This report comes from the Fluoride Action Network:

Lead nail in fluoridation coffin?

There have been so many developments which, in a rational world that paid attention to honest science, should have ended fluoridation – here is one more. A paper has been published by Maas, Patch, Christian and Coplan in the journal Neurotoxicology which shows that fluoride (both sodium fluoride – NaF - and hexafluorosicilic acid - HFA) in various combinations with chlorinating chemicals (e.g. chlorine, CL or chloramine, CA) and ammonia (NH3) increases the release of lead from leaded brass fittings used in water pipes. I have printed the abstract of the paper below. The last two sentences read:

Over the first test week (after CL flushing concentrations were increased from 1.0 to 2.0ppm) lead concentrations nearly doubled (from about 100 to nearly 200ppb), but when FSA was also included, lead concentrations spiked to over 900ppb. Lead concentrations from the CL-based waters appeared to be decreasing over the study period, while for the CA+NH(3)+FSA combination, lead concentrations seemed to be increasing with time.

Note the MCLG for lead is ZERO. The MCL is 15 ppb.

The full paper is available on PubMed.

A word about the authors. The lead author Richard Maas sadly passed away before this paper was published. He tragically died of a rare disease in his early forties. Patch and Christian work at the Environmental Quality Institute, The University of North Carolina at Asheville. Myron Coplan, a retired engineer from Massachusetts, is best known for his published work with Dr. Roger Masters of Dartmouth College which showed a statistically significant association between the use of silicon fluorides as water fluoridation agents (in both Massachusetts and New York state) and an increased uptake of lead into children’s blood (Masters and Coplan, 1999, 2001). In these publications they hypothesized that undissociated silicon fluoride complexes enhanced uptake of the lead ion (from any source) across the gut wall. This new evidence of increased leachability of lead from brass fittings may offer an alternative (or additional) explanation of their findings for this apparent association between the use of the silicon fluorides in fluoridation programs and children’s increased blood lead levels.

Coming on top of the huge concern generated by the lead found in toys imported from China this important finding should spur some press interest. Many toxicologists have concluded that there is NO safe level for lead exposure for children. Any suggestion that the practice imposed on 170 million people every day could possibly increase the exposure of children to more lead than they already get from other sources should send alarm bells ringing from coast to coast – especially the West coast. There the Metropolitan Water District in its appalling ignorance and arrogance (remember Dr. Kathleen Thiessen flew from Tennessee to present key findings from the NRC report and they only gave her five minutes to speak and had NO questions for her) is going to fluoridate the water of 18 million more people. However, I suspect that the sickening forces that protect fluoride and the fluoridation program will do their level best to keep this information quiet. It will be interesting to see how quickly the CDC moves to downplay or attempt to discredit this paper (if not in public then behind the scenes).

If any readers see any response in the media or elsewhere to this important article would you please send me the details. Many thanks.

This is yet another reason to sign the ONLINE MESSAGE to Congress calling for a Congressional hearing on this issue. To sign on please go to our home page at http://www.FluorideAction.net . Please sign on even if you are from a different country (for country enter “other”). Such a signature will not generate a constituent letter to Congress but it will increase our numbers – which in turn will increase our morale. Our current total stands at about 5260.

Paul Connett


Abstract:  Neurotoxicology. 2007 Sep;28(5):1023-31.

Effects of fluoridation and disinfection agent combinations on lead leaching from leaded-brass parts. Maas RP, Patch SC, Christian AM, Coplan MJ.


This study concerns effects on water-borne lead from combinations of chlorine (CL) or chloramines (CA) with fluosilicic acid (FSA) or sodium fluoride (NaF). CL is known to corrode brass, releasing lead from plumbing devices. It is known that CA and CL in different ratios with ammonia (NH) mobilize copper from brass, which we have found also enhances elution of lead from leaded brass alloys. Phase I involved leaded-brass 1/4 in. elbows pre-conditioned in DI water and soaked in static solutions containing various combinations of CL, CA, FSA, NaF, and ammonium fluosilicate. In Phase II 20 leaded-brass alloy water meters were installed in pipe loops. After pre-conditioning the meters with 200 flushings with 1.0ppm CL water, seven different solutions were pumped for a period of 6 weeks. Water samples were taken for lead analysis three times per week after a 16-h stagnation period. In the static testing with brass elbows, exposure to the waters with CA+50% excess NH(3)+FSA, with CA and ammonium fluosilicate, and with CA+FSA resulted in the highest estimated lead concentrations. In the flow-through brass meter tests, waters with CL+FSA, with CL+NaF, and with CL alone produced the highest average lead concentration for the first 3-week period. Over the last 3 weeks the highest lead concentrations were produced by CL+NaF, followed by CL alone and CA+NH(3)+FSA. Over the first test week (after CL flushing concentrations were increased from 1.0 to 2.0ppm) lead concentrations nearly doubled (from about 100 to nearly 200ppb), but when FSA was also included, lead concentrations spiked to over 900ppb. Lead concentrations from the CL-based waters appeared to be decreasing over the study period, while for the CA+NH(3)+FSA combination, lead concentrations seemed to be increasing with time.

PMID: 17697714 [PubMed - in process]