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