Prompt Cast
The Controversy Surrounding Fluoride and its Potential Health Risks
TLDR Fluoride, which is found in many products we ingest, has been added to water and toothpaste to improve dental health. While major dental and health organizations endorse its use, there are studies suggesting that fluoride may not be safe and can lead to dental fluorosis, seizures, gastrointestinal upset, and lower IQ. The decision to add fluoride to drinking water in the US was influenced by the aluminum industry and other private sectors, and studies linking fluoride to cancer and lower IQs have been repressed.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Fluoride is added to our water supply, toothpaste, and other products, and is difficult to avoid because it is found in many things we ingest.
03:41
Fluoride was added to water and toothpaste to improve dental health, and while major dental and health organizations endorse its use, there are studies that suggest fluoride may not be safe and that overexposure can lead to dental fluorosis.
07:30
Fluoride exposure can degrade teeth and bones, cause seizures and gastrointestinal upset, lower IQ, and there is a correlation between high fluoride exposure and low IQ according to studies conducted in China and other countries.
11:16
Fluoride was added to drinking water in the US starting in 1947, and this decision was influenced by the aluminum industry and other private sectors.
15:03
Bernays was funded by industrialists to promote the idea that fluoride is good for you, and doctors were used as authorities to convince the public, regardless of their knowledge on the subject.
18:35
Studies linking fluoride to cancer and lower IQs have been repressed, including the work of Phyllis Mullen-Ex, a Harvard researcher who was fired before publishing her findings on the link between cancer, lower IQ, and fluoride.
22:21
Legitimate groups are re-evaluating studies on the health risks of fluoride, with some scientists and organizations speaking out against its use in water due to evidence of adverse health effects and lack of significant benefits.
26:10
The hosts read listener mail about a possible explanation for the lightning incident, which could be ball lightning, but its existence has never been conclusively proven.
29:36
The hosts ask listeners to send emails about anything, and provide the email address for contact.
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Society & Culture
