Nursery Water: "Purified" with Fluoride?

Would you let your infant drink from the Tap? How about "Nursery Water" with added Fluoride?

Isn't the point of distilling water to take contaminants and chemicals OUT?

Distilled Nursery Water Label

Nursery water contains .7 ppm/7 mg of fluoride per gallon.

Do Infants Need Fluoride?

What the Fluoride Action Network says

Fluoride Action Network

"In contrast to recommendations adopted in the 1950s, fluoride supplementation is no longer recommended for newborn children. This includes both fluoride in drops, and fluoride in drinking water.

Not only is fluoride ingestion during infancy unnecessary,it can also be harmful - as suggested by a mounting body of evidence linking fluoride exposure during the first year of life with the development of dental fluorosis. (For pictures of dental fluorosis, click here)

Because of the risk for dental fluorosis, and the lack ofdemonstrable benefit from ingesting fluoride before teeth erupt, the American Dental Association - and a growing number of dental researchers - recommend that children under 12 months of age should not consume fluoridated water while babies under 6 months of age should not receive any fluoride drops or pills.

Fluoridated drinking water contains up to 200 times more fluoride than breast milk (1000 ppb in fluoridated tap water vs 5-10 ppb in breast milk). As a result, babies consuming formula made with fluoridated tap water are exposed to much higher levels of fluoride than a breast-fed infant. (A baby drinking fluoridated formula receives the highest dosage of fluoride among all age groups in the population (0.1-0.2+ mg/kg/day), whereas a breast-fed infant receives the lowest).

Dental fluorosis is not the only risk from early-life exposure to fluoride. A recent review in The Lancet describes fluoride as "an emerging neurotoxic substance" that may damage the developing brain. The National Research Council has identified fluoride as an "endocrine disrupter" that may impair thyroid function, while recent research from Harvard University has found a possible connection between fluoride."

The Material Data Safety Sheet on Sodium Fluoride lists it as a "Severe (Poison)"...

Mallinckrodt Baker Contact Info

Click to view

EXCERPT

3. Hazards Identification

Emergency Overview
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DANGER! MAY BE FATAL IF SWALLOWED OR INHALED. AFFECTS RESPIRATORY SYSTEM, HEART, SKELETON, CIRCULATORY SYSTEM, CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM AND KIDNEYS. CAUSES IRRITATION TO SKIN, EYES AND RESPIRATORY TRACT. IRRITATION EFFECTS MAY BE DELAYED.

SAF-T-DATA^(tm) Ratings (Provided here for your convenience)
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Health Rating:3 - Severe (Poison)
Flammability Rating: 0 - None
Reactivity Rating: 1 - Slight
Contact Rating: 3 - Severe
Lab Protective Equip: GOGGLES & SHIELD; LAB COAT & APRON; VENT HOOD; PROPER GLOVES
Storage Color Code:Blue (Health)
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Potential Health Effects
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If inhaled or swallowed, this compound can cause fluoride poisoning. Early symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and weakness. Later effects include central nervous system effects, cardiovascular effects and death.

Inhalation:
Causes severe irritation to the respiratory tract, symptoms may include coughing, sore throat, and labored breathing. May be absorbed through inhalation of dust; symptoms may parallel those from ingestion exposure. Irritation effects may not appear immediately.
Ingestion:
Toxic! May cause salivation, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Symptoms of weakness, tremors, shallow respiration, cardopedal spasm, convulsions, and coma may follow. May cause brain and kidney damage. Affects heart and circulatory system. Death may occur from respiratory paralysis. Estimated lethal dose = 5-l0 grams.
Skin Contact:
Causes irritation, with redness and pain. Solutions are corrosive. Effects may not appear immediately.
Eye Contact:
Eye irritant! May cause irritation and serious eye damage. Effects may not immediately appear.
Chronic Exposure:
Chronic exposure may cause mottling of teeth and bone damage (osteosclerosis) and fluorosis. Symptoms of fluorisis include brittle bones,weight loss, anemia, calcified ligaments, general ill health and joint stiffness.
Aggravation of Pre-existing Conditions:
Populations that appear to be at increased risk from the effects of fluoride are individuals that suffer from diabetes insipidus or some forms of renal impairment.

Additional Reading

TOXNET's page on Sodium Fluoride

Greenmedinfo.com's toxicological citations on Fluoride

Our Verdict

The risks associated with the intentional dosing of infants with fluoride are probably far higher than the purported health benefits, which furthermore are topical and not systemic.

Infants are at much higher risk for adverse effects due to the relatively higher body burden (lower body weight vs. chemical exposure) and less developed blood-brain-barrier and detoxification systems than adults.

Nursery water is a misleading and potentially dangerous product in the context of an already fluoride saturated world.