Fluoride is an endocrine chemical

I congratulate the Irish Examiner for the article of June 3 highlighting the dangers to human health of endocrine disruptive chemicals. However, it’s a pity that the researcher did not mention that fluoride is the one endocrine chemical that the Irish public are exposed to the most, and in far greater concentrations than any other European country.

A recent, comprehensive scientific review, published in Endocrine Reviews (2012), lists water fluoridation as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), with reported low-dose effects in animals or humans.

The report documented that fluoride inhibits insulin secretion, inhibits parathyroid hormone secretion, and reduces thyroid hormone output. Furthermore, a subsequent study, submitted by a group of international experts assessing EDCs for the World Health Organisation and the United Nations Environment Programme, also listed fluoride as a low-dose EDC.