1. Healthy and Harmful Halogens Iodine and Fluoride
LewRockwell.com Conference
Be Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise
Center for Libertarian Studies
Foster City, CA
December 2, 2006
Donald W. Miller, Jr., M.D.
Professor of Surgery
Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery
University of Washington School of Medicine
But in one Indian village studied in detail, Bhanakpur near Delhi, water with between 0.7 and 1.6 ppm of fluoride was enough to leave 17 per cent of the population suffering from the bent bones of skeletal fluorosis. A well-fed child consuming plenty of calcium, and vitamins A and C should not be at risk from the sort of fluoride doses that can cripple a child in India.

2. Halogens Fluorine 19 1886 Chlorine 35 1809 Bromine 80 1826
Atomic Wt Discovered
Fluorine
Chlorine
Bromine
Iodine
Astatine
The halogens are five non-metallic elements found in group 17 of the periodic table. The term "halogen" means "salt-former" and compounds containing halogens are called "salts". All halogens have 7 electrons in their outer shells, giving them an oxidation number of -1. The halogens exist, at room temperature, in all three states of matter:
Solid- Iodine, Astatine
Liquid- Bromine
Gas- Fluorine, Chlorine
The Halogens are:

3. Halogens in War
Iodine Bromine Chlorine Fluoride Iodine
Fluoride

4. Elements that Compose the Human Body
Chlorine
Fluorine
Chlorine
Bromine
Iodine
Astatine
The longest-lived isotope, 210At, has a half-life of only 8.3 hours. There are about 20 isotopes known, all of which are radioactive. Astatine is a halogen and possibly accumulates in the thyroid like iodine.
Isolation
Here is a brief summary of the isolation of astatine. Astatine is radioactive and essentially unavailable in nature. It is not possible to make other than in a nuclear reactor
Periodic Table of Elements
Iodine

5. Origin of Fluoridation

6. Manhattan Project

7. Edward Bernays

8. Fluoride in Dr. Strangelove
In Dr. Strangelove, Capt. Jack D. Ripper (I.), classic anti-fluoride nut, asks his aide, "Have you ever seen a commie drink a glass of water?"
“Have you ever seen a commie drink a glass of water?”
Capt. Jack D. Ripper

10. Dental Fluorosis

11. Cosmetic Correction of Fluorosis
$14,000 later

12. Lead, Fluoride and Arsenic
Toxicity Maximum Contaminant Levels
Based on LD50 data from Robert E. Gosselin et al, Clinical Toxicology of Commercial Products 5th ed., 1984
Standards established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

13. Manifestations of Fluoride Poisoning
Skeletal Fluorosis
Arthritis
Osteoporosis/Fracture
Crippling deformities
Neurotoxicity
Abnormal brain development
Alzheimer’s disease
Hypothyroidism
Osteofluorosis
( A cross section of metatarsal bones from cows of same breed, size and age showing normal appearance on the left and severe osteofluorosis on the right

14. Manifestations of Fluoride Poisoning
Increases risk for cancer
Osteosarcoma
Hepatocholangiocarcinoma
Early onset of puberty
Due to impaired melatonin production
Reduced male fertility
Osteofluorosis
( A cross section of metatarsal bones from cows of same breed, size and age showing normal appearance on the left and severe osteofluorosis on the right

15. Water Filters that Remove Fluoride
TGI (Topway Global Inc) water systems
Reverse Osmosis Distiller

16. Water Fluoridation in U.S.
Goal (Objective 21-9): Increase proportion of U.S. population served by fluoridated community water systems to 75 percent

17. Iodine in Thyroid Hormones
The conventional medical view is that the only known function of iodine in the human body is as an essential component of the thyroid hormones thyroxine (T^sub 4^) and triiodothyronine (T^sub 3^). T^sub 4^ contains four atoms (59% by weight) and T^sub 3^ contains three atoms (65% by weight) of iodine per molecul
Iodine atom

18. Actions of Triiodothyronine (T3)
Regulate cellular oxidation
Calorigenesis
Thermoregulation
Intermediary Metabolism
Necessary for protein synthesis
Promotes
Nitrogen retention
Glycogenolysis
Intestinal absorption of glucose and galactose
Lipolysis
Uptake of glucose by adipocytes
T3 attaches to receptors on the DNA of the genes that control a cell’s function and thereby regulate its cellular oxidation and protein synthesis. It also promotes other metabolic activities, which includes nitrogen retention, glucose metabolism and its absorption, breakup of fats.

19. Iodine Deficiency Disorders
Goiter Mental Retardation
Cretinism

20. Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for Iodine
According to the AMA, NIH National Research Council, Joint UN FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, and the EU IPCS
RDI: μg/day
IPCUS—International Programme on Chemical Safety, a collaborative venture of WHO, UN Environment Programme, International labour Organization.
FAO—Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations
These authorities include the American Medical Association, the NIH National Research Council, the joint Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations and World Health Organization Expert Committee, and the European Union International Programme on Chemical Safety, which is a collaborative venture of WHO, UN Environment Programme, and the International labour Organization.

21. Worldwide Iodine Nutrition
Based on Measurements of Median Urinary Iodine Excretion
Median Urinary Iodine Concentration (mcg/L)Corresponding Approximate Iodine Intake (mcg/day)
Iodine Nutrition<20 <30 Severe deficiency
Moderate deficiency
Mild deficiency
Optimal
More than adequate
>299 >449 Possible excess
Median Urinary Iodine Concentration (mcg/L) Corresponding Approximate Iodine Intake (mcg/day)
Median urinary iodine concentration of ug/L with corresponding approximate iodine intake ug/day
International Council for the Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders.
Current IDD Status Database, 2003

22. Iodine Intake in Japan
Iodine Intake :
13.8 mg/per capita/day (average 4.5 gm seaweed a day. Measured Iodine content 0.3mg/gm)
Seaweed consumption in 2001: gm (dry weight)
Iodine Intake 2001: mg If Iodine content the same (was not measured)
In 1964 the Nutrition Section in the Bureau of Public Health in Japan published a study on Japanese food intake by food group. Their intake of seaweed averaged 4.5 grams a day. The measured the iodine content of the seaweed consumed and found sufficient to provide an average iodine intake of 13.8 mg/day. 95 percent of the iodine they consume comes from seaweed. Without measuring its iodine content, public health officials say that Japanese seaweed consumption in 2001 had risen to 14.6 grams a day. Assuming the same concentration of iodine in the seaweed, this would provide a current day iodine intake of 43.8 mg/day.
Nutrition in Japan, Nutrition Section, Bureau of Public Health, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Tokyo, Japan, March 1965

23. Iodine Intake in the United States
Urinary iodine levels (µg/L) in
the United States, age 6-74
NHANES I,
NHANES III,
NHANES 2000
Median
32.00
14.5
16.1 SE
0.6  
0.3
0.7
1Hollowell, JE et al. Iodine nutrition in the United States. Trends and public health implications: Iodine excretion data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys I and III ( and ). J Clin Endocrinol Metab 83:
Current Average Daily Intake of Iodine:
240 µg (0.24 mg)
Iodine Intake in 1970s: µg (0.48 mg)
320
145
161
Medical authorities in the United States have established a RDA for iodine of 150 ug/day, which is “adequate to maintain normal thyroid function, growth, and development.” This allowance is designed to prevent goiter formation. The main source of iodine consumption by Americans is table salt. Iodide is added to table salt, in a concentration of 70 ug of iodine per gram of salt.
The average daily intake of iodine in the U.S. is 249 ug, or 0.24 mg, approximately 1/100th of Japanese consumption. This is half the amount consumed by Americans 30 years ago, when iodine, rather than bromine, was used as a dough conditioner for making bread.
Less than 50 ug/L in 11.7%, a 4-5 fold increase

24. Health Comparisons: United States and Japan
United States Japan
Incidence of Breast Highest in World Lowest
Cancer
Life Expectancy years years
(48th/226 countries) (No. 6)
Infant Mortality Rate
(deaths under age 1 per (Lowest in World)
1,000 live births)
The incidence of breast cancer in this country is the highest in the world. One in 7 American women will get breast cancer. Japan has the lowest incidence of breast cancer.
The life expectancy in the U.S years, 48th in the 226 countries surveyed. In Japan it is years. It is number 6, after Andorra, Macau, San Marino, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
And the infant mortality rate in Japan is the lowest in the world, half that in the United States.
Could this disparity in health be due to these countries respective difference in iodine consumption

25. The Earth’s 3rd Atmosphere, from 2.2 Ga
Oxygen
Level in
Atmosphere
(Percent)
Billion Years Ago
Life arose on the planet around 3.8 BYA in the form of single-cell bacteria. About 500 M years later a new kind of bacteria evolved called cyanobacteria, also known as Blue-Green Algae. This bacteria produces a protein, chlorophyll, that can absorb the energy in sunlight and use it to power a chemical reaction that turns water and carbon dioxide into food. Cyanobacteria take 6 molecules of CO2 and 6 molecules of water and produce one molecule of sugar and six molecules of oxygen. It uses the sugar, dextrose, to make ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the chemical “fuel” that sustains all living things. Oxygen is a waste product that it discharges into the atmosphere. Over the last several billion years, cyanobacteria have been expelling oxygen into the atmosphere, where it has maintained a level of 21 percent for the last billion years.
In addition to making oxygen, cyanobacteria were the first life forms to develop an affinity for iodine. Why? It turns out this organism needs iodine to protect itself from the toxic effects of oxygen that it produces.
1st atmosphere H and He from solar nebula
Lost to solar wind
2nd atmosphere H20, CO2 and SO2 from volcanic degassing Transformed by photosynthesis
Current atmosphere N2, O2, from photosynthesis and constant N2 production
Photosynthesis by cyanobacteria began > Ga
CO2 + H2O ---> CH2O + O2
No evidence for free O2 before ~2.4 Ga
Reduced gases in atmosphere & reduced crust consume O2 produced during Ga
Hydrogen escape irreversibly oxidizes atmosphere
Mantle dynamics & redox evolution reduce O2 sink over time
Geologic & geochemical evidence for O2 :
Oxidized Fe & Mn mineral deposits
Detrital uraninite & pyrite
Paleosols
Redbeds
Sulfur isotopes
Eukaryotes
Conclusion: Rapid rise of free O Ga
4.6 bya Formation of the Earth
3.5 bya Abiotic synthesis,
3.2 bya Denitrification
2.3 bya Oxygen-producing photosynthesis by cyanobacteria
Start of ozone formation
1.8 bya Nitrification (aerobic)
1.5 bya Nitrogen fixation (aerobic)
1.4 bya Earliest eukaryotes
0.57 bya First shelled invertebrates
bya Primitive fish
bya First land plants -- oxygen and ozone increase
Photosynthesis first done by Cyanobacteria:
6CO2 + 6H2O → C 6H12 O6 + 6O2
Cyanobacteria are also the first life forms to tolerate and use……………………...
IODINE

26. Iodine as an Antioxidant
Reactive Oxygen Species
I- + H2O HIO + OH-
HIO + I- + H I2 + H2O
Inside the cells of living things, oxygen breeds reactive oxygen species, superoxide anion, hydrogen peroxide, and the hydroxyl radical. The hydroxyl radical wreaks havoc and damages the cell by reacting with lipids in the cellular membranes, nucleotides in DNA, and the tyrosine and sulphydryl groups in proteins. In algae, in a species of kelp, Kupper et al. have shown that iodine functions as an antioxidant. It neutralizes hydrogen peroxide by converting it first to hypiodious acid and then water, thereby blocking the conversion of hydrogen peroxide into the highly destructive hydroxyl radical.
This ability of inorganic iodine to neutralize free radicals and other reactive oxygen species made photosynthesis possible.
Free radicals are a byproduct of biological oxidation
HIO = hypiodious acid Iodine spontaneously reacts with hydrogen peroxide to form HIO
ROS cause damage by reacting with lipids in cellular membranes, nucleotides in DNA, sulphydryl groups in proteins, and cross-linking/fragmentation of ribonucleoproteins
Fenton reaction (catalyzed by copper or iron): H2O2 in OH
ROS cause cancer. Involved in both the initiation and progression of cancer.
Other ROS: singlet oxygen and hypochlorite
ROS also have a regulatory role in cellular metabolism
Kupper FC, et al. Iodine uptake in Laminariales involves extracellular, haloperoxidase-mediated oxidation of iodide. Planta 1998;207:

27. Function of Iodine in Humans and Other Animals
Thyroidal -- Organic
A Component of Thyroxine and T3
Extrathyroidal -- Inorganic
An Antioxidant
Triggers Apoptosis
Other
Detoxify chemicals and biological toxins
Anti-allergic, coat external proteins rendering them non allergic
Suppess auto-immunity
Strengthen immune system
Provide antisepsis in the stomach

28. Iodine-Induced Apoptosis in Lung Cancer
Fig. 3. KI induces apoptosis in >95% H1299NIS/TPOcells after a 48-h incubation. A, H1299NIS/TPOcells in KI; B, H1299CV cells in KI; C, H1299NIS cells in KI; D, H1299NIS/TPO cells in KCl. Apoptotic cells were stained red, whereas viable cells remain unstained or pale pink.
Iodine Sensitive Lung Cancer Cells Parent (unmodified) Lung Cancer Cells
Zhang, L. et al. Nonradioactive Iodide Effectively Induces Apoptosis in Genetically Modified Lung Cancer Cells. Cancer Research 2003;63:

29. Effect of Iodine on Tumor Growth in Mice
Genetically Modified Tumor Xenograft Controls
Genetically Modified Tumor Xenograft with Iodine
Fig. 5. Nonradioactive iodide effectively limits the growth of NIS/TPO-modified tumor xenografts in SCID mice. A, KI markedly reduces tumor volume in NIS/TPO-modified tumor xenografts. *, P < 0.05; **, P < 0.01; ***, P < compared with nontreated H1299NIS/TPOtumors. B, photographs of tumors from each group of mice. H1299CV, n = 9; H1299CV+KI, n = 9; H1299NIS/TPO, n = 9; H1299NIS/TPO+KI, n = 12; bars, ±SD.
Zhang, L. et al. Nonradioactive Iodide Effectively Induces Apoptosis in Genetically Modified Lung Cancer Cells. Cancer Research 2003;63:

30. Organs with Iodine Concentrating Ability Via the Sodium/Iodine Symporter Pump
125I total-body scintiscans
Stomach Mucosa
Mammary Glands
Salivary Glands
Other: Ovaries
Thymus
Epidermis
Choroid Plexus
Articular, Arterial, and Skeletal Systems
Choroid plexus--A vascular proliferation of the cerebral ventricles that serves to regulate intraventricular pressure by secretion or absorption of cerebrospinal fluid. vascular complex in 3rd and 4th ventricle that forms cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
30 min hr hr
Venturi S, et al. Role of Iodine in Evolution and Carcinogenesis of Thyroid, Breast and Stomach. Adv Clin Path 2000;4:11-17.

31. The Real Truth on Iodine Dose-Related Benefits
In microgram (μg) amounts:
In milligram (mg) amounts:
In gram (g) amounts:
For thyroid hormone
Achieve optimal health
Prevent (and treat) fibrocystic disease of the breast
Prevent cancer
Civil Defense
Treat multiple diseases: dermatologic, pulmonary, cardiovascular, fungal
Gram amounts:
Wright JV. ONE MINERAL CAN HELP A MYRIAD OF CONDITIONS FROM ATHEROSCLEROSIS TO "COPD"TO ZITS. Availabable at:
Accessed June 21, 2006.

32. Different Kinds of Iodine
Inorganic, Nonradioactive (127I)
KI, SSKI, Lugol’s Solution, Iodoral,
Tincture of Iodine, Povidone-Iodine)
Organic
Endogenous
Thyroid hormones
Synthetic
Amiodarone
Radiocontrast media
Iopanoic acid, Meglumine Iotroxate, Propyliodone, etc.
(Inorganic) Radioactive Isotopes
Iodine essential for normal growth and development is organically bound in thyroid hormones. Inorganic, nonradioactive iodine
Iopanoic acid, Meglumine Iotroxate, Propyliodone, etc.
Iopanoic acid an oral tracer, used for cholangiography; propyliodone is insufflated into the lungs for bronchography
Thee isotopes used: I-123, I-125, I-131

33. Forms of Inorganic, Nonradioactive Iodine
KI (Potassium Iodide)
A 130 mg tablet contains 100 mg of iodide
SSKI (Saturated Solution of Potassium Iodide)
38 mg/drop iodide (760 mg/ml)
19 mg/drop in Tahoma Clinic’s SSKI Tri-Quench
Lugol’s Solution -- 5% iodine (I2) and 10% KI
6.5 mg/drop blend of iodine and iodide (130 mg/ml)
Iodoral -- 5% iodine and 10% KI
One tablet = 12.5 mg blend of iodine and iodide

34. Iodine Poisoning
Ingested 15 gm of Iodine – 100,000 x the RDA of gm (150 μg)
Serum Iodide level was 2,950 ug/dL (normal is 3.5 μg/dL with daily intake of 150 ug Iodine)
Salivary Iodide Level 60,000 ug/dL
(normal 105 μg/dL)
Treatment for COPD, up to 36 gm/day
Peace Corps workers 50 mg a day, 44% got a goiter
“Underlying thyroid disease.”
Iodism:
Rare; tends to be dose related
Unpleasant taste, frontal headache, acne
Resolves after stopping iodine
actually caused by bromine release
Iodine-induced hyperthyroidism
“Long standing iodine deficiency can cause hyperactive nodules. When start taking iodine, symptoms can occur as nodules absorb iodine.”
Hyperthyroidism, then, starts as an iodine-deficiency disorder
decrease dose and proceed slowly.
Delange, FM. Iodine Deficiency. The Thyroid. Lippencott Williams, Wilkens, p

35. Iodine in Dermatology Sporotrichosis Nodular Pyoderma Vasculitis
Sterling JB, Heymann WR. Potassium Iodide
In Dermatology: A 19th Century Drug for the 21st Century—Uses, Pharmacology, Adverse Effects, and Contraindications. J Am Acad Dermatol 2000;43:
Nodular
Vasculitis
Pyoderma
Gangrenosum

36. Fibrocystic Breast Disease
Fibrous tissue
Epithelial and apocrine hyperplasia
Elemental Iodine, I2, more effective than Iodide, I-
Many women are troubled with painful, lumpy breasts. The incidence of fibrocystic breast disease in American women was found to be very low, 3 percent, when studied in the 1920s. Today 90 percent of women have fibrocystic breast disease. In this disorder, epithelial hyperplasia occurs, along with apocrine gland metaplasia, and fluid-filled cysts form, accompanied by fibrosis. Six million women with fibrocystic disease have moderate to severe breast pain and tenderness that lasts more than 6 days during the menstrual cycle.
In animal studies, female rats fed an iodine-free diet develop fibrocystic changes in their breasts. Iodine in its diatomic, elemental form, as I2, cures it.
Several studies, most notably this one by Ghent and colleagues, show that iodine effectively relieves signs and symptoms of fibrocystic breast disease in 70 percent of patients. This paper is a composite of three clinical studies, two in Canada and one in Seattle. The study done in Seattle, by two surgeons at the Virginia Mason Clinic, Drs. Donald Low and Lucius Hill, is the most impressive. It is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial designed to compare elemental iodine, I-2, in a dose of 3 to 5 mg, to a placebo, in this case an aqueous mixture of a brown vegetable dye with quinine. They were followed for six months and subjective and objective changes in their fibrocystic breast disease tracked.
Ghent WR, Eskin BA, Low DA, Hill LP. Iodine Replacement in Fibrocystic Disease of the Breast. Can J Surg 1993;36:

37. Iodine Prevents Breast Cancer
Animal Studies
Reduces incidence in rats given carcinogens
Human Studies
Kills cancer cells grown in vitro
Absorbed by cancer-prone ductal epithelium
Epidemiological Studies
Increased incidence with goiter
Lower incidence in people who eat seaweed and fish
There is a growing amount evidence showing that iodine prevents breast cancer. Animal studies show that iodine protects rats given a carcinogen from developed breast cancer. Iodine kills human breast cancer cells grown in a test tube. Cells in the breast that develop cancer are the same one that absorb iodine. People with iodine deficiency disorders manifested by a goiter have a 3 times greater incidence of breast cancer, and people who consume a lot of iodine have a low incidence of breast cancer.

38. The Iodine Project
Hypothesis: Whole body sufficiency of iodine requires mg (12.5 mg), not μg (150 μg ) daily amounts
Principle Investigators
Guy Abraham MD, 1997: Optimox Corp., Torrance, CA
Jorge Flechas MD, 2000 (1,000 pts.): Flechas Family Practice, Hendersonville, NC
David Brownstein MD, 2003 (3,000 pts.): Center for Holistic Medicine, West Bloomfield, MI
Iodine Loading Test
Take 50 mg iodine, urine collected for 24 hours
Less than 90 % excretion indicates iodine insufficiency
Total body iodine sufficiency 1,500 mg. Stantdard view is that the body contains mg of iodine, of which 30 mg is in the thyroid galnd
Must be a complete nutritional programs, with selenium, magnesium, and Omega 3 fatty acids in particular.
Iodoral: 27 cents a dose (90 for 43.93); Lugol’s 4 cents a dose (300 doses—2 drops—for 10.99)

39. Health Benefits of mg-Dose Iodine at 100x the RDI
Feel Healthier
Sense of Well-Being
Lifting of Brain Fog
Increased Energy –
Achieve More in Less Time
Feel Warmer in Cold
Environments
Need Less Sleep
Regular Bowel Movements
Improved Skin Complexion
Strengthens Immune System
Prevents Cancer
Blocks 131I Absorption from Radioactive Fallout
Overall sense of well-being
Consuming iodine in mg doses should be coupled with a complete nutritional program that includes adequate amounts of selenium, magnesium, and Omega 3 fatty acids, in particular. An iodine intake that is 100x the RDA, as one observer puts it, is “the simplest, safest, most effective and least expensive way to help solve the health care crisis crippling our nation.” Americans would do well to emulate the Japanese and increase their iodine intake, if not by eating seaweed, then with two drops of Lugol’s solution a day.
Less than 1 percent, and those patients, if followed by a physician schooled in the extrathyroidal benefits, cut back on the amount of iodine consumed and have no long-term consequences.