Fluoride: A Friend Who Wants to Harm You
It’s the poison rebranded as a health aid. For generations, fluoride has been associated with healthy bones and teeth, and added to water. Fluoride compounds are everywhere, from non-stick pans and pizza boxes to water resistant clothes. But it’s only good for us in quantities that are surprisingly easy to exceed. Above that it can be toxic. In 2010 the World Health Organization classified fluoride, alongside asbestos and arsenic, as one of the ten chemicals that pose the greatest risk to human health. And even at low doses, its toxicity is worrying scientists. It can remain in the body for years and is transmitted to babies via breastfeeding. In this film we reveal how, in the 1930s, fluoride was rebranded as being good for us and investigate some of the health risks associated with it.