Fluoride Alert News letter

Latest Fluoride Free Victories:

• Attica, Indiana – Members of the City Common Council voted to end fluoridation for the town of 3,100 after the fluoride chemicals ate through a thick, steel-lined, concrete pipe for the third time in only four years.  According to the Streets Superintendent, the corrosion was occurring at a “T” pipe where the fluoride is injected into the water supply.  Meanwhile, another Indiana town, Culver, is also considering an end to the practice.

• Gilford, Pennsylvania – The Water Authority will stop adding fluoride to the water supply in April.  The decision effecting 26,000 residents in both Gilford and Greene townships was made because they felt there were “conflicting opinions about the benefits of water fluoridation.”  They also sent out a statement saying, “we believe we should not put anything into the water that is not required by regulation to maintain the potability and pH balance of your water.”

• Parry Sound, Ontario -- While the initial vote to end fluoridation in the towns of Parry Sound and McDougal took place at the end of January, neither town could officially stop adding the chemical until a public comment period had occurred and two by-laws were successfully passed.  On March 15^th, the final bylaw was approved, and on March 18^th the water treatment employees “flicked the switch off” on the fluoride injection equipment.  It will still take a while for the remaining water towers filled with fluoridated water to be used up, but no more fluoride will be added to the supply, and the injection equipment will be removed over the summer. 

Campaign Alerts & Updates:

• Israel Update -- Fluoridation has returned to Israel by a vote taken in the Knesset. It was the ultra-orthodox Rabbi Yaakov Litzman, the current Health Minister, that pushed to reverse the ban on fluoridation imposed by Yael German, the former Health Minister. This was a battle between enlightened health policy from the former Health Minister and the baseless beliefs from fluoridation promoters.

• Marin Ballot Initiative – The campaign Clean Water Sonoma-Marin is continuing to collect petition signatures--in hopes of collecting 14,000 by the end of April--so they can get a question on the ballot initiating a moratorium on fluoridation if additive safety standards are not met.  A similar campaign was successful in Crescent City, California years ago, and success in Marin could ultimately set an example on how to circumvent statewide fluoridation mandates for campaigners throughout the country.  They are currently requesting volunteer help collecting signatures, and financial assistance so they can hire professional petitioners to reach their goal on time.  Click here to learn more.

• Bedford, U.K. – The group Fluoride Free Bedford has called for a public consultation on water fluoridation, and is demanding the borough end the practice immediately for the safety of it’s residents.  Read their full press release and watch the video as they present a 100-page petition with over 1,600 signatures to the borough council.  For more information visit their website, and please also consider signing their online petition if you live in the U.K.

• Letter to American Thyroid Association -- Three doctors, a dentist, a scientist, and a lawyer have sent a letter to the American Thyroid Association urging the association to publish a position statement opposing fluoridation, and to do more to educate the public about the dangers posed by practice to people with thyroid issues. Read the letter and share with your physicians. Then share with your city, state and national politicians. Also see Newsweek’s report on the latest link between fluoridation and hypothyroidism, as well as FAN’s page on thyroid disease. 

In their Own Words

As Campaign Director, supporters and fluoride-free campaigners often ask me what arguments against fluoridation resonate the most with elected officials.  To help answer this, I’ve created a new webpage for the FAN site with quotes from a variety of political leaders of various nationalities and at different levels of government.   I plan to continue to add quotes to this page as more officials speak out in opposition to the practice.

Why Public Officials Oppose Fluoridation 

We also have two other similar pages on the FAN site that are worth reading and sharing, especially when you are asked, “who opposes fluoridation,” or are falsely told by proponents of fluoridation that no credible public health organizations or professionals oppose the practice.

--Why Medical and Scientific Professionals Oppose Fluoridation 

--Statements From European Health, Water, & Environmental Officials

How to Lobby Your State Legislature
If you missed March’s International Fluoride Free Teleconference, you can now download the audio.  The call was dedicated to campaigners, new and experienced, and I was the featured speaker.  I discussed how campaign leaders and local fluoride-free campaigns can come together to collaborate effectively at the state-level, where resources can be pooled and influence can be more impactful.  Learn how to build a coalition, introduce legislation, lobby the legislature, and take your fluoride-free campaign to your state capitol:

DOWNLOAD MARCH’S TELECONFERENCE 

The next teleconference will be held on Saturday, April 9^th at 5PM (Eastern time).  The call will be dedicated to worldwide campaigners sharing information and experiences to improve everyone's local, state, and national campaigns.

REGISTER FOR APRIL’S TELECONFERENCE