Is the arsenic and fluoride in the recommended Trace Minerals (Concentrace brand) safe?

Answer provided by Concentrace (with permission to share with our members)--

"Thank you for your email and the opportunity to explain why arsenic and fluoride are in our products. This is a question we get a lot, because of the extensive focus on these elements as harmful. Trace Minerals Research regularly tests for the presence of heavy metals, using Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) testing methods in addition to other standard testing methods. Test results consistently show that the amounts of these elements are well below safety tolerance levels established for food and drug manufacturing. In fact, recent test results released by an independent laboratory, using U.S. EPA approved testing methodologies, affirm that Trace Minerals Research’s mineral products do not contain levels that even approach the EPA’s reference dose for these elements. The recent findings should assure you, as well as our consumers everywhere, that Trace Minerals Research’s products are safe and do not pose any threat of heavy metal toxicity. The product is GRAS affirmed. If you are not familiar with GRAS affirmation, I would recommend educating yourself on it.

At Trace Minerals Research, we take great pride in the quality and purity of our products. Our mineral brines are harvested from our private ponds on the Northwest side of the lake. Once the trace minerals are harvested, each lot of mineral brines undergoes extensive testing by both "in-house" and independent laboratories (as I have already mentioned), to test for impurities and to ensure potency, purity, and balance. Careful handling is a part of our harvesting process which is similar to that of an agricultural operation, and, just as in organic farming, great care is taken to avoid contamination by chemicals.  
 
As far as your concern with arsenic and fluoride, it is important to understand how trace minerals work. First off, toxicity often occurs when a single element is introduced out of balance with other trace minerals. Man-made by-products are, all too often, the culprits of this because they are found in much higher doses than nature would have them. Arsenic is a perfect example of a man-made byproduct that has been linked to toxicity and as a result, most information about arsenic is focused around this concern. But, did you know that some of the richest sources of arsenic in our diets are found in our seeded berries such as strawberries. Most people wouldn't think twice about popping a strawberry in their mouth, and shouldn't, but that is also the amount of arsenic we are talking about in the ConcenTrace. 
 
Fluoride is another trace element that many are worried about. However, the concern over fluoride comes not from the naturally occurring fluoride, but from synthesized versions that are made by man and then added to our drinking water and to toothpaste.
 
On average, we usually consume anywhere from 1.3-1.8 milligrams of fluoride a day from our foods. Fluoride naturally occurs in potatoes, beef, apples, chicken, milk, eggs, and oatmeal to name just a few. Our trace minerals are found in their naturally occurring ionic state, and as such, contain similar amounts of fluoride that is found naturally existing in many of the foods we consume.

Understanding how trace minerals work, helps to put into perspective the concerns over toxicity. Again, toxicity occurs when a single element is introduced out of balance with other trace minerals, and, as I said, man-made by-products are, all too often, the reason why we associate certain elements with toxicity. 

Trace minerals work synergistically with one another to ensure that proper absorption, activation, regulation, and pH balance occurs within the body. An example of this synergistic relationship is that of the one between molybdenum and iron. All the iron in the world will do you no good without molybdenum. Molybdenum performs a very important, but basic, function by mobilizing iron from its storage location in the liver so that it can help blood carry oxygen to cells and tissues. This important, but often overlooked mineral, is vital in sustaining our lives, and only recently was its purpose discovered.

Another role of trace minerals is to police each other. When taken in proper balance, trace minerals control one another to ensure that no one element gets out of control and creates a toxic situation within the body. As I said earlier, Trace Minerals Research does not manufacture their trace minerals. They are harvested in their naturally occurring state, and as such, also occur in their naturally balanced state. Again, in this state, they help to regulate one another, and create a balanced state within the body.

If you have any more questions, please feel free to get back to me.

Best of health,


Dr. Darrin Starkey
Manager of Education and Training
Trace Minerals Research
1.800.624.7145 ext 352"

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