USA - Not in my water supply

Not in my water supply
Some local residents resist extra dose of fluoride.
By JEFF OVERLEY
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Corona del Mar resident Blythe Fair has consulted Jehovah's Witnesses, practiced a Japanese form of holistic healing and armed herself with a salad spinner, all in a desperate attempt to evade her arch-nemesis – fluoride.
Concerned that the icon of dental hygiene is actually a menace to public health, Fair is among a small but resolute band of local residents going to great lengths to avoid the extra dose of fluoride added last month to about half of Orange County's water supply.
"I feel bad that there isn't a choice – there isn't a way around being poisoned," Fair said. Among many steps, Fair is practicing Jin Shin Jyutsu to support her bone health, has asked for advice from Jehovah's Witnesses, who sometimes eschew certain medical procedures, and has a salad spinner to rid lettuce of fluoridated H2O.
Water fluoridation has conjured colorful protests since its early stages in the 1950s, when opponents famously decried it as a communist conspiracy. Anti-fluoride activists, however, bristle at suggestions they're paranoid.
"The people I have talked to and met with are not 'delusional' nor 'fringe element,' but educated, conscientious and often prominent members of our community," said Newport Beach resident Chris Sullivan, who plans to install a $500 system that uses activated alumina to remove fluoride.
But suspicions do remain, even after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention dubbed water fluoridation one of the "10 great public health achievements of the 20th century."
"Does the (Metropolitan Water District of Southern California) expect people to believe that dentists would actually recommend a substance for healthier teeth that will pretty much decrease their business?" asked Santa Ana resident Karim Nasser.
Water district spokesman Bob Muir says that's exactly the case – medical and dental professionals requested the addition of fluoride to water in Orange County and surrounding areas.
Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley already have fluoridated water; since the newly fluoridated water will often be blended with other supplies, other county residents will encounter varying amounts of fluoride.
Even with the prospect that the increase in fluoride will be negligible, many locals aren't taking chances. Orange resident Terry Jakel installed a $200 reverse osmosis filter to purify his water. "Government shouldn't be involved in dictating what they think is good for our health," Jakel said. "We should have a choice of what we want to consume."
Fluoridation foes have a two-pronged argument. They say the practice is pointless since fluoride absorbs best through tooth enamel, instead of being swallowed. Second, they fear health risks.
Figures from the World Health Organization, they note, show that rates of tooth decay have plummeted in past decades not only in the United States, where two-thirds of the country's population drinks fluoridated water, but also in Western Europe, where only about 2 percent of households use fluoridated water.
Public health officials have argued, according to published reports, that Western Europe has more effective preventive care.
Also, a 2002 Orange County study indicated that children in Huntington and Fountain Valley, on average, had one less missing, decayed or filled tooth than residents of cities with un-fluoridated water.
Whatever the case, opponents say fluoridation amounts to mass medication. "When are they going to start antibiotics in the water to prevent the flu?" asked Laguna Woods resident Beverly Portlock.
Research linking fluoride to bone cancer and thyroid problems, dismissed as flawed by leading medical agencies, is spotlighted by fluoride opponents as damning evidence of fluoride's dangers.
Fluoride fears are a boon for some water-purifying companies. "A week before (fluoride was added) was when the phone was just going crazy," said Cliff Christie, sales coordinator at Culligan Water of Orange County.
Chris MacKnight, president of Water By Design in Fullerton, said 10 people inquired about fluoride removal, and others with reverse-osmosis purifiers called to see if their systems removed fluoride.
Supporters and critics of fluoride agree that excessive fluoride can cause blotchy white stains on teeth. The California Department of Public Health in October advised dentists to suspend fluoride supplements for a year to "ensure that consumers do not receive more fluoride than is necessary."
For activists such as Fair, however, such steps are too meager. A onetime resident of the U.S. Virgin Islands, she's now enjoying what she calls "tropical showers" – a quick rinse, turn off the water, soap up and rinse off – to minimize fluoride contact.
"I know it sounds comical," she said, "but you have to limit exposure."
Contact the writer: 714-445-6683 or joverley@ocregister.com
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dannyhaszard wrote:
Jehovah's Witnesses have no more expertise on the use of flouride as they do at predicting the end of the world.
12/16/2007 10:46 PM PST on OCRegister.com

PatrickSal wrote:
Letter: When ingested, fluoride adversely affects more than just teeth Saturday, October 6, 2007The proponents of water fluoridation tell us, “fluoride occurs naturally in most water systems. We adjust it to a therapeutic level.”This is a lie from the so-called experts and a lack of knowledge from the rest. What is found in nature is sodium or calcium fluoride (NaF or CaF2). Just because the word fluoride shows up doesn’t mean it is the same. Many people think sodium is salt. It is called sodium on every food label. Sodium (Na) is a soft, silvery gray metal that can be cut with a knife and is highly reactive with water. Chlorine (Cl) is a poison, and a good dose will kill you. But put them together and you get sodium chloride (NaCl), better known as table salt.If I gave you a cheese grater and a block of sodium, would you sprinkle it over your dish of pasta? It’s the same thing, or is it?Fluoride or fluorine (F) is No. 9 in the periodic table of elements. It has nine protons, nine neutrons, but only seven electrons. It is called an ion because it is missing two electrons in its outer shell. This makes the atom electrically unbalanced and, like a magnet, it attaches itself to the calcium in the ground.Don’t be misled. The chemical used most in water fluoridation is hydrofluorosilicic acid (H2SiF6). Nature has nothing to do with its existence. It is a hazardous waste product from the fertilizer industry and 25 times more toxic than CaF2. When ingested, it attaches to the calcium in your bones. According to the Center of Disease Control, one third of the children in this country have dental fluorosis (spotting of the teeth). It is an outward sign of both excessive fluoride intake and systemic harm.Once ingested, fluoride adversely affects more than just teeth.Pat Arena Jensen Beach
12/16/2007 5:49 PM PST on OCRegister.com

fauxpas wrote:
What the people who have commented before me and those who were interviewed for the article need is a "tropical shower" for the brain! You people are, without a doubt, the most idiotic people on the face of the planet! Have you been taking Dean Koontz far too seriously? What will you do next; wrap aluminum foil around your head to keep the government from sending signals into your brain? Do you attend the annual conventions in Roswell, New Mexico? As Forrest Gump said - STUPID IS AND STUPID DOES! Be realistic - fluoride is a tooth cavity tool and nothing more! Be thankful that just by drink water, millions of people who, unlike the elite idiots that protest, will have good teeth. Unlike the "Idiot Protester", they cannot afford the dental care every 6 months!
12/16/2007 4:14 PM PST on OCRegister.com

nghthawk47 wrote:
I checked with Rayne water systems in Irvine and they told me they have systems that will deal the fluoride issues. We are going to buy a system next week! I can not believe the water districts were able to get this one by!
12/16/2007 3:54 PM PST on OCRegister.com

CleanSAFEH20 wrote:
To: ALL with ‘Common Sense’ about keeping our drinking Waters CLEAN & SAFE.URGENT! Know that the actual 'illicit chemical cocktail' that is ‘corruptly sold’ by phosphate chemical corporations to ‘peer pressured’ government regulated municipal water treatment plants all over North America is an USA-EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] 'Regulated Potential Pollutant' of Air, Water, and Land. Silicofluoride is derived from primarily the Phosphate ore mining & processing industries ‘HAPS’ units [e.g. Hazardous Air Pollution Scrubbers], and subsequently is regulatorily classified by EPA as a 'Class 1 ..'HAZARDOUS WASTE'. Politically appointed USA-EPA highest management is primarily in ‘political complicity’ to allow Silicofluorides to be sold and metered into our precious USA drinking waters. However, recently around 7,000+ EPA professional CAREER ‘non-politically hired’ Scientists, Toxicologists, Chemists, and professional field health workers signed a Petition to EPA top Management requesting ‘fluoridation’ be stopped. Read the PR Announcement at:http://www.world-wire.com/news/0830050001.htmlOn March, 2006 a 'balanced' distinguished dozen group of Scientists on a National Research Council/National Academy of Science Panel, after 3-1/2 years of their intensely studying recent 'peer reviewed' published 'Fluoride' SCIENCE as related to possible health endangerment issued a 507 page REPORT in bound book format concerning ALL they learned and concluded with 'Recommendations'. One essential Conclusion was that the current USA governmental set maximum established levels for fluoride in drinking water are NOT Protective especially of children from 'fluorosis', and lifetime 'Bone damage' and other bodily damage! You can read the entire Report 'FREE' on Internet, or purchase a copy by going to:http://nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11571____The daily swallowed DOSAGE of ‘fluoridated drinking water’ swallowed by especially Pregnant Mothers, and very SMALL CHILDREN is UNCONTROLLABLE! Read article about Amer. Dental Assoc. and CDC [Center for Disease Control] WARNINGS to prevent Babies/Infants from getting ‘fluoride’:http://www.mothering.com/sections/news_bulletins/november2006.html#fluorideMany Cities in the USA have ceased, or voted NOT to ‘fluoridate’, especially in the past 10 years. See LIST of those Cities at:http://www.fluoridealert.org/communities.htmFinally, know that the AWWA [American Water Works Association] has reported in one of their ‘Water Conservation pamphlets’ that “Less than 1% of utilities treated water is ever consumed [e.g. swallowed] by human beings.” ‘Fluoridation’ is the Worlds Most economically Wasteful, illogical ‘medicant’ delivery system on the face of this Earth!NEVER SWALLOW ANY FLUORIDE ![ Read the Warning Label on back of any fluoride laden toothpaste.]Demand…‘No! Toxics’ in Drinking Water!
12/16/2007 1:19 PM PST on OCRegister.com
progrowth wrote:
Wow. The crazies from the 1950s thought fluoridation was a Commie plot. Now that the Commies are gone, they appear to be just a bit crazier. But then these are the same people who pay a buck to drink what's nothing more than bottled tapwater.
12/16/2007 1:01 PM PST on OCRegister.com


nyscof wrote:
New York - December 16, 2007 -- In a statement first released August 9, 2007, over 1,200 professionals, double the original number, urge Congress to stop water fluoridation until Congressional hearings are conducted. They cite new scientific evidence that fluoridation, long promoted to fight tooth decay, is ineffective and has serious health risks. (http://www.fluorideaction.org/statement.august.2007.html)Signers include a Nobel Prize winner, three members of the prestigious 2006 National Research Council (NRC) panel that reported on fluoride’s toxicology, two officers in the Union representing professionals at EPA headquarters, the President of the International Society of Doctors for the Environment, and hundreds of medical, dental, academic, scientific and environmental professionals, worldwide.Signer Dr. Arvid Carlsson, winner of the 2000 Nobel Prize for Medicine, says, “Fluoridation is against all principles of modern pharmacology. It's really obsolete.”An Online Action Petition to Congress in support of the Professionals' Statement is available on FAN's web site, www.fluorideaction.org. “The NRC report dramatically changed scientific understanding of fluoride's health risks," says Paul Connett, PhD, Executive Director, Fluoride Action Network. "Government officials who continue to promote fluoridation must testify under oath as to why they are ignoring the powerful evidence of harm in the NRC report,” he added. An Assistant NY State Attorney General calls the report “the most up-to-date expert authority on the health effects of fluoride exposure.” The Professionals’ Statement also references: -- The new American Dental Association policy recommending infant formula NOT be prepared with fluoridated water. -- The CDC’s concession that the predominant benefit of fluoride is topical not systemic.-- CDC data showing that dental fluorosis, caused by fluoride over-exposure, now impacts one third of American children.-- Major research indicating little difference in decay rates between fluoridated and non-fluoridated communities.-- A Harvard study indicating a possible link between fluoridation and bone cancer. -- The silicofluoride chemicals used for fluoridation are contaminated industrial waste and have never been FDA- approved for human ingestion. The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a DC watchdog, revealed that a Harvard professor concealed the fluoridation/bone cancer connection for three years. EWG President Ken Cook states, “It is time for the US to recognize that fluoridation has serious risks that far outweigh any minor benefits, and unlike many other environmental issues, it's as easy to end as turning off a valve at the water plant.”Further, researchers reporting in the Oct 6 2007 British Medical Journal indicate that fluoridation, touted as a safe cavity preventive, never was proven safe or effective and may be unethical. (1)Partially, as a result of the professionals' statement, at least one city, Cobleskill NY, stopped 54 years of water fluoridation. See: http://www.fluoridealert.org/news/2998.htmlOn October 2, Juneau Alaska voters rejected fluoridation despite the American Dental Association's $150,000 political campaign to return fluoride into the water supply after the legislative body voted it out.Many communities rejected or stopped fluoridation over the years. See: http://www.fluoridealert.org/communities.htmSOURCE: Fluoride Action Network http://www.FluorideAction.NetReferences:(1) “Adding fluoride to water supplies,” British Medical Journal, KK Cheng, Iain Chalmers, Trevor A. Sheldon, October 6, 2007