AMESBURY, Mass. –Fluoride is added to the water most of us drink because the government believes it’s a safe and inexpensive way to prevent tooth decay. However, Team 5 Investigates found the Amesbury Water Department pulled fluoride from its system amid concerns about its supply from China. Department of Public Works Director Rob Desmarais said after he mixes the white powder with water, 40 percent of it will not dissolve.

“I don’t know what it is,” Desmarais said. “It’s not soluble, and it doesn’t appear to be sodium fluoride. So we are not quite sure what it is.” Desmarais said the residue clogs his machines and makes it difficult to get a consistent level of fluoride in the town’s water. Since April the fluoride pumps in Amesbury have been turned off and they will stay that way until Desmarais can find out what’s in the fluoride that’s imported from China. Both state and federal health officials told Team 5 Investigates that Chinese fluoride is safe.

The Department of Public Health said it believes that more than 650,000 customers in 44 Massachusetts communities are getting the flouride in question and only Amesbury has temporarily stopped using it. Approximately 1,000 water systems in the United States use the additive to adjust the fluoride in their water supply, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Since 2007, most of the sodium fluoride has been imported from China because it’s the least expensive on the market. “I don’t think that when it comes to something that I ingest every day that the lowest bidder is good enough,” Stewart said. Testing continues to determine the precise composition of the residue.

If the government says it’s safe that’s good enough for me, how about you?




  1. Father says:

    I’d trust Dvorak to tell me what those Communist have sold our Communists before I trusted what my Communists claimed.

  2. Skeptic of the AOBCCS says:

    It’s either melamine or lead.

  3. Rick Cain says:

    Fluorines are a waste byproduct from metals smelting, such as aluminum. Its a genius move for coporations to tout the benefits of fluoride in the water supply, killing 2 birds with one stone by helping get rid of a toxic waste they normally would have to pay to get rid of.

  4. Nobody says:

    Sodium used in nuclear reactors and is so dangerous that it explodes on contact with water.
    Chlorine is used in WWI poison gas and turns into deadly acid on contact with water.

    Yet the government lets our precious little children put both sodium and chlorine on their french fries.

  5. Anon says:

    Well water. I’ll take the toxins from run off over my other options.

  6. Skeptic of the AOBCCS says:

    #4… and water is made from rocket fuel.

  7. DrDuran says:

    As always, “The dose makes the poison.”

  8. jccalhoun says:

    Thousands of people die from water every year and yet they tell people to drink 8 glasses of it every day!

  9. Buzz says:

    Watch out. Chinese fluorides are laced with baby formula!

  10. eggman9713 says:

    First of all, isn’t fluorine in its elemental form a gas? Second, why do we import this stuff from China in the first place? Do we not make enough of it here from all the aluminum smelting plants? or have those all been outsourced too?

  11. Glenn E. says:

    So domestic water additives are too expensive. But imported ones, of questionable quality are much cheaper. And nobody ever thought to check. Go figure! If these state governments can’t afford the domestic brand. Why don’t they do, what they’re doing with education, fire, and police protection. CUT BACK ON IT! Do we really need complete water fluoridation, 24/7 ? Besides, I rather resent the government deciding I must have it in my drinking water. Rather than trusting me to brush regularly. If only they were that conscience of providing some level of free basic health care. A dental plan would be nice. But no, they only want to spring for a weak treatment of the water, to slowdown cavities. Bullsh*t! Mail out some dissoluble tablets. So we can exercise the option of treating only the water we drink. Rather than wasting it on all the water we flush down the tub and toilet, and thru the washing machines.

    Rather than actually prove that this water treatment, significantly reduces tooth decay. They do it anyway, just in case. And are even willing to risk poisoning everyone, with foreign supplies of the stuff.

    It’s this sort of crusader pseudo-science thinking, that makes me question what crackpot solutions will they come up with to reverse Global Warming? And inflict upon us, in order to “save the world”, without any proof that it actually does any good? But they’ll do it anyway, “just in case it might work”. Regardless of its negative side effects. Which they’ll cover up for.

  12. Glenn E. says:

    Dan Berger, looks to be a student of Don Rosa’s art style. For a minute I thought Rosa was doin something other than Scrooge McDuck comics.

  13. The Ragi says:

    Curry’s going to eat this with a spoon!

  14. nyscof says:

    People need to know that domestically produced fluoridation chemicals are allowed to contain trace amounts of lead, arsenic, mercury and other toxins by NSF International (pdf), the US governing body over water additives

    Meanwhile, representatives from the Centers for Disease Control tell legislators lies about the safety of fluoridation. See

  15. clancys_daddy says:

    I think I am going to call BS I have been in the business of water treatment for 20+ years both potable and non-potable. This sounds more like a bad operator. Chinese made fluoride? No way this is cheaper than domestic. Why feed powder, when liquid is easily accessible and easier to introduce, and easier to regulate the dosage. “I don’t think that when it comes to something that I ingest every day that the lowest bidder is good enough,” and what color is the sky in your world.

  16. RSweeney says:

    clancy_daddy… having been involved with ingredients selection for consumer products as a product development manager, I can assure you that almost any commodity – even simple stuff – from China is cheaper – predatory cheaper.. but at a cost.

    ANYTHING you source from China needs 100% testing for actual content. There’s just too many hidden levels of trading on goods over there. Too many places for substitution and fraud.

    And quite frankly, honesty just takes second seat to profit in China and thanks to the Chinese “legal” system, they can not be successfully sued by foreigners for negligence.
    The best you can hope for is some local Chinese to die, then the government will execute those responsible (unless of course they are politically well connected, in which case someone else will be killed), but dead non-Chinese doesn’t seem to bother them.

    As for powder vs liquid, one typically mixes powder into water on-site to make a batch, then add the solution with a metering pump. Shipping and storing water is expensive.

  17. Benjamin says:

    So the Chinese poisoned the poison that was dumped into the water?

    http://holisticmed.com/fluoride/

    I want to drink clean water. Not this poison.

  18. Benjamin says:

    I specifically get bottled water to drink that does not contain fluoride. Fluoride will hurt you even if the Chinese did not poison it. In fact, the Chinese poisons might be better for you than the fluoride.

  19. CrankyGeeksFan says:

    Recent article about arsenic in apple juice concentrate, a majority of which comes from China.

    http://www.tampabay.com/news/health/arsenic-in-apple-juice-how-much-is-too-much/1079395

  20. Mr. Fusion says:

    So many misconceptions, …

    As used, fluoride in water is safe.

    Fluoride treated water does help to reduce tooth decay.

    Fluoridated water is more efficient at reducing cavities than fluoridated toothpaste alone. Together they are a large improvement.

    Powders are safer to handle than liquids. Especially gases as highly reactive as fluorine.

    Gases held in powder form often have inert residues.

  21. Philip says:

    The National Academy of Sciences did a thorough review on fluoride in 2006. They documented numerous deleterious effects of fluoride on many organ systems including increased potential risk for bone fractures (the well characterized disease of skeletal fluorosis) possibly increased risk of osteosarcoma, reduced IQ, thyroid dysfunction, endocrine dysfunction and others all 300 pages is online if anyone cares to confirm it. Of course don’t forget fluoride induced dental fluorsosis (i.e. teeth mottling and a sign of toxic exposure to fluoride) They ended with recommending that the EPA should more strictly regulate fluoride. Their findings mirror those in the peer-reviewed medical literature, while Harvard trained toxicologist Phyllis Mullenix also extensively documented behavioral changes in mice upon exposure to blood levels of fluoride not far greater than those experienced through water fluoridation and other sources of exposure. Former, well credentialed EPA scientists have been fired for bucking the political line on this issue. Meanwhile 90% of the fluoride placed into our water supply is not industrial grade sodium fluoride, it is silicofluorides, quite simply, scraped from the sides of Florida phosphate plant smokestacks. If it weren’t thrown into the water supply it would have to be disposed of as hazardous waste. You can read more on this starting here http://healthjournalclub.blogspot.com/2009/11/water-fluoridation-part-i.html if you suspect I am just making this all up.

  22. Rick Cain says:

    One wierd irony about toothpastes…

    Fluouride in toothpaste does not soak into your teeth. The only way you get the fluoride from the toothpaste is by swallowing small amounts of it. Thats why the label tells you to not swallow or eat it, because you should only ingest small amounts while brushing as an incidental effect of rinsing your mouth.

    One interesting thing: Its very likely your children are intentionally swallowing the toothpaste after they brush because most don’t know better to spit it out.


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