This scrubber waste item, generally from phosphate fertilizer production, is frequently contaminated with varying amounts of cadmium, aluminum, arsenic, lead, or mercury. We found serious studies showing that minute amounts of these heavy metals (much less than would generally be considered toxic) are harmful in various ways when combined with fluoride. Moreover, we were amazed to find out that not a single safety test has ever been performed on hydrofluocilicic acid!
Thus, we came out “against fluoride” in our Thyroid Power book. But fluoride is not simply an isolated problem for identified thyroid patients. As a widespread hormone disruptor it is very likely to be causing wider mischief, even at supposed safe levels.
This larger environmental issue became the topic of our more recent book, Feeling Fat, Fuzzy, or Frazzled? (Hudson/Penquin, 2005) With fluoride added to city water, many millions of people are deliberately exposed to a hormone-altering agent. There is certainly now a massive epidemic of low thyroid, low adrenal, and low functioning sex glands. Many people rightly complain, “There must be something wrong with my hormones.”
Fluoride is, of course, just one of a great many environmental hormone disruptors. However, it is the only one we purposely put into our drinking water. Perhaps the most sensitive among us are like the canaries brought down into the mines. They might be feeling the adverse effects first. Their vague symptoms of ill health could be the early warning signal for us all.
But, do not just take our word for it. Get info from a variety of sources. A good start would be to go to the environmental website www.CanaryClub.org for an inexpensive home test kit measuring your saliva levels of thyroid, adrenal, and reproductive hormones.
If your levels are low, it could be that the not-so-innocent water additive is playing a role. You might be as surprised as we were. And maybe you too will change your mind about fluoride.
Richard L. Shames MD & Karilee H. Shames PhD, RN are authors of two popular books for thyroid patients, Thyroid Power and Feeling Fat, Fuzzy and Frazzled?. Both experts provide telephone coaching for optimal wellness. More information is available about their coaching sessions at their site.
