Re: POLITICS: Help stop mandatory water fluoridation

[Guest guest]

600 pros urge Congress to stop fluoridation

Docs, dentists, scientists cite new evidence of serious health risks,

ineffectiveness

August 10, 2007

Citing new scientific evidence suggesting ineffectiveness and serious health

risks, more than 600 professionals are urging Congress to stop water

fluoridation until congressional hearings are conducted.

The signers include physicians, dentists, scientists, and environmentalists.

Their statement released yesterday cites a 500-page review of fluoride's

toxicology by a panel appointed by the National Research Council of the

National Academies.

The panel looked at a large body of literature in which fluoride is said to

have a statistically significant association with a wide range of adverse

effects. They include an increased risk of bone fractures, decreased thyroid

function, lowered IQ, arthritic-like conditions, dental fluorosis and,

possibly, osteosarcoma.

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The signers include a Nobel Prize winner, three members of the NRC panel,

two officers in the union representing professionals at the Environmental

Protection Agency headquarters and the president of the International

Society of Doctors for the Environment.

" Fluoridation is against all principles of modern pharmacology. It's really

obsolete, " contends signer Dr. Arvid Carlsson, winner of the 2000 Nobel

Prize for Medicine.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it " continues to

strongly support community water fluoridation as a safe and effective public

health measure to prevent and control tooth decay and to improve overall

health. "

The signers, nevertheless, say CDC data indicates dental fluorosis, caused

by fluoride over-exposure, now impacts one- third of American children.

An online petition to Congress in support of the professionals' statement

will become available soon on the website of a group called the Fluoride

Action Network, or FAN.

FAN director Connett asserts 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. "

The statement to Congress notes the new American Dental Association policy

recommending infant formula not be prepared with fluoridated water and the

CDC's concession that the predominant benefit of fluoride is topical not

systemic.

The professionals also point to major research indicating little difference

in decay rates between fluoridated and non-fluoridated communities.

Additionally, they cite a Harvard study indicating a possible link between

fluoridation and bone cancer, noting the silicofluoride chemicals used for

fluoridation are contaminated industrial waste and have never been

FDA-approved for human ingestion.

The CDC insists, however, that in spite of the studies, " the weight of the

scientific evidence, as assessed by independent committees of experts,

comprehensive systematic reviews, and review of the findings of individual

studies does not support an association between water fluoridated at levels

optimal for oral health and the risk for cancer, including osteosarcoma. "

The Environmental Working Group, a Washington, D.C.-watchdog, the

professionals say, revealed a Harvard professor concealed the

fluoridation/bone cancer connection for three years.

The president of the watchdog group, Ken Cook, says, " It is time for the U.S

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. "

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