Is it the quantity that makes the poison? What is really behind the claim that fluoride in toothpaste is dangerous?
We received an inquiry in our Facebook group about fluoride in toothpaste. An article says that conventional toothpaste is destruction and poisoning in installments.
The photo looks very familiar to us. A quick look back at 2016 answers our question, because Tom already wrote back then:
Is this claim true?
No! Because it's not just the toothpaste that does it: it's in the entire system. Many users are concerned about the current wave of information about fluoride in toothpaste and feel insecure.
Briefly about the basics of fluorine and fluorides
The source report speaks of fluorine and fluorides and in some places also equates them. This is not entirely the case, because fluorine, as an element of the 7th main group, is not found in its pure form in toothpaste. Fluorine in its pure form is generally very rare and is in fact highly toxic and corrosive.
Fluorides are chemical compounds in which fluorine is bound. Importantly for our article, sodium fluoride is a common fluoride found in various toothpastes.
The list of harmful effects of fluoride is indeed high, but it is also related to the amount accumulated in the body.
Fluoride in toothpastes
We'll stick with sodium fluoride: sodium fluoride is toxic. Avoid inhaling dust. Gloves must be worn when working with sodium fluoride. An amount of 5–10 g for a 70 kg person is considered lethal (see sodium fluoride ).
So how much sodium fluoride is in a toothpaste?
There are two different values on average:
in pastes specifically for children the value is 500 ppm (parts per million), for adults the average value is 1200 ppm.
Calculated down to 12/10,000 parts of an adult toothpaste tube are fluoride.
This value is now well below the lethal amount.
overview provides a list specifically for children's toothpastes .
The dose makes the poison
If toothpaste were our only source of fluoride intake, then the report would be over and one could say that there are far worse problems.
However, toothpaste is NOT the only source of fluoride!
We absorb amounts of fluoride every day through drinking water and food (salts in bread, for example).
Another source of danger is the fact that fluorides accumulate in the body over time. Fluorides are concentration and accumulation poisons. This means that they are not 100% broken down and excreted, but rather residues remain in bones, teeth and soft tissue. This can cause various long-term damage.
But what about the toothpaste?
Freiburg University Hospital states:
Stiftung Warentest explains this with the image of a five-year-old child weighing around 20 kg who would have to eat the contents of an entire tube of adult toothpaste in order to show signs of poisoning - in the worst case scenario. (Source: Freiburg University Hospital )
Of course, we only look at the amount of fluoride in the toothpaste, but for the overall picture you have to take into account the entire food intake.
The text from the university hospital goes on to say:
How you get the ideal amount of fluoride depends on a variety of circumstances:
If a family prepares food with fluoride-containing mineral water/drinking water, in many cases no further fluoride needs to be supplied with other fluoride transporters. If the fluoride content is over 1 mg per liter, water should be avoided for baby food. Information about the fluoride content is available from the responsible waterworks.
· If fluorinated salt is used at home when cooking and baking, this also significantly limits the amount of additional fluoride required. Commercial kitchens and bakeries don’t use it (yet).
· If children who already brush their teeth themselves use children's toothpaste with a reduced amount of fluoride or their parents' toothpaste (only from the age of 6), this fluoride intake must also be taken into account.
· The same applies if the dentist has applied fluoride varnish to the teeth (especially of children) or if fluoride gel is brushed in regularly at home.
Finally, a conclusion
At its core, the original text is true, but is only suitable for distribution to a limited extent due to its lurid and provocative structure.
Toothpaste cannot and should not be portrayed as the only culprit, as it is neither the only nor possibly the largest source of fluoride for humans.
The following source offers a much more sober approach to the topic: Freiburg University Hospital: “Is fluoride harmful?”
We therefore ask anyone who is unsure about using fluoride to consult their dentist/family doctor or a food expert.
Since Mimikama/ZDDK is not a health portal, we cannot give health advice at this point, but can only refer to specialist expertise.
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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )

