USA - logic but will they listen?

Fluoride not beneficial
Bob Kopitzke

The Coloradoan recently published a series of letters stating that the National Research Council's report on fluoride is not relevant to Fort Collins. Not true, under the heading Fluoride in Drinking Water, Page 12, are two subheads natural and artificial: fluoridation of drinking water. Page 13, "this report does not evaluate nor make judgments about the benefits, safety or efficacy of artificial water fluoridation. That practice is reviewed only in terms of being a source of exposure to fluoride." Page 20, "The major dietary source of fluoride for most people in the United States is fluoridated municipal drinking water, including water consumed directly, food and beverages prepared from municipal drinking water and commercial beverages and foods originating from fluoridated municipalities."

The NRC report makes it clear that the maximum contaminate level goal would have to be 2 ppm to protect against just one health effect: severe dental fluorosis, pp 93-4. Accepting 2 ppm as the MCGL assumes that a child could develop severe dental fluorosis without being impacted in any other way. Pages 192-193 cite several studies showing a correlation of dental fluorosis with goiter and of increasing fluoride and goiter where fluoride concentration is less than 40 percent of Fort Collins water level at 1 ppm. It is preposterous to think that we can operate between a "beneficial" level of 1 ppm and a toxic level of 2 ppm without controlling how much water or food people consume. This absurd assumption flies in the face of the NRC exposure analysis.

Bob Kopitzke,
Fort Collins

Australian blog page.

I've added a new link to an Australian web page with a robust and vivid approach in fighting the fluoridation juggernaut.

Australia - They still say it - is it true?

Evidence was produced that indicated a 25 per cent increase in cavities in the teeth of six-year-olds since fluoride was removed from Ashburton’s water supply four years ago.

Ann sent this.

Re. the brown plant leaves: chlorine evaporates off when left to stand,
so it's unlikely to be the chlorine causing this. But fluoride won't
evaporate off. (Even when water is boiled the fluoride in the water
just becomes more concentrated!) So it could be the toxic chemical
fluoride damaging the leaves.

Australia - Weird ideas.

Ballina votes for fluoridation

29.05.2006
By DAWN COHEN
dawn.cohen@northernstar.com.au
SOON, every drop you drink from a Ballina tap will be one-millionth fluoride. And no-one will be happier than Dr Sue Page. In a passionate and lucid plea to Ballina Shire councillors last Thursday, the high-profile Lennox Head medico said fluoridating the water was the most affective method of protecting children’s dental health. "One-in-three men over 65 have no teeth and one-intwo women," she said. "This increases the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. "It’s hard to eat a crisp apple without teeth."
Ballina Shire Council’s vote for fluoridation of the water follows a push from NSW Health for local water supply authorities to adopt the measure.

During intense community debate, some residents have said fluoridation is compulsory medication. They fear the substance can cause cancer or other illnesses. However, Dr Page said the vast weight of evidence showed fluoride was safe. The only problem excess fluoride can cause is fluorosis: a cosmetic mottling of the teeth, according to John Irving, project manager for NSW Health’s Northern Oral Health Network.
However, Cr David Wright argued free fluoride tablets would protect both dental health and the rights of residents not wanting to drink fluoride.
The ball is now in Rous Water’s court. All councils, including Rous Water, have decisionmaking power over fluoridation.
Rous Water can fluoridate the bulk water it supplies to Lismore City Council, Ballina Shire Council, Richmond Valley and Byron Shire Council.
Or each council can add the treatment to its own supply — a move that is likely to cost a little more, said Rous Water general manager Paul Muldoon. So far, only Byron Shire Council has rejected fluoride, while Lismore has not decided yet. "Rous Water has the right to decide to fluoridate the bulk water, but we will proably try and work something out," Mr Muldoon said. "I think NSW Health is planning to talk to Byron Shire Council again." Nimbin, Mullumbimby, Wardell and Casino have water supplies separate from Rous Water. What do you think?
Phone 6624 3266, SMS 0428 264 948 or email opin-ions@northernstar.com.au

You can eat apples with false teeth and at least you won't have mercury in your mouth.

Even spider plants don't like it.

Q: What am I doing wrong? The tips of my spider plants turn brown? I use only water that I leave sit a few days before watering them. They look healthy and produce lots of babies but their tips turn brown. Any ideas?

Michelle, Whitehall

A: The most common reason for the brown tips has to do with water. Low humidity can cause tip browning as can uneven watering (watering at irregular intervals creating stress on the plant). Try increasing the humidity (mist with water or put the pot on a tray of gravel with water to create a mini-climate) and water regularly.

Other possibilities include salt buildup in the soil from fertilizer or chlorine or fluoride in the water.

Scottish children have the worst teeth!

The rot starts here
Scottish children have the worst teeth in Britain. Over the last 20 years, their sugar intake has doubled. One in three of its 12-year-olds is now overweight. But can the blame really be laid at the door of sugary sweets? Award-winning writer Alex Renton on a tale of poverty and decay

Very long article but interesting idea at the end. Peer pressure.

I wish he would tell Stella Saunders that - still she wouldn't believe him.

"It is surprising how this popular misconception about fluoride benefiting dental health has managed to survive against strong clinical evidence to the contrary," said N. Gnana Sundaram, professor, Oral Medicine and Radiology, Saveetha Dental College. Studies have shown that caries was prevalent even among children exposed to fluoride, he said.

Perhaps if Paul Connett or Lord Edward Baldwin wrote they may take notice

Public health: ethical issues
External consultation
The Nuffield Council on Bioethics would like to hear about your views on a number of questions raised by the ethical issues surrounding public health.

Public health has been described as ‘the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through organised efforts of society’. Over the centuries, public health has been significantly improved by measures such as vaccination programmes. However, public health interventions also raise a number of complex ethical issues. The Nuffield Council established a Working Party in January 2006 to consider the ethical dilemmas related by public health, such as the difficulties in balancing individual choice and community benefit.

The period of consultation will last for four months. All comments received will be considered by the Working Party. The Council plans to publish its report in autumn 2007.

Deadline for responses: 15th September 2006

Consultation Paper
The Consultation Paper provides background information about the ethical issues surrounding public health and poses a number of specific questions. We recommend that you read the Paper before responding to the questions. You do not need to respond to every question. The Consultation Paper can either be downloaded as a PDF, or is available to browse on-line.

Click here to download a PDF of the Consultation Paper

Click here to browse the Consultation Paper online

For a printed copy of the Consultation Paper please e-mail: bioethics@nuffieldbioethics.org

Submitting responses
If you are able to send us a response, it would be most helpful if you would send it to us electronically.

Responses can be submitted on-line via our dedicated consultation website:
https: //consultation.nuffieldbioethics.org/


Or you can fill out the respondent’s form (Word document) and email it to: bioethics@nuffieldbioethics.org

If we receive your response electronically, there is no need for you also to send a paper copy. If you should prefer to respond by post or by fax, you may send your response, enclosing a completed respondent’s form, to:

Harald Schmidt
Nuffield Council on Bioethics
28 Bedford Square
London WC1B 3JS
UK
Fax: +44 (0)20 7637 1712

New Zealand Pro fluoride data

Lee said data that showed a 25% increase in decay rates in Ashburton six-year-olds since fluoridation ceased in 2002 was a wake-up call for the town.

If true why is it no other study can show such differences - York did not - do they tell fibs?

USA Infformed letter

Fluoride should be a concern

I live in central Florida, where most of the fluoridation agents are a byproduct of phosphate fertilizer production. My family ran an archaeological and paleontological society and dug for fossils in the area known as "Bone Valley" for prehistoric animals — mammoths, mastodons, saber-toothed tigers, giant armadillos, etc. When we found out that there was pollution including radionuclides, we stopped our digs.
In my book, "The Geology of Florida" (1997, University Press of Florida), Page 143 notes in this paragraph: "In addition to uranium, fluorine is an economic byproduct of phosphoric-acid production. The fluorine from the rock reacts with silica to form SiF4 gas. During acid production, this gas is recovered as fluorosilicic acid (H2SiF6) in wet scrubbers that are part of the environmental protection equipment. Fluorosilicic acid is widely used in the preparation of chemical compounds and in the treatment of public drinking water."
The Pinellas County Health Department utilities division sent me the American Water Works Association standard, "AWWA Standard for Hydrofluosilicic Acid B703-89" (1989). The foreword gave the same source and process as my geology book, but noted concerns that arsenic and lead were problems. These standards are updated usually every five years and I continued to receive them, and the 1994 issue changed the name to the internationally known one, fluorosilicic acid. This year, a new one that is far more informative is available from the local county utilities department: "AWWA Standard for Fluorosilicic Acid B703-06." The foreword adds a sentence: "The transfer of contaminants from chemicals to processed water or the residual solids is becoming a problem of greater concern."
Then, Page 8 lists an entire page of "contaminants" starting with arsenic, lead, beryllium and cadmium, down to "radionuclides" as uranium and radium 226-228.
In November, our newspaper, The Tampa Tribune, had two obituaries, a week apart, of young boys dying from osteosarcoma, the formerly rare cancer that is now escalating. Another Tampa Tribune article from May 22, 1997, "Teen's positive attitude carries through cancer," says it was osteosarcoma, and his leg was amputated. And he visited another child in the hospital who was suffering from the same cancer.
So I wonder how your editorial might have read had it been your son who died or had his leg amputated.
ANITA KNIGHT
St. Peterburg, Fla.

Video worth watching. USA

Related To Story

Video: Officials: Most Local Water Has No Fluoride.

"One little drop in a bathtub" They will tell if they have exceeded this but that is all!

Echo Letter

Press Release: Fluoride Action Network

Stolen Hydrofluoric Acid, Honestly Toxic
Wednesday, 24 May 2006, 9:31 am

Stolen Hydrofluoric Acid, Honestly Toxic
The discovery that 20 litres of hydrofluoric acid (HF) was stolen from Orica Chemnet in Mt Maunganui has made news headlines nationwide. Warnings have been issued because HF is extremely hazardous - even “small amounts can be fatal“ (1, 2).

It seems obvious that our emergency services should be honest about the toxicity of this chemical – to do otherwise would clearly be irresponsible.

“Why then”, asks Caren McConnell of Fluoride Action Network NZ, “do the public tolerate the dishonesty of our ‘health’ authorities in playing down the toxicity of hydrofluosilicic acid (HFA) - a very close toxic cousin of HF”.

Both HF and HFA contain hydrogen fluoride gas in solution. Dr Jag Cook of Britains Chemical Emergency Group has described hydrogen fluoride as “the only chemical that really scares me”.

Indeed, it is this extreme toxicity of hydrogen fluoride (produced in the manufacture of phosphate fertilisers), that requires the capture of the gas in factory chimneys to prevent environmental pollution (3). NZ is one of only a few countries in the world where the resultant product HFA is then used to deliberately pollute (or ‘fluoridate’) public water supplies (4).

Like the stolen HF, HFA is manufactured by Orica. Their Material Safety Data Sheet states that in the event of a spillage, HFA should not be allowed to enter drains or waterways! (5)

And, like HF, HFA is highly corrosive to skin and mucous membranes, is toxic if inhaled and requires a Hazardous Substance license to transport it. Ingestion of 5-10g of HFA is lethal to adults.

According to MoH rhetoric, small regular doses of HFA (ie when diluted in drinking water) are ‘safe’. Unfortunately, this official claim is not backed up by any clinical evidence.

Normally in toxicology, there is a safety margin of at least 100-fold between the lowest dose at which adverse affects are seen, and the ‘maximum allowable value’ (MAV).

Published research has shown at 1ppm: increased uptake of aluminum into rat brain; increased bone fracture rates in children; dental fluorosis in 30-50% of children, and thyroid disruption. At 1.5 ppm hip fracture rates have been shown to double.

ADVERTISEMENT
Yet in NZ, the MAV for fluoride in water is 1.5ppm and there are no limits on fluoride from any other dietary or environmental source (with the sole exception of a 2.0ppm limit on ‘bottled water’). Our true daily intake is believed to exceed 3mg/day per person, and 50% of ingested fluoride accumulates in the body (more if one’s kidneys are not working properly).

HFA has not been approved as a food additive by the Food & Drug Administration in the US, or by our Food Safety Authority here. Neither is HFA an approved ‘medicine’ for mass use.

In the early 1990’s the NZ Public Health Commission advised MoH to identify hypersensitive (allergic) persons, but this advice has been ignored. Symptoms include eczema, hives, headache, GI problems and lethargy (6). At least 1% of the population are likely to be affected (7).

In March this year, the US National Research Council (NRC) released its long-awaited, comprehensive report on the safety of fluoride in water – with the result that both the US Environmental Protection Agency and the World Health Organisation (8) are now reviewing their policies.

Amongst other scientific evidence that sound the death knell for fluoridation, the NRC report (9) reveals the mechanism by which fluoride causes GI symptoms: in the acidic conditions of the stomach, ingested fluoride combines with hydrogen ions, forming dissolved hydrogen fluoride, aka hydrofluoric acid, HF.

It’s likely that some people will be suffering from indigestion, reflux, stomach ulcers, nausea, stomach cramps and/or misdiagnosed ‘food intolerances’ because of continual gut damage caused by low levels of HF – the same chemical referred to by TVNZ yesterday as a ‘lethal acid’.

“How ironic,” says Ms McConnell “that NZ’s emergency services are on alert for one container of toxic fluoride when tons of a similar product are deliberately added to our water supplies every day with the blessing of our policy-makers, and with no public health monitoring whatsoever.”

Political integrity, honesty and responsibility regarding the draconian practice of fluoridation is long overdue.

Ends

USA - That will be unbiased then!

Both Perala and Koenig said the next step for the Oral Health Task Force will be to educate the public about the virtues of fluoridated water. Brochures and public service announcements are a few of the methods being discussed to do just that."We want to, most importantly, move forward with good information," said Perala, adding that there are a lot of "myths" about fluoride in popular culture.

USA - Will they agree when they get a fracture?

Extract
Dr. Andrade calls the fluoride question a classic risk-benefit analysis. In a community such as New Bedford, with very high dental decay among many poor people and very little opportunity for thousands of people to get proper dental care, the benefits of splashing fluoridated water regularly on teeth when drinking water outweigh the risks the substance will build up in the body over a lifetime and possibly contribute to fluorosis, bone fracture or a case of a highly rare form of bone cancer

Australia

3000 bare teeth against fluoride
BY BRAD WORRALL
Elaine Miller and Marilyn Edgar, from Wodonga’s Fluoride Education Awareness Team, have already collected more than 3000 signatures opposing fluoride being added to the city’s water supply to send to the Minister. Picture SIMON GROVES
ANTI-fluoride lobbyists in Wodonga say they now have 3000 reasons why the city’s water supply shouldn’t be fluoridated.
Wodonga’s Fluoride Education Awareness Team’s Marilyn Edgar says they have more than that number of signatures on a petition and hundreds of individual submissions opposing the plans.
The group has manned a table in High St from Wednesday to Saturday for several weeks gathering up to 200 signatures a day as well as door knocking and delivering flyers.

Aren't they fluoridated?

Almost two-thirds of California children have dental disease, making it a more pervasive problem than obesity or asthma, according to several recent studies.
In Alameda County, for instance, half of all children have untreated tooth decay by the time they reach kindergarten. By the third grade, 69 percent have untreated tooth decay. And nearly 1 in 10 have tooth abscesses, according to the county's Public Health Department.
Many California children have poor dental health, according to a survey of 21,000 kindergarteners and third-graders throughout the state conducted by the Dental Health Foundation. Of 25 states surveyed, only Arkansas ranked below California in children's oral health.
Studies have shown that tooth decay is related to behavioral problems and poor school performance.
Several area pilot projects are trying to fight the problem. One educates dentists on treating children from birth to 5. Another funds tooth sealants for elementary school children. Sealants cost about $100 to $200 per child and can greatly reduce the incidence of tooth decay.
"This is a quiet, unspoken health reality that doesn't get the attention it deserves," said Alameda County Health Officer Dr. Tony Iton.

I've sent an email to the reporter to ask if they are fluoridated.

The Nuffield Council on Bioethics - Sounds scary

The working party will also look at whether fluoride should be added to water to protect teeth, and if vaccination programmes should become compulsory.
In France and the US children are required to be vaccinated against certain infections before they can enrol for school.
There has been a dramatic increase in mumps in the UK following the fall in the MMR vaccination rate after the jab was linked to autism eight years ago.
'Culture change'
But perhaps the most controversial issue will be the consideration given to restricting care or demanding greater contributions from those who smoke or drink excessively.
Professor Montgomery added: "The key question we have to consider is - is it justified to restrict individual choices to protect society? We want to hear what everyone thinks."

Bolton next

Campaign for fluoride in water is launched
By Jane Lavender
BOLTON could be one step closer to having fluoride added to its water after health bosses vowed to campaign for its introduction.
Bosses at the town's NHS Primary Care Trust say they want to improve the borough's dental health record, which is one of the worst in the country.
They are to put their case to the Greater Manchester Strategic Health Authority, which will be responsible for carrying out the consultation, before fluoride can be introduced.

Jan Hutchinson, director of public health for the Primary Care Trust, said: "We would like the Strategic Health Authority to go out to consultation so we can find out what the public think.
"The dental health of our children is poor, despite the work we've done to encourage healthy diets and to encourage children to clean their teeth using toothpaste containing fluoride.
"The fact remains that far too many five-year-olds have tooth decay and missing teeth and fluoride in the water would see a vast improvement, which is why we plan to lobby the strategic health authority."

Kentucky is 99.6% fluoridated: NYSOF

Editorial: Keep oral health care from rotting away in Northern Kentucky
We've taken junk food and soft drinks out of schools, but we haven't done enough to bring the dental floss and tooth brushes in.
According to the Kentucky Children's Oral Health Survey, 31 percent of children in third through sixth grades have untreated tooth decay. And 50 percent of second-graders screened by the Northern Kentucky Independent District Health Department in 2004-05 had to be referred to a dentist for treatment. Ouch.

Paul Connett Meeting in Southampton

I have just heard from John Spottiswoode that he has managed to organise a meeting in Southampton at which Paul Connett has agreed to speak. This is a very last minute arrangement so it is important that as many people as possible know about it and that there is a respectable sized audience. The details are as follows:

7.45 pm on Wednesday, 24 May, in the Quaker Meeting House, 1A Ordnance Road, Southampton SO15 2AZ.

Ann

Echo Letter

NZ - Fertilizer plant fallout

Ravensdown's most recent compliance monitoring report showed a breach of the Ministry for the Environment's 24-hour fluoride guidelines for eco-systems. The report said this could lead to toxic effects in plants such as speckly, shrivelled and deformed leaves, and failure of fertilisation and fruit development.
Tricker said humans were less susceptible."People worry because they think it's affecting my plants and affecting my glass, but humans are a lot more resistant to it."
Dickson Crescent resident Les Wanhalla, who was expecting to have all but three of his windows replaced, said he was more concerned about the effects on his house – including aluminium and painted surfaces – than on his family's health.
"We've brought up three kids here. None of us seems to have respiratory troubles or anything like that," he said.
Wanhalla, 58, said he was very much aware of drift from the fertiliser plant.
"We certainly get it when the nor'wester blows. We don't have to fertilise our lawns," he said.

Jesus wouldn't endorse fluoride!

What would Jesus Eat?Last Update: 5/16/2006 8:52:34 AM
You may have tried every diet on the planet, but some people are turning to the heavens to lose weight.
A popular diet fad has many of you asking "what would Jesus eat?" It's a question that's stirring up plenty of controversy in the kitchen and in church.

In my opinion, the evidence that fluoridation is more harmful than beneficial is now overwhelming

GUEST VIEW: The evidence that fluoride is harmful is overwhelming Hardy Limeback Dr. Limeback was one of the 12 scientists who served on the National Academy of Sciences panel that issued the 2006 report, "Fluoride in Drinking Water: A Scientific Review of the EPA's Standards." Dr. Limeback is an associate professor of dentistry and head of the preventive dentistry program at the University of Toronto.

Long article - click title

NZ "if they understood that they would not have voted for it."

Hodgson happy with Hamilton referendum
Posted at 5:33pm on 14 May 2006
Health Minister Pete Hodgson says cities that do not add fluoride to their water should consider voting on the issue.
Mr Hodgson says he is delighted with the preliminary results of a Hamilton referendum, which closed on Saturday, in which 70% of those who took part voted to keep putting fluoride in the city's water.
He says there are proven benefits in the reduction of dental decay.
Mr Hodgson says at the moment, Northland, Tauranga, Rotorua and Wanganui are not flouridated, and neither is most of the South Island, except for Dunedin.
He is urging local bodies in those areas to put the issue to a vote.
But a group opposed to fluoridation is disappointed in Hamilton's decision.
Caren McConnell, of the Fluoride Action Network, says people are drinking industrial waste, and if they understood that they would not have voted for it.
She says adding fluoride to the water is discriminatory.

NZ - They had their chance to say no.

Hamilton votes to keep fluoride
Posted at 5:36pm on 13 May 2006
Hamilton voters have decided to keep adding fluoride to their city's water supply.
The city has added fluoride to its water since 1966 and voters had until noon on Saturday to decide if they wanted that to continue.

Guest columnist: Stuart should not fluoridate city water

One day soon, Stuart and Martin County residents, without any prior warning, will open their water faucets and begin drinking the toxic chemical hydrofluorosilic acid. Everyone will be cooking with fluoride, getting fluoride in their eyes, ears and nose while bathing, washing their clothes in it, and in any other use of water

NZ: Whangarei Dentist Says Fluoridation Out Of Date

7:37 AM, 12 May 2006

A Whangarei dentist says New Zealand health officials appear to be ignoring growing concerns overseas about fluoridation. Laurie Brett, a long-term critic of putting fluoride in water supplies, says there is mounting evidence that drinking the chemical is hazardous. He says while New Zealand Health officials still back fluoride, attitudes are shifting in the USA since a Harvard study linking fluoride with bone cancer in teenage boys. He says class actions are now being formulated in the American courts for those osteosarcoma victims. The Ministry of Health maintains fluoridation is safe and effective and is offering to pay the full cost of introducing it in the Far North. The Far North District Council says if people have strong views either way on fluoridation they should make them known as soon as possible. A Colmar Brunton phone survey, paid for by the Ministry of Health, is underway in Kaitaia and Kaikohe to test public opinion on the issue. But the council's chief executive, Clive Manley, says the poll only involved 600 people and if others want a say they are welcome to have one. Mr Manley says the council does not have a view on fluoridation, but if fifty per cent of those polled want it, it is likely to go ahead.

Indiana is 95.5% fluoridated: NYSOF

MUNCIE -- Michelle Anderson and her husband, John, don't have their own teeth anymore. While both are in their early 30s, each wears dentures.'It was cheaper for us to get dentures (rather than pay for dental care or insurance),' Michelle said, adding that her husband's employer doesn't offer dental insurance

Echo Letter

USA - One says good and one says bad. Easy, say no.

BF residents get conflicting reports on fluoride
By HOWARD WEISS-TISMAN, Reformer Staff
Thursday, May 11BELLOWS FALLS -- Bob Carton, an environmental scientist who has done work for the federal Environmental Protection Agency, stood in front of a small crowd at Town Hall, Wednesday, and said that a recent report on fluoride in water showed conclusively that the chemical poses serious health risks.
A few minutes later, Alida Lund of the Vermont Department of Health used the same report to show that adding fluoride to water was safe and when used properly is not dangerous.
Two public health experts with more than 60 years of experience between them assessed a 500-page report by the National Research Council and reached different conclusions.
Now it is up to the voters of Bellows Falls to figure it out.
Residents of the village will decide Monday at 7:30 p.m. at the annual meeting whether or not to continue adding fluoride to the municipal water supply.
A public information session, the third one held since the trustees

Very impartial description "rabid"

Science
Tall, rosy-cheeked, and freshly retired from a professorial post at St. Lawrence University, solid-waste-management expert and rabid antifluoridationist Paul Connett stood before a small crowd in Laurelhurst Monday, May 8, and launched into a screed that made the fringe debate surrounding fluoridation of water seem as grave as that over abortion or gun control. "Swallowing fluoride makes as much sense as swallowing sun block to prevent the skin from the sun's rays," fumed Connett. His central argument: While fluoride might be an effective topical tooth-decay combatant, if ingested by way of greater-than-average tap water consumption, it can take on the qualities of a potentially hazardous toxin that can lead to osteoporosis or brain damage. Nonsense, says the mainstream medical community. Dr. Larry Mast, a pediatric dentist from Bellevue, points to the American Medical Association's endorsement of fluoridated water to rebuff Connett's argument that the debate is too tooth-centric. "I have patients who live in fluoridated areas and some in nonfluoridated areas, and I see a drastic difference. It's one of the most efficient ways we can prevent dental disease." MIKE SEELY
Philanthropies

Good presentation against

Two events discuss fluoride dangersMay 9, 2006
BELLOWS FALLS — As Bellows Falls residents consider changes in the fluoride levels of the public drinking water system, two events present the dangers of fluoridation.On Wednesday, May 10, at 6 p.m., in the Women’s Club room at the Rockingham Town Hall, a panel will present the latest scientific findings and residents will have the opportunity to share their concerns.On Thursday, May 11, at 7 p.m., at Rockingham Free Public Library, Great Falls Peace and Justice will show three video interviews of a BBC reporter, an EPA official and a Canadian researcher.These events are free and open to the public.For more information, call 460-1060 or visit online www.bellowsfalls.info.

Southampton Echo prints In my View.

Heals broken bones as well - marvellous stuff!

Fluoridated water supply a proven fighter against tooth decay
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 05/7/06Anyone reading the April 28 commentary "Adding fluoride to water may pose health risks" would be concerned about the harmful effects of fluoridated water. The facts are very different from what the article indicated.
The original impetus to fluoridate water supplies came from a dentist in Texas who noticed that one group of people from one town had almost no tooth decay while a neighboring community had high rates of tooth decay. The only difference he found in the two communities was that one had fluoride naturally occurring in water.
Almost 30 years later, one of the first of many major studies was done in upstate New York in neighboring communities. One community was fluoridated while the other was not. The results were startling. The fluoridated community had an almost 50 percent reduction in dental decay.
Another study looking at adults and the effect on them demonstrated an improvement in the decay rate. More importantly, healing of broken bones improved in areas of fluoridation. Physicians started using this to assist older adults by giving them fluoride supplements.
Every credible health organization, including the American Dental Association, American Medical Association and World Health Organization, has endorsed this public health issue for more than 50 years.

Letters to the editor
Larry Benjamin
yourviews@app.com

Public Meeting on Water Fluoridation

Brighton Steiner School

Roedean Road, Brighton

Thursday May 25th

Starts 7.30pm sharp
Speakers will include:
Paul Connett, PhD
Brighton raised Professor of chemistry at St Lawrence University, Canton, NY, and founder of Fluoride Action Network will be speaking against water fluoridation

Other speakers have been invited and will be announced subject to confirmation
Light refreshments will be available Admission free but donations appreciated to cover costs
Additional information:
www.npwa.org.uk
www.fluoridealert.org

New Zealand - a week to decide.

Hamilton fluoride vote rides on locals


May 7, 2006

There has been intense lobbying in Hamilton over the future of the city's fluoridated water supply, but the biggest concern is getting its citizens to vote.

Fluoridation has been in Hamilton's water since 1966 and while the issue is clear for some - the Waikato District Health Board says it should remain and others believe it should be removed - many locals, on the other hand, are yet to return postal ballots.
"It's that can't be bothered thing isn't it? I guess you've just got to tick a box and send it," says one resident.
For the Waikato DHB, the decision is simple."What we've seen happen elsewhere both internationally and here in New Zealand is that when fluoridation is taken out then the rates of decay increases and that's a lot of avoidable pain and suffering and cost we don't want to see happen," says Hamilton's Medical Officer of Health Felicity Dumble.

Mix-up may leave fluoride plans dead in water - We hope

Lymington Times letter

Victoria Australia - to fluoridate - little reaction

No timetable for fluoride rollout: dept
The Victorian Health Department says there has been no decision yet on which western Victorian centres will be next to have their water supplies fluoridated.
The Government is committed to introducing fluoride to centres that do not have it, but it says it is not working to a timetable.
Fluoride was introduced to Robinvale's water last week and a Health Department spokesman says work is continuing on Horsham, although there is not yet a definite starting date.
The spokesman says there has been interest from Swan Hill dentists and medical professionals and while that will be taken into account no decisions have been made about which areas will be next to receive fluoride.
The department says despite Robinvale councillor John Katis's vocal campaign against fluoride, there has been little adverse feedback.
The state-wide information line has received only four calls relating to Robinvale fluoridation and Lower Murray Water says one call has come through its offices.

This is the second in a four-part editorial series

OUR VIEW: Fluoride 101: What do other countries do?


Editor's note: This is the second in a four-part editorial series that looks at the issues surrounding fluoride and its effectiveness at fighting tooth decay. New Bedford is poised to begin fluoridating public water. The mayor has asked for a community conversation on the issue.
Why is there such controversy over adding fluoride to drinking water, a practice established more than 50 years ago? And how do other countries view fluoride?
Last week, the North Attleboro Board of Health filed a lawsuit against the town's Public Works Department to end fluoridation. North Attleboro voters approved fluoridation in 2000. In the intervening years, two of the three members of the elected board of health came out strongly against fluoride.
Board of Health member Diane Battistello can answer the question of why fluoridation is so controversial. She is among a growing number of people, some in public policy positions, who question the overall benefits of fluoride in drinking water. She is concerned that some people might be hurt by the addition of this chemical and that it is not right to medicate an entire community to address a problem that is better addressed with proper dental care and teeth brushing.
Fluoride opponents received some ammunition recently when the National Research Council issued a report that found that the Environmental Protection Agency drinking water standard of no more than
4 parts per million of fluoride is not stringent enough.
Click title to continue

Argus still printing letters against

Letter: No to fluoride - The Argus archive
It is clear anyone with a reasonable IQ (which hasn't been impaired by fluoride, apparently), who isn't privy to any compelling information in favour of ...
archive.theargus.co.uk/2006/5/2/210370.html - 2 May 2006

OUR VIEW: Fluoride 101: Why did we first add fluoride?

This may be interesting to be continued over the next few days

OUR VIEW: Fluoride 101: Why did we first add fluoride?
There was a time in American history when the public had a great deal of faith that man-made chemicals would lead to better living. But that faith in chemicals has evaporated in recent decades as the public has seen the damaging effects of some chemicals on our health.
This is in the background of the raging debate over whether or not New Bedford should add fluoride to the New Bedford public drinking water system to help strengthen the teeth of young city residents, who as a group, suffer from high numbers of cavities, tooth loss and decay, according to local dentists.
This week, the "Our View" column will pose several questions and try to answer them to help in the understanding of what it means to add fluoride to public water for all residents.

Australia - Study shows link to cancer

Study shows link to cancer
IT is reckless for Dr Hall of the health department to say that the bone cancer link to fluoride in water is nothing to worry about. Dr Hall has said that “epidemiological studies show no clear association between fluoride in drinking water and osteosarcoma”. But the study from Harvard University that Hall is trying to downplay is a sophisticated, meticulous, matched case control study. The Harvard team designed it to overcome weaknesses in previous studies by determining exactly which children were consuming fluoride and at what ages. And it shows a very strong connection between drinking fluoride water and development of bone cancer in boys and men, which is a serious red flag to fluoride consumption. I would have thought that a health chief should be exercising great caution and trying to protect the Victorian public from chemical exposures that are likely to be causing cancer.

How many boys and men is he happy to see die, while he waits years and years for further study to confirm this one?

Have we learned nothing?
— DAVID McRAE,
Victorian Fluoride Information Network.

Australia - accuses us of being flat earthers

Warwick may put debate on fluoride to referendum test
02.05.2006
Kate McIntosh
WARWICK Shire Council may resolve its own water debate with a referendum.
The council's decision to consider adding fluoride to the urban water supply has proved an emotive issue within the community, with council this week withdrawing its support for a proposed independent phone poll. The council had previously agreed to be bound by the results of a phone poll next month to gauge community support for fluoridation. But, the poll, along with planned community consultation sessions have now been shelved. 'Warwick Deputy Mayor Doug Cutmore believes touted health benefits of fluoridation "don't add up". He wants "the people have their say", and has called for a referendum to decide the fate of water fluoridation. Despite his own misgivings, he has vowed to accept the outcome of any future referendum. "I have no qualms about the democratic process. If the public is informed and they want it, I wouldn't fight it," he said.
The Queensland Government is currently offering local councils funding for the installation of water fluoridation plants in a bid to reduce soaring dental health costs. Warwick was the lone respondent out of 43 councils approached by Queensland Health to enter preliminary discussions on fluoridation. Cr Dan Noble, who supports fluoridation, said "scaremongering by certain lobby groups" continued to cloud the issue.
"They're (lobby groups) using the same science used to explain the earth was flat. It's very narrow, very selective information," he said.
Cr Noble said fluoridation had been endorsed by the World Health Organisation and leading medical experts as both safe and effective.
Council plans to continue talks with Queensland Health this month.

To email letters@thechronicle.com.au

Letters in the Brighton Argus

Letter: Toxic waste - The Argus archive
... The letter headed "Scaremongering about fluoride" (April 20), commenting on your earlier article about fluoridation, was very confusing as it seems to have ...

Letter: We must listen to the voices of experience - The Argus ...
For decades we have been told fluoride helps fight tooth decay in our children's teeth. ...

Letter: Fluoridation is a wasteful process - The Argus archive
... Fluoride is an essential trace element, and, as Dr Boyask says (Letters, April 20), is needed for the development of sound teeth. ...

Letter: Time to get the facts straight about fluoride - The Argus ...
We are writing as a group of concerned homeopaths in response to your article on fluoride in The Argus (April 17). ...



Letter: Poison pen - The Argus archive
The target level of fluoride in drinking water is one part per million (ppm). ... The target level of fluoride in drinking water is one part per million (ppm). ...

Letter: Poor treatment - The Argus archive
... I write regarding the letter "Scaremongering about fluoride has to cease" (April 20). ... If fluoride is added, it is for a supposed medicinal reason. ...


Letter: Scaremongering about fluoride has to cease - The Argus ...
It is a pity, with the constant reappearance of handwringing over dental fluoride, that nobody ever recounts the discovery of its actions, consequently blowing ...