All-in-one resource in for everything related to fluoridated water, from its impact on dental health to its safety and cost-effectiveness. Dispelling common myths that fluoridation is dangerous, this book provides science-backed information based on the most current research in Q&A format. This is the most in-depth and up-to-date educational resource available regarding fluoridated water, from the American Dental Association.

In the case of water fluoridation, the chemicals used to fluoridate the water that more than 180 million people drink each day are not pharmaceutical grade, but rather hazardous waste products of the phosphate fertilizer industry; it is illegal to dump them into rivers and lakes or release them into the atmosphere. And water fluoridation is a prime example of one of the worst medical practices possible-forced medication with no control over the dose or who gets it. Perhaps most shocking of all, it is not subject to any federal regulation. At once painstakingly-documented and also highly-readable, The Case Against Fluoride brings new research to light, including links between fluoride and harm to the brain, bones, and kidneys, and argues that while there is possible value in topical applications like brushing your teeth with fluoride toothpaste, the evidence that swallowing fluoride reduces tooth decay is surprisingly weak.

A lively account of fluoridation and its discontents Since its first implementation in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1945, public drinking water fluoridation and its attendant conflicts, controversies, and conspiracy theories serve as an object lesson in American science, public health, and policymaking. In addition to the arguments on the issue still raging today, the tale of fluoridation and its discontents also resonates with such present concerns as genetically modified foods, global warming response, nuclear power, and environmental regulation. Offering the best current thinking on the issue, The Fluoride Wars presents a witty and detailed social history of the fluoridation debate in America, illuminating the intersection of science and politics in our recent past. This reader-friendly assessment explores the pro- and anti-fluoridation movements, key players, and important events. Full of amusing and vivid anecdotes and examples, this accessible recounting includes: A careful and non-condescending look at the hard science, popular science, pseudo-science, and junk science involved A look at fluoride issues including dosage, cost, financial and funding interests, fluorosis, and problems of risk-cost-benefit analysis The back-and-forth drama between pro- and anti-fluoridation factions, with all its claims, counterclaims, insults, acrimony, and lawsuits Case studies of various cities and their experiences with municipal water fluoridation initiatives Fluorophobia and popular conspiracy theories involving fluoride The colorful characters in the debate including activists, scientists, magicians, and politicians A richly and considerately told tale of American science and public life, The Fluoride Wars offers an engrossing history to both interested general readers and specialists in public health, dentistry, policymaking, and related fields.

Individual susceptibility to disease (i.e., one’s own genetic background) is one of the three main components classically described in the etiology of dental caries. Hence, genes influence susceptibility to erosive tooth wear, dental development, and response to treatments and interventions. This publication is an up-to-date overview of individual susceptibility to dental caries, erosive tooth wear, and disturbances of dental development from different clinically relevant perspectives. One of the most recognized scientists in this field reports on recent research relating to human genetics – from general summaries to recommendations for daily clinical work and population-level interventions. This book covers all aspects of individual susceptibility to dental caries and erosive tooth wear. Several chapters deal with potential biological mechanisms, with additional ones providing a strong foundation in human genetics, and other chapters touch on efficacy of therapies and alternative concepts. This book is particularly recommended to dental medicine students, practitioners, other oral healthcare professionals, and scientists with an interest in translational research on dental caries and erosive tooth wear.

With the narrative punch of Jonathan Harr’s A Civil Action and the commitment to environmental truth-telling of Erin Brockovich, The Fluoride Deception documents a powerful connection between big corporations, the U.S. military, and the historic reassurances of fluoride safety provided by the nation’s public health establishment. The Fluoride Deception reads like a thriller, but one supported by two hundred pages of source notes, years of investigative reporting, scores of scientist interviews, and archival research in places such as the newly opened files of the Manhattan Project and the Atomic Energy Commission. The book is nothing less than an exhumation of one of the great secret narratives of the industrial era: how a grim workplace poison and the most damaging environmental pollutant of the cold war was added to our drinking water and toothpaste.

The past thirty years have witnessed a growing worldwide desire that po- tive actions be taken to restore and protect the environment from the degr- ing effects of all forms of pollution—air, water, soil, and noise. Because pollution is a direct or indirect consequence of waste, the seemingly idealistic demand for “zero discharge” can be construed as an unrealistic demand for zero waste. However, as long as waste continues to exist, we can only attempt to abate the subsequent pollution by converting it to a less noxious form. Three major questions usually arise when a particular type of pollution has been id- tified: (1) How serious is the pollution? (2) Is the technology to abate it ava- able? and (3) Do the costs of abatement justify the degree of abatement achieved? This book is one of the volumes of the Handbook of Environmental Engineering series. The principal intention of this series is to help readers f- mulate answers to the last two questions above. The traditional approach of applying tried-and-true solutions to specific pollution problems has been a major contributing factor to the success of en- ronmental engineering, and has accounted in large measure for the establi- ment of a “methodology of pollution control. ” However, the realization of the ever-increasing complexity and interrelated nature of current environmental problems renders it imperative that intelligent planning of pollution abatement systems be undertaken.