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Re:When half a million Americans died and nobody noticed by Peaker on Thursday May 10, 2012 @06:09PM (#3956388)
I thought fluoride is put in water for its teeth/health benefits.
Re:When half a million Americans died and nobody noticed by bdonlan on Thursday May 10, 2012 @07:37PM (#3956744)
It is. Chlorine is what is used for disinfecting the water supply.
Re:When half a million Americans died and nobody noticed by 46Bit on Thursday May 10, 2012 @09:02PM (#3957015)
Indeed, it's supposed to protect teeth of people unable to afford toothpaste. Whilst it actually just causes cancer. In a similar way to how X-raying everyone who wants to get on a plane protects us from non-existent terrorists.
Re:When half a million Americans died and nobody noticed by Pwnguinz on Friday May 11, 2012 @09:49AM (#3959154)
Do you have a source for your first statement? Not that I'm implying you are lying. Certainly it's added as a mineral fortifier, but to protect the teeth of people unable to afford toothpaste? That is news to me.
Re:When half a million Americans died and nobody noticed by ams6110 on Friday May 11, 2012 @10:22AM (#3959295)
Flouride additions to water was started in the 1960s or 1970s as a public health initiative to fight tooth decay, a significant health problem. It was not added as a "fortifier" in the same way that vitamin D is commonly added to milk.
Re:When half a million Americans died and nobody noticed by kragen on Friday May 11, 2012 @07:35PM (#3961991)
Fluoride is not a nutrient. It is added to drinking water for the same reason it is present in toothpaste: to convert tooth enamel from hydroxyapatite to harder and more acid-resistant fluoroapatite. For details, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluoride_therapy http://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11571 http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00056796.htm.
Re:When half a million Americans died and nobody noticed by sp332 on Thursday May 10, 2012 @08:37PM (#3956934)
Oh yeah, my mistake.
Re:When half a million Americans died and nobody noticed by gcb on Friday May 11, 2012 @08:06AM (#3958792)
which makes as much sense as putting soap in our milk to keep us clean.

name one person in this day and age that does not brush their theets with a fluoride tooth paste.

Re:When half a million Americans died and nobody noticed by Peaker on Friday May 11, 2012 @08:54AM (#3958928)
Is the benefit only for those who don't brush? Isn't it meant to provide the body with the fluoride it needs for the teeth?