Toxic Treatment: Fluoride's Transformation from Industrial Waste to Public Health Miracle

By

Frank Zelko

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The Swift and Co. phosphate plant in Agricola, FL in 1926.

Swift and Co.

The Swift and Co. phosphate plant in Agricola, FL in 1926.

A poster from the 1970s promoting good oral hygiene by drinking fluorinated water.

4 Rules for Good Teeth

A poster from the 1970s promoting good oral hygiene by drinking fluorinated water.

A protest in Dublin, Ireland over a proposed tax increase on water services.

Poisoned Water!

A protest in Dublin, Ireland over a proposed tax increase on water services.

A sign near Morongo Valley, CA warning that the water exceeds the maximum level for fluoride.

Fluoride Warning

A sign near Morongo Valley, CA warning that the water exceeds the maximum level for fluoride.

A phosphate museum in Mulberry, FL.

Mulberry Phosphate Museum

A phosphate museum in Mulberry, FL featuring exhibits on fossils, memorabilia, and the phosphate mining industry.

Phosphate loaded by elevator at Port Tampa, FL in 1958.

Port Tampa Phosphate

Phosphate loaded by elevator at Port Tampa, FL in 1958.

A worker watching the loading of powder fine phosphate in Mulberry, FL in 1947.

Phosphate Worker

A worker watching the loading of powder fine phosphate in Mulberry, FL in 1947.

An 1892 map of phosphate deposits on the western edge of Florida.

The Pebble Phosphate Region of Florida

An 1892 map of phosphate deposits on the western edge of Florida.

A 2009 map depicting global fluoridated water usage.

Fluoridated Water Map

A 2009 map depicting global fluoridated water usage with colors indicating the percentage of the population in each country with fluoridated water from natural and artificial sources.

An advertisement for the pesticide DDT from Time magazine in 1947.

DDT is Good for Me-e-e!

An advertisement for the pesticide DDT from Time magazine in 1947.

An advertisement from the 1940s for children’s wallpaper laced with the pesticide DDT.

Trimz DDT

An advertisement from the 1940s for children’s wallpaper laced with the pesticide DDT.

Dr. Frederick McKay in the early 20th century.

Dr. Frederick McKay

Dr. Frederick McKay in the early 20th century.

Severe fluorosis, brown discoloration and mottled enamel, in an individual from an area of New Mexico.

Severe Fluorosis

Severe fluorosis, brown discoloration and mottled enamel, in an individual from an area of New Mexico with naturally occurring fluoride in the water.

A dentist examining children’s teeth at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

Dentist with Patients

A dentist examining children’s teeth at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in the 1940s or 1950s.

Aluminum Company of America

The logo for the Aluminum Company of America.

A mural of bauxite miners from the 1940s in Benton, AR.

The Bauxite Mines

A mural of bauxite miners from the 1940s in Benton, AR.

Dr. Trendley H. Dean in the 1950s.

Dr. Trendley H. Dean

Dr. Trendley H. Dean in the 1950s.

An 1885 advertisement for cocaine for dental pain in children.

Cocaine Toothache Drops

An 1885 advertisement for cocaine for dental pain in children.

A dentist and patient in the 1910s or 1920s.

Dentist on “Comfort”

A dentist and patient in the 1910s or 1920s.

An advertisement for Klenzo, a dental creme.

Klenzo

An advertisement for Klenzo, a dental creme, in The Saturday Evening Post in 1920.

A 2009 map depicting areas with groundwater fluoride concentrations above the recommended levels.

Fluoride Concentrations

A 2009 map depicting areas with groundwater fluoride concentrations above the recommended levels.

The sculpture 'Steel Water' commemorates Grand Rapid’s role as the first city to fluoridate its water supply.

Steel Water

The sculpture “Steel Water” commemorates Grand Rapid’s role as the first city to fluoridate its water supply (photo by Jyoti Srivastava).

Sodium fluoride tablets.

Sodium Fluoride Tablets

Sodium fluoride tablets.

An advertisement for Crest tooth paste from 1958.

Look, Mom—no cavities!

An advertisement for Crest tooth paste from 1958 in which the company stressed its exclusive use of “Fluoristan.”

American Dental Association Logo

The logo for the American Dental Association.

A flyer protesting adding fluoride to the Irish water supply.

Irish Fluoride

A flyer protesting adding fluoride to the Irish water supply.

A scene from the film Dr. Strangelove.

General Jack D. Ripper and Group Captain Lionel Mandrake

A scene from the film Dr. Strangelove in which General Jack D. Ripper tells Group Captain Lionel Mandrake that he discovered a Communist plot to pollute Americans’ “precious bodily fluids” with fluoridated water.

A 1970s poster from the U.S. Department of Health Education and Welfare stressing the benefits of fluoride.

Smile…

A 1970s poster from the U.S. Department of Health Education and Welfare stressing the benefits of fluoride.

Iodized salt with fluoride sold in Germany.

Salt +Fluoride

Iodized salt with fluoride sold in Germany.

Colgate, like most American toothpastes, indicates the presence of fluoride by including it as part of the name.

Colgate Fluoride Toothpaste

Colgate, like most American toothpastes, indicates the presence of fluoride by including it as part of the name.

A 2009 protest in San Francisco, CA against fluorinated water.

Get the F Out!

A 2009 protest in San Francisco, CA against fluorinated water.

Signs from a 2009 protest against fluoride in Australia.

Anti-Fluoride Signs

Signs from a 2009 protest against fluoride in Australia.

Graffiti in Wellington, New Zealand declaring that fluoride causes cancer and questioning why it is added to water.

Fluoride and Cancer Graffiti

Graffiti in Wellington, New Zealand declaring that fluoride causes cancer and questioning why it is added to water.

A sticker on a city electrical box in Vancouver, WA from Info Wars, a right-wing media organization known for promoting conspiracy theories.

Poison in the Tap Water

A sticker on a city electrical box in Vancouver, WA from Info Wars, a right-wing media organization known for promoting conspiracy theories.

Rachel Carson's Silent Spring.

Silent Spring

Published in 1962, Rachel Carson's Silent Spring documented the indiscriminate use of pesticides and accused chemical industries of disinformation and public officials of unquestioningly accepting those claims.

A safety instructor checking fluoridation levels at the Fluoride Feed Station.

Fluoride Feed Station

A safety instructor checking fluoridation levels at the Fluoride Feed Station on Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, OK in 2016.

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Cite this Site

Frank Zelko , "Toxic Treatment: Fluoride's Transformation from Industrial Waste to Public Health Miracle" , Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective

March, 2018

https://origins.osu.edu/article/toxic-treatment-fluorides-transformation-industrial-waste-public-health-miracle.