EP 272: Something Different | Should We Be Drinking Fluoride? — Dr. Frank Zelko (Environmental Historian)
Episode description
How important is fluoride for preventing cavities? And is it safe for us and our kids? Dr. Frank Zelko joins the show to tackle these questions. Dr. Zelko is a professor at the University of Hawaii and has a PhD in environmental history. He is currently working on a book about the history of water fluoridation and the latest research regarding its efficacy and health effects. Expect to go on a fascinating historical journey, and learn about the latest science so you can make your own decision about your drinking water. You can learn more about Dr. Zelko at manoa.hawaii.edu
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Show Notes:
thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/frank-zelko
Nuggets:
(00:00:00) – Intro
(00:01:33) – Environmental History
(00:04:21) – Becoming interested in water fluoridation
(00:08:25) – My introduction to Frank
(00:11:17) – Colorado Brown Stain
(00:18:26) – Alcoa & indentifying fluoride
(00:21:41) – Naturally occurring fluoride
(00:25:41) – Cavities in the 1930s
(00:28:06) – The sweet spot
(00:30:54) – Fluoride waste & preliminary research
(00:35:28) – Fluoride toxicosis symptoms
(00:44:11) – Dentistry & carries
(00:52:55) – Early health studies
(00:56:14) – Adding fluoride to the water
(01:00:31) – The Florida phosphate industry
(01:06:30) – The push for fluoridation
(01:17:19) – Scientific pushback & conspiracy theories
(01:25:52) – Suppression of anti-fluoride research
(01:28:32) – Parallels & pendulums
(01:31:01) – More recent studies on fluoride
(01:35:37) – The efficacy of fluoridation on cavities
(01:41:43) – The fluoridation for low-income argument
(01:42:40) – Where we’re at now
(01:44:41) – Should we be filtering our water?
(01:50:55) – Toothpaste
(01:55:08) – Tea & other recommendations
(01:58:42) – Politics & fluoride debates
(02:06:27) – Vaccines & serious diseases
(02:10:55) – PFAs, microplastics, & fire retardants
(02:13:59) – Where to find Dr. Zelko