Recent warnings from Dartmouth, PubMed, and the American Cancer Society about arsenic poisoning are certainly concerning—especially given how common arsenic-containing foods are in our diets. Foods like flaxseeds, almonds, quinoa, green tea, rice, mushrooms, beets, turnips, carrots, radishes, potatoes, poultry, and seafood all contain some level of arsenic. In fact, many of these make up the most consumed foods worldwide. Rice, for example, is a staple for the largest populations on the planet, and green tea is the world’s second most popular beverage after water.

With all this uncontrolled consumption of arsenic-containing foods, you might expect to see widespread arsenic poisoning. Yet, there is virtually no evidence of poisoning in the world population from these sources.

Why is this? I propose that when plants absorb toxins and utilize them in their natural growth, those substances are generally safe for us to consume in reasonable amounts. The concern arises when toxins—like arsenic—are present in heavy concentrations in soil and are forced into plants unnaturally.

The real danger, however, is from arsenic that does not come from plants, but is instead consumed in its elemental form. Unfortunately, this elemental arsenic is routinely found in the world’s number one beverage: water. How does it get there? While it’s not purposefully added, it is allowed as a contaminant in many fluoridated water systems.

Most of these systems use hydrofluorosilicic acid (HFSA) as the additive, which often contains arsenic, lead, and a range of other heavy metals and contaminants—primarily because it’s cheaper than other fluorine sources. The story of HFSA starts with phosphate rock, which is turned into fertilizer. The byproducts of this process, initially released into the air and land, destroyed plant life and led the EPA to demand pollution controls. To comply, companies installed scrubbers to capture the pollutants, dissolving them in water and storing the waste in holding ponds. This waste, especially HFSA, is so caustic it destroys nearly any container. When it was released into rivers, it killed fish, prompting further EPA intervention. Unable to dispose of it safely, fertilizer companies instead found a loophole: HFSA could be sold to municipalities for use in water fluoridation, under the guise that its fluoride content benefitted teeth—despite being unrefined and contaminated.

In summary, there’s no reason for concern about small amounts of arsenic naturally present in plant foods, as our bodies can handle and eliminate them. The real threat is from elemental arsenic in our drinking water, which accumulates over time and can be toxic.

My home state of Utah was the first in the USA to ban the addition of fluoride to drinking water. I hope you’ll consider urging your own state to follow suit. Let’s work together at the local level, rather than relying on a national ban.

David Christopher is a Master Herbalist, director of The School of Natural Healing, and son of our beloved Dr. John R. Christopher. He is continually helping others improve their health and that of their family members. The School loves having him as the director.