Iodine deficiency ! - falling intakes - goitregens - competition bromine and fluorine

[R.B.]

From this study it appears that zinc are iron are unlikely to inhibit fluoride uptake or visa versa, but as discussed both have wider roles in the body and thyroid.

Influence of Zinc and Iron on Dietary Fluoride
Utilization in the Rat1
FLORIAN L. CERKLEWSKI ANDJAMES W.
RIDLINGTON
Department of Foods and Nutrition, College of Home
Economics, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331

Our studies were specifically designed to provide concepts about the effects of dietary trace element supplementation practices on dietary fluoride bioavailability especially in terms of fluoride originating from foods prepared in fluoridated water. Our results suggest that either iron or zinc can be added to foods to improve nutritional value without com promising the availability of food fluoride

[R.B.]

This British Fluoridation Society looked at the impact of trace minerals on fluoride in water and their interaction in the water itself but NOT in the body.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...56643336,d.d2k

They concluded page 4 in their "independent expert review of the chemistry and uptake (bio-availability) of fluoride in drinking water" ) "that the effect of calcium magnesium and sodium - on the chemical reaction and hence uptake of fluoride - is small" page 17

The observation that little reaction occurred in water between fluorine and minerals is interesting, because it tells us that the majority of the interaction of minerals and fluoride referred to in papers in the posts above were as a result of complex interactions in the body and or gut biome, rather than within the water itself.

But there is something rather depressing in the fact that what appears to be an important official report, fails to examine the core issues, viz metabolism in the human body, and yet draws a wide conclusion; a presumption that the mineral content of water has no effect of the uptake of fluoride in humans.

The failure to consider uptake of fluoride as affected by other minerals by reference to human metabolism must logically add uncertainty as to examinations by region in support of the claimed benefits for fluoridation, and levels of fluoride water supplementation ultimately selected, because the reality is human absorption of fluoride will depend on the wider mineralisation of the water at least to some extent.

There has also been no consideration of the lifetime impact of fluoride on mineral availability and uptake in humans from water in a world where mineral intakes in humans and livestock are dropping due to falling levels of minerals in food.

[R.B.]

For the avoidance of doubt there is a mass of evidence that fluoride has an important role in the hardness of enamel, and topical delivery (viz toothpaste) has been shown to increase hardness of enamel, but it appears there may be non-flouridated products that also increase enamel hardness.

Fluoride is found in sea water and soil, and certainly has a role in the biological function of the body. As with many things the level of toxicity is in the dose; many things that are essential to human existence are toxic in abnormal amounts including water. It does appear that the level of flouride intake in breast fed infants is low, and nature evolution or intelligent design appears to have arranged it that way, so maybe there is a lesson there.

However overall fouride is not per se toxic, but is harmful in inappropriate amounts in the given circumstances, which will depend on other dietary factors, age, and probably genetic makeup . . .

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...56643336,d.ZGU This paper looked at 5 different tooth pastes some with fluoride and some without on extracted teeth in artificial saliva. Interestingly the non fluoridated products had similar effects on hardness.

It is also interesting that they used chlorinated water to soften the teeth first. OK it was for 24 hours, but the fact is still thought provoking given "There have been several case reports of competitive swimmers suffering dental erosion from swimming in gas-chlorinated pools (Centerwall et al, 1986)."

Toothpaste can contain large amounts of fluoride. In this paper those pastes that contained fluoride had 900 - 1000 mg of fluoride per kg. For this reason it is important not to swallow or eat toothpaste, and to rinse really well after brushing. Further apparently the amount used should be the size of a pea rather than a wide strip down the brush.

As a child I and others would occasionally eat small amounts of toothpaste because it tasted good, used the lots on the brush because that is what they did in the adverts, and were not very fussy about rinsing because we knew that toothpaste was good for teeth. Nobody mentioned the wider issues of fluoride excess.

The debate is are there better ways of delivering products fluoride to teeth that may protect them against erosion than inclusion in drinking water, and are any potential benefits of fluoridation of water outweighed by other heath risks brought by the additive effect of fluoride in water, in addition to the modern-day increased occurrence of fluoride in the environment and in foods?

[R.B.]

A highly thought provoking new fluoride alert video.

As previously stated fluoride is a naturally occurring substance which likely has roles in the body even if we are as yet unclear exactly what they are, (and the same goes for rare elements such as arsenic, which is commonly known to be highly toxic, but none the less in the tiny amounts to which we are usually exposed may have roles in cellular function). Fluoride clearly causes medical problems in inappropriate quantities, and but in appropriate amounts when applied direct to teeth has been shown to increase enamel hardness.

The problem is in the modern world we are at risk of having too much fluoride in our dietary / water/ tooth product / medical / airborne sources, and as a population are largely unaware of the dangers it poses in excess.

The situation is further complicated by the fact we are often deficient in other minerals, the level of ingestion of fluoride depends on the food source it is found in and the other minerals therein, and we are putting large amounts of fluoride into the environment which we ingest through air water and the food chain, all of which begs the question is the fluoridation of water still appropriate.



http://fluoridealert.org/fan-tv/10-facts/

[R.B.]

A highly thought provoking video lecture by Jorge Flechas - he is clearly impassioned to communicate his experience using iodine with patients - it is sad there is not more research into the issues raised . . . as regularly observed there is great debate about what constitutes the optimal intake band of iodine either for repairing deficiency or ongoing maintenance. There is significant evidence that the Japanese have a much higher intake than those in the west; from 1mg a day up depending which source is examined - how much higher is debated - clearly there must be papers that support the higher intake figures in pregnancy but as yet I have not managed to find them - I will try harder


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uc4Q3kzBSc4#t=1865

[R.B.]

See below a crash resulted in a duplicated post - apologies

[R.B.]

^ This is a 2011 study

Iodine status of pregnant and postpartum Japanese women: effect of iodine intake on maternal and neonatal thyroid function in an iodine-sufficient area.

http://jcem.endojournals.org/content/96/12/3846.long

Based on the secretion of iodine in urine there seems to be a wide variation of intakes in pregnant women from insufficient to probably quite high. There is no suggestion that higher intakes were harmful, but equally the subject is not discussed,beyond reference to one or two figures.

Modern intakes may not be representative of historic intakes, and it will a long time before we know what is happening to the incidence of cancer etc.

ABSTRACT

"The rates of the pregnant and postpartum women who excreted iodine less than 100 μg/liter (0.79 μmol/liter) were 16.1% (110 of 684 women) and 35.7% (190 of 532 women), respectively (P < 0.0001). High iodine excretion greater than 500 μg/liter (4.0 μmol/liter) was found in 22.2% (152 of 684) of pregnant women and 14.1% (75 of 532) of postpartum women (P = 0.0003). Extremely high UI values exceeding 1000 μg/liter (7.9 μmol/liter) were found in 13.5% (92 of 684) of pregnant women and 6.6% (35 of 532) of postpartum women (P < 0.0001)."

[R.B.]

Whilst looking for something on a totally different biological topic I came across these two blogs by an MD / radiologist on iodine and breast cancer.

The first http://jeffreydachmd.com/breast-canc...n-with-iodine/ is interesting because it points out;

"Potassium iodide has been prescribed safely to large numbers pulmonary (COPD) patients in amounts of up to 6 grams per day for several years. This is a well known treatment for chronic obstructiove pulmonary disease (COPD) which helps mobilize lung secretions. (18)"

Please NOTE the above amount is in GRAMS, US recommendations are in micrograms (one millionth of a gram) and Japanese recommendations in milligrams on thousandth of a gram - So 6 grams is a lot in terms of current dietary recommendation; 2000 times the Japanese recommendation of 3mg - yes this was /is? being used as a medicine and is not the sort of amount any Doctor I have seen is recommending as a normal dietary intake. It would be fascinating to know what side effects have been observed in what percentage of patients etc.

and also says

"The FDA has officially stated that Iodine supplementation is safe and actually recommends 165 mg of Iodine for adults in case of Radiation Emergency to protect the population from thyroid cancer. (17)"






The second http://jeffreydachmd.com/iodine-treats-breast-cancer/ is interesting for its extensive list of references set out in a clear format, along with some case histories report by Dr Brownstein in his book which were either not in the earlier version or I had forgotten about them .

"
Iodine Treats Breast Cancer, Overwhelming Evidence by Jeffrey Dach MD
Arrow points to Breast Cancer on PET SCAN

Arrow points to Breast Cancer on PET SCAN

Iodine Treats Breast Cancer, the Overwhelming Evidence

by Jeffrey Dach MD

This article is Part Two of a series. For Part One , Click Here.

Spontaneous Regression of Breast Cancer

David Brownstein MD reports three cases of spontaneous regression of breast cancer after women take iodine supplementation.(1) (This is reported on page 63 of the Iodine Book by David Brownstein MD.)

Joan, an English Teacher

The first patient, Joan a 63 year old English teacher, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1989, declined conventional treatment, and took 50 mg per day of Iodoral, (Iodine). Six weeks later, a PET scan (left image) showed, “all of the existing tumors were disintegrating”. Upper Left Image: Upper two frames is a PET scan showing breast cancer )(red arrows). Lower two frames is a CAT scan showing enhancing breast cancer mass, red arrow. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Delores

The second patient, 73 year old Delores, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003. She declined conventional treatment with radiation and chemotherapy. Instead, Dolores took 50 mg of Iodoral daily. A follow up ultrasound of the breast 18 months later showed,” It appears that these malignancies have diminished in size since the last examination. Interval improvement is definitely seen,” Two years later a follow up mammogram and ultrasound failed to show any abnormality and were read by the radiologist as normal.

Joyce

The third patient, 52 year old Joyce was diagnosed with breast cancer two years prior (left image), and started on Iodoral 50 mg per day. Three years after starting Iodoral, her follow up mammograms and ultrasound exams show decreasing size of the tumor with no progression.(1) . . .


MORE FOLLOWS http://jeffreydachmd.com/iodine-treats-breast-cancer/

[R.B.]

Another accidental find, not what I was searching for but is fascinating.

If you open this link http://books.google.com/books?id=7v7...ontent&f=false
it will take you to a page of a book called the Iodine Hand Book.

The graph graphically shows the effect of food based iodine blockers on the uptake of iodine by the thyroid; the effect is significant !

Earlier graphs in the pages above the one referred to show that the body maintains fairly stable levels of T4 in-spite of the presence of food based iodine blockers where iodine is adequate.

Another graph shows the effect of iodine intake an blockers on thyroid size.

The relative distribution of iodine between organs and tissue in the body is presumably dependent on iodine intake. I postulate if intake is low most iodine will be found in the thyroid, but when iodine intake is high most will be found mainly other tissues. This would explain the different figures that are given as to the distribution of iodine in the body. The gender of the test animal will also logically have a bearing on the results.

It appears the body is protective of the iodine status of the thyroid, and the focus on it to the exclusion of other iodine research is distorting our views and knowledge on wider iodine metabolism.

The atomic and molecular properties of iodine, its size, potential to bond in many different ways, and odd snippets of research suggest we have hardly even begun to understand the wide roles of iodine in the body.

http://books.google.com/books?id=7v7...ontent&f=false

[R.B.]

I do not have access to the full papers but from a wider perspective this is intriguing.

Firstly those with cystic fibrosis may commonly be iodine deficient, presumably due to uptake issues. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23107148(Low selenium may be an issue too it has been suggested - selenium is important to the metabolism of iodine)

and in 1956 an salivary iodine based test was proposed for cystic fibrosis of the pancreas.

All of which raises all sorts of questions and possibilities, and particularly so given iodine's association with the mucal membranes /systems / sweating etc

A SCREENING TEST FOR CYSTIC FIBROSIS OF THE PANCREAS USING ANALYSIS OF SALIVA

Wayne Hart,
Mansour J. Naime

+ Author Affiliations

Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri
The Department of Pediatrics, University of Kansas School of Medicine

Abstract

A screening test for cystic fibrosis of the pancreas utilizing analysis of saliva for iodine after oral administration of Lipiodol® is presented. Tables provide the results obtained from testing 11 children who have cystic fibrosis of the pancreas and 30 children who have no evidence of this disease. It is indicated that the test can be easily and rapidly performed.

[R.B.]

Essence = adequate selenium is very important if you are eating iodine rich foods viz kelp or using iodine supplementation.

This is a bit nerdy but hopefully the detail below will help with the gist; don't worry I do not understand all of it either (-:

This paper looks at the effects of higher iodine intakes on the thyroid and the response of the thyroid which includes the productions of selenium related antioxidants.

The graphs plotting the action of the iodine importer shows it reduces in activity, but interestingly does not 'shut down' totally. http://mend.endojournals.org/content...expansion.html

Similarly T3 and T4 fall but do not 'shut down'. http://mend.endojournals.org/content...expansion.html

This leaves me wondering how accurate the common descriptions of the Wolff-Chaikoff as a 'shut down' effect are, or if something different to what is observed in this paper happens at much higher intakes.

The idea of a healthy normal thyroid that efficiently and rapidly adapts its intake to the amount of iodine in the system has a ring of natures common sense about it - is this what this data and the Wolff-Chiakoff data suggests? - the data above raises the question was the choice of the description 'shut down' used for the sometimes rapid auto-regulation of iodine uptake / fall in hormone production by the thyroid an unfortunate one because it implied a reaction that was more dramatic than that observed viz rapid auto-regulation ? - hopefully there will be more research to answer these questions . . .

Also can extra thyroidal iodine when present in high amounts for example as iodine attached to lipids etc, and or extra-thyrodial production of related hormones for example from the ovaries in any way partially compensate for lower T3 and T4?

Much science has to discover yet methinks, and within the known sea of knowledge I am still not yet a toddler.

The paper is available in full - I hope that applies to you to

Regulation of Thyroid Oxidative State by Thioredoxin Reductase Has a Crucial Role in Thyroid Responses to Iodide Excess

Suzana G. Leoni,
Edna T. Kimura,
Pilar Santisteban and
Antonio De la Vieja

http://mend.endojournals.org/content/25/11/1924.long

"In summary, our results provide new information about the molecular events involved in thyroid autoregulation by high doses of I−. First, we determined that the rapid blockade of I− uptake in thyroid cells is not occurring in parallel to NIS mRNA and protein modulation and also that it is not caused by NIS internalization. These observations suggest an inactivation of NIS localized at the plasma membrane. Second, the incorporation of large amounts of I− increases ROS species in the thyroid cell above basal levels. As a consequence, the expression and activity of TxnRd selenoproteins increase to compensate oxidation and avoid cell toxicity. Thus, these selenoproteins participate in thyroid I− autoregulation by allowing the restoration of a normal thyroid cell oxidation state and NIS reexpression"

[R.B.]

Here is another paper looking at the Wolff-Chaikoff effect, here again after ingestion / injection of a large amount of iodine there is a large fall in uptake, and temporary drop in T3 and T4, (T3 then recovers, and T4 increases) a metabolic adjustment but hardly a thyroid 'shutdown' as often described, in the in the normal sense of the word 'shutdown'.


http://endo.endojournals.org/content...expansion.html

http://endo.endojournals.org/content/140/8/3404.long

[R.B.]

More suggestions of connection between iodine breast health and estrogen metabolism; the paper also suggests that iodine may indirectly affect BRAC1 related metabolism . . . thought provoking stuff.

Interestingly breast health appears to be dependent at least in part on iodine rather than iodide and at least in part of the independent of supply of iodine by T3 and T4 indicating thyroid independent effects of iodine, in addition to possible as yet unidentified mechanisms



Iodine Alters Gene Expression in the MCF7 Breast Cancer Cell Line: Evidence for an Anti-Estrogen Effect of Iodine

Frederick R. Stoddard II,1,2 Ari D. Brooks,1 Bernard A. Eskin,3 and Gregg J. Johannes2
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2452979/

The protective effects of iodine on breast cancer have been postulated from epidemiologic evidence and described in animal models. The molecular mechanisms responsible have not been identified but laboratory evidence suggests that iodine may inhibit cancer promotion through modulation of the estrogen pathway. To elucidate the role of iodine in breast cancer, the effect of Lugol's iodine solution (5% I2, 10% KI) on gene expression was analyzed in the estrogen responsive MCF-7 breast cancer cell line. Microarray analysis identified 29 genes that were up-regulated and 14 genes that were down-regulated in response to iodine/iodide treatment. The altered genes included several involved in hormone metabolism as well as genes involved in the regulation of cell cycle progression, growth and differentiation. Quantitative RT-PCR confirmed the array data demonstrating that iodine/iodide treatment increased the mRNA levels of several genes involved in estrogen metabolism (CYP1A1, CYP1B1, and AKR1C1) while decreasing the levels of the estrogen responsive genes TFF1 and WISP2. This report presents the results of the first gene array profiling of the response of a breast cancer cell line to iodine treatment. In addition to elucidating our understanding of the effects of iodine/iodide on breast cancer, this work suggests that iodine/iodide may be useful as an adjuvant therapy in the pharmacologic manipulation of the estrogen pathway in women with breast cancer.


The high rate of breast disease in women with thyroid abnormalities (both dietary and clinical) suggests a correlation between thyroid and breast physiology 1-3. In addition, women with breast cancer have larger thyroid volumes then controls 2. Multiple studies suggest that abnormalities in iodine metabolism are the likely link 4-7. Additionally, the impact of iodine therapy for the maintenance of healthy breast tissue has been reported in both animal 4-7 and clinical studies 8, 9 yet the mechanisms responsible remain unclear . . . http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2452979/ FREE FULL TEXT


Evidence indicates that the impact of iodine treatment on breast tissue is independent of thyroid function. For example, iodine deficient rats given the thyroid hormone thyroxine (T4) did not achieve reduced tumor growth following NMU treatment suggesting that the effect of iodine on tumor growth is independent of the thyroid gland or thyroid hormone 7. Additionally, Eskin et al and others have reported that administration of molecular iodine has a greater impact on tumor growth than the equivalent dose of iodide 5-9. Since the thyroid primarily utilizes iodide as opposed to iodine 5, this data supports the hypothesis that iodine is not acting through the thyroid.

In addition to differences in the metabolism of iodine, the mechanisms of iodine and iodide uptake appear to differ. While iodide uptake is essentially via the Sodium-Iodide Symporter (NIS) in the thyroid, data suggests that iodine uptake in the breast may be NIS-independent, possibly through a facilitated diffusion system 12. Together this data indicates that the effect of iodine on breast cancer progression is in part independent of thyroid function and suggests that iodine's protective effect on breast cancer progression is elicited through its direct interactions with breast cancer cells.

[Hopeful]

Saw this and thought it worthy of posting - beware of OTC "thyroid boosting" supplements:

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/0...ef=health&_r=0

Hopeful

[R.B.]

There is some powerful information, tables and graphs in this chapter of a publication on a site called Thyroid Disease Manager, particularly on the importance of iodine to brain development and function.

http://www.thyroidmanager.org/chapte...ncy-disorders/

It is fascinating that iodine is so crucial to a burst of brain development at the end of the first trimester and into the second 8-20 weeks - ergo pre-conceptual nutrition is fundamental.

Interestingly apparently iodine intake is important to the development of abstract thought!

It is scary the number of pregnant women who are iodine insufficient; viz 70% in the UK, and even in Australia where they iodize bread etc.

The cost of iodine is miniscule compared to the costs of deficiency.

Based on Japanese intakes and outcomes I strongly question the current western paradigm / fear to supplement based on the assessment that total intakes above 1mg may lead to unacceptable levels of thyroiditis etc; there is growing evidence that the problem is not so much higher iodide but a lack of selenium, and or other factors such as the presence of high amounts of fluoride, lack of vitamin D etc (See prior posts generally); which is not to deny in a few it may be a problem, but my guess based on the Japanese experience is that any risks that would be associated with food supplementation within reasonable bounds eg maybe targeting an intake level of 500micrograms, providing accompanied by selenium, would be massively outweighed by the gains in population based health and more subtle wider mental performance benefits.

[R.B.]

This is a very useful examination of the Iodine issue on the Western Price site which contains some material I had not seen before.

http://www.westonaprice.org/metaboli...-iodine-debate

I found the reference to historic intakes in the USA of iodine particularly interesting " Thirty years ago, when iodine consumption was twice as high as it is now (480 mcg per day) one in twenty women developed breast cancer. Thirty years ago, consumption of iodized salt was higher than it is today; in addition a form of iodine was used as a dough conditioner in making bread, and each slice of bread contained 0.14 mg of iodine. In 1980, bread makers started using bromide as a conditioner instead, which competes with iodine for absorption into the thyroid gland and other tissues in the body. Iodine was also more widely used in the dairy industry as a teat cleaner thirty years ago than it is now. According to this argument, 15 percent of the U.S. adult female population suffers from moderate to severe iodine deficiency.1"

I would be really interested to know if they saw higher levels of hyperthyroidism, which is one of the regularly advanced arguments against increasing the current intake recommendations.

I had not really taken on board that in some countries salt was fluoridated for example it appears both Germany and Switzerland inter alia fluoridate salt

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16156167
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16156165

Is intake in those that eat a lot of salt maybe sufficient to affect thyroid function - is this a potential issue; I have no idea but maybe worthy of consideration.

As referenced above iodine in salt will sublime so and it appears that the amounts of iodine in table salt may vary considerably; but I suspect fluoride levels would remain more stable, so users could end up with most of the fluoride but not much of the iodine - as ever just more unanswered questions . . .

As pointed out by Sally Fallon matters of health and nutrition are rarely straight forward.

[R.B.]

^ and does vitamin D have a role in hyperthyroidism

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3461753/

"We have reported significantly lower vitamin D levels in Indian patients with hyperthyroidism 2. In this study, 30 patients with thyrotoxicosis were studied for vitamin D status and bone mineral density (BMD). The mean 25 (OH) vitamin D levels in patient group were 15.3±7.1 ng/ml and 30 per cent of patients had severe vitamin D deficiency (<10 ng/ml). We have postulated hyperpigmentation of skin, malabsorption and increased vitamin D metabolism as possible mechanisms of vitamin D deficiency in hyperthyroidism3. Authors of the present study1 have not cited this important paper which was first reported study on this subject from India. Goswami et al4 have reported malabsorption in Indian patients with hyperthyroidism. According to this study significant number of patients (46%) with thyrotoxicosis in India had fat mal- absorption4. Absorption of fat soluble vitamins such as vitamin D is likely to be hindered in such a state. It is worthwhile to study correlation between steatorrhea and vitamin D status in these patients with thyrotoxicosis. "


http://press.endocrine.org/doi/abs/10.1210/en.2008-1191

Vitamin D Deficiency Modulates Graves’ Hyperthyroidism Induced in BALB/c Mice by Thyrotropin Receptor Immunization

[R.B.]

http://www.vitamindwiki.com/Hashimot...ltiple+studies


Some great studies suggesting a link between low Vitamin D and an increased risk of Hasimotos


Relative Vitamin D Insufficiency in Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (2011)

"Conclusions: We showed that serum 25OHD levels of patients with HT were significantly lower than controls and severity of vitamin-D deficiency correlated with duration of HT, thyroid volume and antibody levels. These findings may suggest a potential role of 25OHD in development of Hashimoto's thyroiditis and/or its progression to hypothyroidism. "

Hashimoto's autoimmune thyroiditis and vitamin D deficiency. Current aspects. (Feb 2014)

Risk of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis reduced 19 percent for each 5 ng increase in vitamin D – March 2014

"Conclusions
Our study suggested that higher serum 25OHD levels was associated with decreased risk of HT so that each 5 ng/ml increase in the serum 25OHD levels results in 19 % decrease in odds of HT. "

[dauntricastewart]

The Deficiency of Iodine in Asia is not so much prominent, but in the West the percentage of Deficiency of Iodine is higher which is major factor causing diseases related Breast.

[R.B.]

More sources of flouride from Flouride Alert - I have copied and pasted some of the content below, but it is worth visiting the site - there is more mind numbing information on this page in relation to developmental issues - flouride can both be used to kill bugs on foods and fumigate warehouses to kill bugs in them - apparently in the US it is not obligatory to move food when fumigating warehouses which where relevant could result in very high fluoride loads in food twice a year! - so you really do not know what little extras you might be getting this Thanksgiving or Christmas

http://fluoridealert.org/issues/sources/f-pesticides/

Pesticides

Due to its high toxicity, fluoride has long been used as a pesticide. In the United States, there are currently two fluoride-based pesticides that are allowed to be sprayed on food. These are: cryolite and sulfuryl fluoride.

2) According to data from the USDA (2005), the average fluoride levels in grape products are as follows:

White grape juice = 2.13 ppm
White wine = 2.02 ppm
Red wine = 1.05 ppm
Raisins = 2.34 ppm

3) Many juice drinks that are not labeled as “grape juice” use grape juice as a filler ingredient. The use of cryolite thus contaminates many juices with fluoride.

4) Cryolite is also allowed to be added to the following products (although it is unclear how many producers actually do so, and what the resulting fluoride levels are):

Apricot, Broccoli, Brussels Sprout, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Citrus fruit, Collards, Eggplant, Kale, Kiwifruit, Kohlrabi, Lettuce, Melon, Nectarine, Peach, Pepper, Plum, Pumpkin, Squash (summer & winter), Tomato, and a number of Berries (Blackberry, Blueberry (huckleberry) Boysenberry, Cranberry, Dewberry, Loganberry, Raspberry, Strawberry, Youngberry).


Direct Fumigation of Food

6) The EPA also allows food processors to use sulfuryl fluoride as a direct fumigant of certain foods. This means that food processors can purposely spray sulfuryl fluoride directly onto certain foods.

7) Unlike structural fumigation (which takes place once or twice a year), direct fumigation is a routinely performed procedure. Thus, foods that can be directly fumigated with sulfuryl fluoride will consistently have elevated fluoride levels.

8) According to EPA’s estimates, some of the foods that will be most commonly fumigated are cocoa powder, dried beans, walnuts and dried fruits.

9) EPA estimates that, if the current regulations are not rescinded, 100% of cocoa powder, 100% of dried beans, 99% of walnuts, 69% of dried fruits, 10% of walnuts, 10% of tree nuts, and 3% of rice will be fumigated.

10) When fumigated the average fluoride levels in fumigated food is:

Brown rice = 12.5 ppm
Cocoa powder = 8.4 ppm
Almonds = 5.3 ppm
Tree nuts = 5.3 ppm
Dried beans = 4.5 ppm
White rice = 4.5 ppm
Walnuts = 2.4 ppm
Dried fruits = 1 ppm