In June 2005, Green Door Studio hosted a group exhibit that explored the cultural phenomenon that led to the fluoridation of public water supplies in America.

When most Americans think of fluoride, they think of the minty taste of toothpaste, the neighborhood dentist, or shining white teeth. But fluoride's role in American history extends much further than its use in dentistry. As one observer put it, fluoride's use in dentistry is a "mere sideshow" to its use by heavy industry.

In the 20th century, U.S. industry considered fluoride "as vital to the national life as a spark plug to a car." Fluoride was a key chemical in the production of aluminum, steel, gasoline, and the Atomic Bomb. Without fluoride a mushroom cloud would not have appeared over Hiroshima - at least not in 1945.

Flowing through the veins of American industry, fluoride became one of the most notorious air pollutants in this country – killing livestock, scorching crops, and poisoning workers. In the 1950s and '60s, fluoride caused more damage claims against industrial establishments than the next 20 major air pollutants combined.

This history, however, has been lost.

This exhibit explores fluoride's entrance into America's cultural, political, and ecological landscape of the 20th century. What exactly was it that we swallowed in the fifties? Was it true? What are we swallowing today?

6/11/05