On July 12, 2012, Helene Watkins wrote:
It acts like a bully in the body
Regarding the Wednesday article, “3 Everett councilmen walk out on activists at meeting“: It is so sad that the council members have not looked at the periodic table with reference to fluoride. As it is the top of the halogen column, it acts as a “bully” to the others below it. One of those is iodine, which is needed by the human body.Perhaps the council will consider opening their minds to science education.Helene Watkins
Stanwood
Stanwood
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On July 13, 2012, Jeff Reichel responded:
Fluorine is found on periodic table
I have taken the Thursday letter writer of “It acts like a bully in the body” advice to heart and opened my mind to science. Fairly easy, actually, having taught chemistry for the last 19 years.First, please don’t underestimate the significance of even slight chemical differences. For instance, it could be disastrous to believe that H2O and H2O2 are almost the same since they look so similar (water vs hydrogen peroxide).The letter writer confuses fluorine with fluoride. Big, big difference. Fluorine, the element, is what’s on the Periodic Table, and is dangerously reactive. This is what the letter writer refers to, but unfortunately she attributes it to fluoride, what’s in drinking water. Fluoride is an ion; a fluorine atom that’s gained one electron. No big deal, you say? Sorry, huge difference.
When elements gain or lose electrons, they do a Jekyll and Hyde switcheroo (or in this case, a Hyde and Jekyll switcheroo). If they are very reactive as an element, they become pussycats as ions. Fluoride, the ion, is a pussycat and doesn’t react in the body as so many people mistakenly believe.
I think the Everett Council would be much happier to listen to people who speak from their understanding of the science behind fluoride, rather than from their ignorance of science.
Jeff Riechel
Snohomish
fluoride, the pussycat ion? the mind boggles! I thought the fluorine atoms acted more like bees, bouncing from flower to flower. fluorine really likes calcium and magnesium, but it doesn’t mind pushing the chlorine and iodine atoms out of the way when it gets into the body, to change hydrochloric acid to hydrofluric acid in your mouth and stomach. Or hop into your thyroid and replace iodine, or happy up to aluminium and lead and go visit your brain. It is happy when it hits your bones but unfortunately it still isn’t stable as your body is constantly demolishing and rebuilding them. Not a pussycat, more like your worst nightmare! The word comes from Latin, and it means ‘flow’ –