It also leads to irregular formation of collagen which serves as a major structural component of skin, ligaments, tendons, muscles, cartilage, bones and teeth. The United States Pharmacopoeia lists some of the side effects from drinking 1 to 2 pints daily of municipally fluoridated water. The 1991 Physicians' Desk Reference lists some of the same side effects from administered doses of fluoride. Fluoride interacts with the bonds which maintain the normal shape of proteins. This fluoride-induced interference leads to an increased and more prolonged exposure of the body to foreign materials and leads to the release of free radicals which damage the body and leads to a further acceleration of the aging process.
Many studies make it clear that fluoride causes genetic damage.
The mechanism cannot be exactly pinpointed because fluoride interferes with a number of physiological processes. Most evidence indicates that it acts on the DNA Repair Enzyme System. If the unrepaired DNA damage occurs in a cell which gives rise to a sperm or egg cell, the damage will be replicated in every cell of the offspring's body and will lead to a birth defect. In the 1930s, H. Trendly Dean of the U.S. Public Health Service conducted extensive surveys which showed that as fluoride levels in the water increased, so did the incidence of dental fluorosis. In the late 1930s, Dean started publishing purposely skewed data to show that fluoride caused reduction in tooth decay.