Pippy,
I agree with you, fluoride should be optional in drinking water.
As for your other points, Eilonnwy didn't claim victory; she asked for studies rather than websites. I claimed victory by form of a rebuttal in which I pointed out that the amounts of Fluoride in water are so low you would have to literally drown yourself to see any effect. I also revealed the *shock horror* truth that you aren't actually meant to eat toothpaste, hence the warning label. I don't know why you can't see the difference between digestion and cleaning your teeth, but it should be obvious that nothing (or at most a tiny amount) gets into your body if you brush and spit it out. Digestion is the dangerous thing here.
As for the "old line" about fluoride being naturally occurring, well, it is. There isn't escaping that fact. The recommended fluoride level in water is 1mg per litre. Some areas (usually mountainous and volcanic) have 50mg fluoride per litre of water, and people still aren't dying from it. In fact, governments in those regions usually use defluoridation to be safe.
This isn't some big conspiracy. The levels are too low, they have warning labels on toothpaste to stop you from swallowing it, and they actively remove fluoride from water in areas where the natural level is too high. It has been proven time and time again to be beneficial for teeth, with the only adverse affect being a slight discolouration, and even that doesn't undo the level of protection given.
There are levels at which all substances should be digested. We need fat to store energy; if you eat too little, you'll get ill. If you eat too much, you'll get ill. If you eat your balanced amount, you will be fine. Same with water, same with fluoride.
I agree with you, fluoride should be optional in drinking water.
As for your other points, Eilonnwy didn't claim victory; she asked for studies rather than websites. I claimed victory by form of a rebuttal in which I pointed out that the amounts of Fluoride in water are so low you would have to literally drown yourself to see any effect. I also revealed the *shock horror* truth that you aren't actually meant to eat toothpaste, hence the warning label. I don't know why you can't see the difference between digestion and cleaning your teeth, but it should be obvious that nothing (or at most a tiny amount) gets into your body if you brush and spit it out. Digestion is the dangerous thing here.
Quote:Does the 'there's so little it can't possibly hurt' argument have anything at all to do with efficacy?Yes...that should be obvious. If you have a toxicity level of 1g, and you ingest 2/1000th of that (assuming we are drinking 2 litres of water a day), then the amount you have ingested isn't toxic.
As for the "old line" about fluoride being naturally occurring, well, it is. There isn't escaping that fact. The recommended fluoride level in water is 1mg per litre. Some areas (usually mountainous and volcanic) have 50mg fluoride per litre of water, and people still aren't dying from it. In fact, governments in those regions usually use defluoridation to be safe.
This isn't some big conspiracy. The levels are too low, they have warning labels on toothpaste to stop you from swallowing it, and they actively remove fluoride from water in areas where the natural level is too high. It has been proven time and time again to be beneficial for teeth, with the only adverse affect being a slight discolouration, and even that doesn't undo the level of protection given.
There are levels at which all substances should be digested. We need fat to store energy; if you eat too little, you'll get ill. If you eat too much, you'll get ill. If you eat your balanced amount, you will be fine. Same with water, same with fluoride.
