Page 56 - Special Issue: Healthy Baby

All Thumbs Book Reviews

The Fluoride Deception science, and eventually to change public opinion
by Christopher Bryson despite gruesome evidence of fluoride’s toxicity.
Seven Stories Press Before the days of environmental awareness,
factories simply spewed their pollutants directly
One of the attractions of exploring the into the surrounding air, water and soil. The
Weston A. Price nutritional principles is the industries essential to World War II created vast
happy frenzy of touting butter’s benefits to amounts of toxic, fluoridated byproducts. The
friends and family. There is a real joy in sharing Manhattan Project itself provided medical in-
kefir cultures, sauerkraut tricks and new soup vestigators with mounting evidence of fluoride’s
recipes. Introducing loved ones to the idea that toxicity. Though patriotic farmers wouldn’t sue
they (and their trusted doctors) have been duped for damages during the war, afterwards farmers
by industry is a decidedly less agreeable aspect tried to get some compensation for such problems
of our expanding awareness. as “something is burning up the peach crops
Fluoride’s long history in America is con- around here, poultry died after an all-night thun-
Bryson fusing and emotional. Most people won’t even derstorm, fields are sometimes strewn with dead

presents question fluoride’s role as a dental health aid. cattle, and workers who ate the produce vomited
many Enter Bryson’s exposé, The Fluoride Deception, all night and into the next day.” Some cows be-
which reads like a mystery novel, and unflinch-
came so crippled by the wartime pollution that
examples of ingly marches us through a scientific examination they “grazed by crawling on their bellies.”
the shattered of fluoride’s known and suspected toxicity over Workers in wartime industries were not
lives and the past 80 years. The story is exciting, appall- protected from “gross violations of safety” so

ing, and at times simply incredible. It would that most were exposed to dangerous levels of
shattered be comforting to write off such a longstanding fluoride compounds. In fact, by the end of 1944,
careers of industry and government cover-up as a fanciful two DuPont employees had died from fluoride
those conspiracy. Yet, fully a third of the book is devot- overdoses. The workers all knew these plants
ed to meticulously noted references to published, were causing severe health problems like fibrotic
scientists suppressed, and recently declassified documents. lungs and chemical burns, but it was all kept quiet
who dared to With so many wonderful new book titles officially. Industry was terrified that the workers

speak clamoring for our attention the question arises: would find out how dangerous their jobs really
were.
why should I read a book so potentially depress-

honestly ing—or infuriating—depending upon my consti- Close to my home—where dentists are
about the tution? The answer quite simply: knowledge is pushing hard for mandatory water fluoridation
demonstrated power. If it weren’t, industry wouldn’t have spent this year—one farming family sued Reynolds
billions of dollars over the years shaping public Metals in Portland, Oregon, in the 1950s for the

hazards of opinion to convince us that fluoride is beneficial devastating health problems they experienced on
ingesting and even perhaps “essential.” Bryson thoroughly their Troutdale ranch. Paul Martin’s cattle were

fluoride in documents the successful tactics of industry to dying; they had badly mottled teeth, a clear sign
withhold safety information from workers, to of fluoride poisoning. His young daughter be-
any form. protect itself from litigation, to skew government came sore from walking and her ankles clicked.

54 Wise Traditions