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Fluoridated Water Increases Risk of Cancer in Boys
On April 6, 2006, WebMD
reported on a study that is to be published in the May 2006 issue of Cancer
Causes and Controls that shows a link between fluoridated water and an
increased risk of of a deadly bone cancer. The results of this study
were that boys who grew up in communities that added at least moderate
levels of fluoride to their water got bone cancer, specifically osteosarcoma,
more often than boys who drank water with little or no fluoride.
The
study did not find the same results in girls. The more fluoride in the
water during the years the boys experienced growth spurts, the higher the
risk of the deadly bone cancer.
Elise Bassin, DDS, author of
the study and clinical instructor in oral health policy and epidemiology at
Harvard said she "was surprised by the results." She continued, "Having a
background in dentistry and dental public health, [I] was taught that
fluoride at recommended levels is safe and effective for the prevention of
dental [cavities]," Bassin says in the statement. "All of [our analyses]
were consistent in finding an association between fluoride levels in
drinking water and an increased risk of osteosarcoma for males diagnosed
before age 20, but not consistently for girls."
The article noted that
Osteosarcoma is about 50% more common in boys than in girls. Additionally,
it was noted that boys tend to have more fluoride in their bones than girls.
Also, fluoride collects in the bones, and it is more likely to accumulate in
the bones during periods of rapid bone growth.
A nonprofit watchdog
organization, called the Environmental Working Group, (EWG - www.ewg.org), says water fluoridation
should stop until further research can refute or confirm Dr. Bassin's
findings. Tim Kropp, PhD, a senior scientist at EWG told WebMD in an
interview that, "About 65% of the U.S. water supply has added fluoride." He
strongly suggested, "With evidence this strong, it only makes sense to act
on it. Right now, it makes the most sense to put fluoride in toothpaste, and
not into our water. It's not like this is a huge contaminant that will cost
billions of dollars to fix. We can just stop adding it to our water it if we
want to." |