

      If I don't use it, I lose it.

      Delete
    3. Word WomanMay 2, 2015 at 3:03 PM

      You are liking that interrobang lately, Paul. . .

      Delete
    4. PaulMay 2, 2015 at 3:11 PM

      Yeah, I give it the thumb's up.

      Delete
    5. Word WomanMay 3, 2015 at 7:55 AM

      Have you seen this?

      " irony punctuation ⸮ "

      We may need to stock up on those ⸮ . . .!

      Delete
  8. PaulMay 3, 2015 at 7:18 PM

    Just practicing ¡
    OK¿

    ReplyDelete
  9. Word WomanMay 4, 2015 at 9:53 AM

    May the fourth be with you!

    ⸮;-)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Word WomanMay 5, 2015 at 7:52 PM

    Latest post on "Century-Old Cat Tongue: Papillae-On" is up.

    ReplyDelete

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