OT:Formal Complaint Charges CDC Oral Health Division with Ethics Violations

[Guest guest]

Formal Complaint Charges CDC Oral Health Division with Ethics

Violations

Food Consumer - Lisle,IL*

By news release

Aug 22, 2007

http://foodconsumer.org/7777/8888/Agri_amp_Environ_41/082208012007_Fo

rmal_Complaint_Charges_CDC_Oral_Health_Division_with_Ethics_Violation

s.shtml

August 13, 2007 ­ A joint meeting of two ethics committees for the

Centers for Disease Control has received a detailed formal complaint

alleging a series of unethical activities by the CDC Oral Health

Division and the CDC Director. The complaint points to a quote by a

highly placed CDC official that the public health ethics code CDC

espouses is not being internally applied within CDC itself. The

complaint specifically questions why CDC's own data on

disproportionate harm from ingested fluoride in minority groups is

not being communicated to these communities, and points to new,

state of the art National Research Council information showing

certain groups to be especially susceptible to harm from fluoride.

The charges were presented to CDC's joint ethics panel on August 9th

by Stockin, a public health professional of The Lillie

Center, Inc., a private sector firm. In a separate development, news

surfaced on the same day that 600 doctors, dentists, and other

professionals have signed a petition calling for a halt to water

fluoridation and for congressional hearings on fluoridation (see:

www.FluorideAction.net).

According to the complaint, the unethical actions of Oral Health

Division manager Maas and CDC Director Gerberding

are " serious and egregious " in not disseminating findings of the

National Research Council that kidney patients, diabetics, infants,

and seniors are especially susceptible to harm from fluoride. The

complaint contains photos of a condition called dental fluorosis, a

staining and pitting of teeth indicative of overexposure to fluoride

that is disproportionately present in African Americans and perhaps

Mexican Americans, compared to Caucasians.

" This is an explosive and deeply disturbing issue, " states

Stockin. " We have provided very specific examples of statements and

actions by Dr.'s Maas and Gerberding that show blatant disregard for

the most fundamental principles of ethics in public health. CDC is

striving mightily to defend its policy supporting water fluoridation

to prevent cavities, but the facts about harm from fluoride are now

coming from highly respected organizations like the National

Research Council. "

" People with kidney disease or on dialysis should see this complaint

and the report by the National Research Council on fluoride, "

Stockin says, " And if you happen to be a member of the population

with diabetes or HIV, you will be amazed how the NRC report contains

important information you should know about -- but that CDC has

elected not to openly share with the public because it runs at odds

with putting fluoride in drinking water. "

The ethics complaint and the 600 professionals' statement are the

latest in a string of blows to the conventional wisdom that fluoride

and water fluoridation are safe. In 2005, frustrated by EPA

administrators' lack of response to mounting evidence of harm from

fluoride, eleven unions within EPA representing 7,000 lab workers,

scientists, and others publicly called for the immediate halt to

fluoridation based on concerns about fluoride-caused bone cancer. In

2006, the American Dental Association quietly stated on its web site

that mothers of newborns might wish to consider using unfluoridated

water when mixing powdered infant milk formula. CDC this year

similarly changed its policy about use of fluoridated water for

mixing formula, but did so only on its web site, not issuing even a

press release to alert millions of parents to the news. The U.S.

Dept. of Agriculture has recently developed software to begin to

assess the quantity of fluoride Americans are ingesting, citing

concern that cumulative fluoride intake could lead to a painful bone

and joint condition called " skeletal fluorosis. "

The new, detailed list of alleged unethical actions by CDC in

protecting its long-held policy is likely to spur groups and

legislators across the country to join in the call for an official

ethics inquiry into CDC's actions.

Were CDC officials willing to sacrifice the health of Americans in

order to prevent embarrassment to the agency and themselves? Stockin

points to supporting materials in the ethics complaint that offer

little wiggle room for discomfited CDC officials. " At-risk groups

have a moral right to be told the whole story about fluoride, "

Stockin says. " Get ready for their lawsuits. The world is not flat,

and fluoride is not safe, " he says.

The full text of the ethics complaint with its attachments can be

accessed at:

http://www.fluoridealert.org/cdc.ethics.complaint.aug.13.... .

Stockin of The Lillie Center may be contacted at (706)-669-

0786

Press Release

Formal Complaint Charges CDC Oral Health Division with Ethics

Violations

Fluoride Alert, Aug 13, 2007

Straight to the Source

From: http://www.fluoridealert.org

contact: 706-669-0786