Human Toxicity, Environmental Impact and Legal Implications of

HUMAN TOXICITY, ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AND LEGAL IMPLICATIONS OF WATER FLUORIDATION
frequent than before because the world's population is ageing and because
the frequency of hip fractures is increasing by 1-3% per year in many areas of
the world. Many deaths in elderly people are due to complications arising
from bone fractures that occur as a result of osteoporosis. 683
Remarkably, studies have found that with therapeutic oral administration of
fluoride in amounts as low as 0.6 mg/kg body weight/day in postmenopausal
women over several years increased the risk for non-vertebral bone fractures
significantly. 684
It is interesting to note that the two main forms of bone fracture associated
with water fluoridation are hip and wrist fracture - as these two bone sites are
primarily dependent on the quality of cortical bone. Given the increase in
exposure of the population to fluoride and increasing frequency of
osteoporosis, since the late 1960‘s in particular, one must consider the very
real possibility that fluoride (even at levels felt to be safe and optimal for the
prevention of dental caries) may, in fact, aggravate the risk of developing
osteoporosis. This hypothesis was examined by Hillier et al. 685 who found that
patients exposed to fluoridated water had increased amounts of fluoride in
the cortical bone.
There is a growing weight of scientific research that demonstrates the
associated risk of fluoride to osteoporosis. Epidemiological studies with water
fluoridation suggest that communities with water fluoridation may have
increased incidence of osteoporotic hip fractures. 686 This hypothesis was
examined by Hillier et al. 687 who found that patients exposed to fluoridated
water had increased amounts of fluoride in the cortical bone. It is know that
the incidence of hip fracture is increasing more rapidly than can be
accounted for by aging of the population. It has been observed in hip
fractures studies 688 in the U.S., comparing two cities where water is fluoridated
(Brigham City) and non--fluoridated (Cedar City) in Utah, that in the
fluoridated (1 ppm) city, the hip fracture rate was twice as high as in the nonfluoridated
city, in women around the age of 75. Men aged between 80-85
also had twice the hip fracture rate in fluoridated Brigham City.
683 Cummings SR, Melton LJ, Epidemiology and outcomes of osteoporotic fractures.
Lancet. 2002 May 18;359(9319):1761-7.
684 Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies on a
request from the Commission related to the Tolerable Upper Intake Level of Fluoride,
The EFSA Journal (2005) 192, 1-65
685 Hillier S, Cooper C, Kellingray S, Russell G, Hughes H, Coggon D, Fluoride in drinking
water and risk of hip fracture in the UK: case-control study, Lancet 2000; 355: 265–69.
686 Kleerekoper M, Center for Osteoporosis Research, Fluoride and the Skeleton,
Critical Reviews in Clinical Laboratory Sciences, 33(2):139-161 (1996)
687 Hillier S, Cooper C, Kellingray S, Russell G, Hughes H, Coggon D, Fluoride in drinking
water and risk of hip fracture in the UK: a case-control study, Lancet 2000; 355: 265–
69.
688 Danielson C, Lyon JL, Egger M, Goodenough GK. Hip fractures and fluoridation in Utah.s elderly
population. 1992;268(6):746-748.
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