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UK Against Fluoridation

Sunday, December 31, 2006

Australia - PM laments tooth decay, refuses funding

Prime Minister John Howard has lamented the state of children's teeth in Australia, but refuses to promise more funds for state dental services.
Mr Howard said tooth decay in young children was a national tragedy, and urged parents to offer their children fluoridated tap water.
"I grew up in a generation who had bad teeth because we didn't have fluoride and fortunately my children have all got great teeth," Mr Howard told Fairfax newspapers.
"But kids who are born into the bottled water generation are missing out on that."
Most drinking water supplies have fluoride added, but bottled water doesn't contain the compound that prevents tooth decay.
However, Mr Howard would not promise a commonwealth funding boost to state dental services.
Latest figures show one in five children aged five and under got a filling when they went to the dentist, with 38 per cent of 10- to 16-year-olds getting at least one filling. AAP

Why does the UK still push for fluoridation if it does not work supposedly because kids don't drink tap water? I can't believe the under privileged buy bottled water although they most likely buy soft drinks

India

Black salt, black tea may cause flurosis poisoning
New Delhi, Dec 31: If you thought unsafe water alone caused fluorosis poisoning, think again. Black salt and black tea are equally dangerous, an ongoing study has shown. Consuming them means not only bone and joint pain, anaemia, fatigue and blockage of blood vessels but also destruction of the stomach and intestinal lining.
For pregnant women, consming tangy tasting black salt could mean giving birth to a low-weight child who would attract diseases fast. On occasions, the baby's organs may not be properly developed, the study has shown.

Saturday, December 30, 2006

Not nice news

Not a nice coincidence in the Daily Mail today is a story about a horribly facially disfigured woman after an operation to remove a Basel cell cancer and in the post my appointment for the same treatment. Thankfully it is on my forehead and not my nose as that poor woman. I've never been outside of the UK so it certainly isn't the equatorial sun the reason for it.

As my previous biopsy of lesions removed were non malignant and some people have suggested the B17 kernels may have helped I shall up the numbers I take to see if it does reduce or get rid of the cancer as my appointment isn't until the end of April.

Bill

USA - Longtime dentist, state education figure dies at 70

In the Silverton area, Feller was among those who pushed to put fluoride in the water supply. It was an innovative idea at the time, and some said his proposal was approved partly because there were two dentists on the city council at the time.


"Pushed" Funny way to put it, is the sentiment growing that fluoridation may not be such a bright idea?

Friday, December 29, 2006

USA - Opposition to fluoridation

Opposition to the City’s decision to fluoridate the City’s water supply also came up more than once. A local businessman stated he was very “concerned about the toxicity of fluoride.” Recent studies have shown fluoride is “toxic for infants under 12 months” and the City could be opening itself up for significant liability by moving forward with its fluoridation plans.

USA - 91% of West Virginia is fluoridated:NYSCOF

"Poor oral health remains a neglected epidemic in West Virginia, especially among low-income children and adults.
West Virginia leads the nation in the percentage of senior adults with total tooth loss, according to the Centers for Disease Control. West Virginia also has one of the lowest percentages of people who visit a dentist at least once a year.

The state also has high rates of tooth decay among children."

Thursday, December 28, 2006

Nigeria - Fluoridation next?

That soft drink can give your child tooth ache, diabetes
By Sade Oguntola
Children enjoy taking sweet food items.
Carbonated drinks are to be enjoyed by all. But Sade Oguntola, in this report, writes that extra care is needed when children take them, so that they do not end up creating health problems.
THIS period in the year comes with a lot of merry making. There are lots and lots of food and drinks for all to consume. Children are not exempted from the wining and dining associated with the christmas and sallah celebrations. Kids being heavy consumers of soft drinks too visit shops where it is sold at unprecedented rates. These carbonated drinks provide more sugar in their diet at this period known to be one “flowing “ richly with cookies, biscuits, ice creams and cakes.
Of course, these soft drinks including juices now widely available and easily accessible because of different promos by soft drink manufacturers. These are focused on brand-building among younger and younger consumers by their makers to spur them to put pressure on parents to buy. A few bottles of the soft drinks are given away, alongside, free cash, T-shirt and face caps to raise the level of patronage.
As these drink manufacturers at this yuletide period intensify their campaign, public health officials, parents and consumer groups and even the soft drink industry are faced with many nagging questions: How healthful are these beverages which provide a lot of calories, sugars and caffeine but no significant value? And what happens if you drink a lot of them at a very young age?
Nearly everyone by now would have had the litany on the presumed health effects of soft drinks, but turn theirs face away. These include obesity, tooth decay, caffeine dependence and weakened bones. But do drinking popular beverages really cause all of these? Dr. Funke Denloye, a child oral health expert with the Dental Unit of the University College Hospital, UCH, Ibadan affirms that it does.

USA - From another blog

Dental Health and Oral Hygiene. What you did not know.
By Article Announcer, December 26, 2006, 3:12 pm o'clock
When it comes to dental health and oral hygiene, many of us believe we pretty much know about all there is to know about the topic. However, despite intense public information campaigns, widespread water fluoridation programs, and improved dental health products, there are some very sobering statistics regarding our failure to properly prevent common dental problems like cavities and gum disease. Here are a few statistics compiled by the CDC:
Nearly 1 in 4 adults over the age of 60 have lost all of their natural teeth
Nine in ten adults has tooth decay over the age of 40
1 in 4 children under the age of five already has a cavity
1 in 2 children aged 6-18 have at least one cavity-for those that do have cavities and also live below the poverty line-only half get treatment
Upwards of 15% of adults are believed to have advanced gum disease
Clearly, despite what we are supposed to know about preventing common dental problems, something is going wrong. Nearly 30,000 people each year are diagnosed with throat or mouth cancer and the bacteria that cause gum disease and tooth decay may be a large factor in many of those cases. And it is indeed those harmful bacteria that cause most of our common dental problems and which may start even bigger medical issues if they spread beyond the oral cavity, including:
Heart disease
Infective Endocarditis
Stroke
Weakened immune system
Good oral hygiene such as brushing and flossing daily using ADA certified dental health products is the cornerstone to any strategy aimed at preventing the harmful bacteria present in the mouth from causing problems. However, what many of us don’t know is that our own saliva can help prevent advanced gum disease and cavities because it also helps to naturally control these harmful microbes that are always present in the human mouth.
Saliva will help limit common dental problems because it has specialized enzymes that help produce antibodies which can destroy harmful bacteria like the S. mutans-a common cause of cavities and other oral health problems. Also, your saliva is a wealthy source of oxygen-something that the harmful bacteria cannot thrive in which is why they tend to live behind layers of plaque and tartar where the saliva cannot penetrate.
Every stage of our lives, from pediatric dental health all the way into retirement-we must constantly be on guard against these harmful bacteria. Good oral hygiene is a great start but you must also be sure to avoid dehydration which can lead to a loss of salivation. When the mouth is dry, you are at greater risk for developing advanced periodontal disease so be sure to avoid any behaviors that can lead to dehydration, including:
Smoking
Drinking alcohol or any caffeinated products
Too much physical exercise
Excessive use of laxatives
Using dietary supplements

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Northern Kentucky University sociology professor Joan Ferrante questions the merits of floride in drinking water.

The case against fluoride in water
Post staff report
MELVIN GRIER/The Post
Northern Kentucky University sociology professor Joan Ferrante questions the merits of floride in drinking water.
Northern Kentucky University sociology professor Joan Ferrante buys copies of the book "The Fluoride Deception" by Christopher Bryson and gives them to people she meets.
"I think it is the most well-researched book that I have ever come across in my career," said Ferrante, who loves research and prefers it to two other main sources of knowledge - authorities and personal experience.
The book "The Fluoride Deception" cites research to argue that fluoride - best known for being put in public water systems to prevent cavities in teeth - is bad for people.
Ferrante says she once believed fluoride was good for you, but after reading the book, now believes fluoride is bad and shouldn't be put in public water systems.
However, her credo is keep an open mind, so she's open to research that will make her believe otherwise.
"I am looking for information that will change my mind about the conclusion I have drawn," she said. "I try to live my life that way. I am always looking for ideas that might prove me wrong."
Ferrante uses the topic of fluoride and "The Fluoride Deception" book in her social research methods class.
"It's interesting how people react to ideas that challenge their beliefs," she said. "Some people will shut down to such ideas without giving them the time of day. A closed mind is a very dangerous thing.
"I encourage my students to try to find credible information that will discount the findings in the book."
Ferrante has her students look at a tube of toothpaste at home.
She says any brand with fluoride in it will carry a warning something like: "Keep out of the reach of children under 6 years of age. If you accidentally swallow more than used for brushing, get medical help or contact a poison control center immediately."
Ferrante's students explore why there's so much variation among states when it comes to fluoridated water.
Kentucky is the national leader in percentage of population with fluoridated public water systems - 96.8 percent. Utah is the lowest at 2 percent.
"Kentucky has a lot of poverty and fluoride was originally put in water to address cavities among the poor," noted Ferrante, who said she's been told by people in Utah that people there don't like government intervention in natural things like water.
Using state statistics, students in Ferrante's class correlate health problems in areas with and without fluoridated water.
"There are very high correlations between fluoridated water and children with attention deficit disorder, adults with arthritis and bone cancer deaths," said Ferrante. "Surprisingly, there is more tooth loss in areas with fluoridated water."
There are some correlations between fluoridated water and fewer cavities.
"I acknowledge fluoride probably does reduce cavities to some extent," said Ferrante. "The question is, is it worth the other effects?
"Another question is, how do you control the amount of fluoride you get? What if you drink eight glasses of water a day? What if you swim a lot, how much fluoride is absorbed in the skin? What about crops produced with fluoridated water? It's amazing where water goes."
Ferrante said that while she keeps an open mind, the research conducted by her students leads her to believe that there's more harm than good in fluoride. Unless a future class comes up with something different, she says she's not drinking tap water.

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

USA - Wisconsin 90% fluoridated

State officials said new ways must be found to provide dental care to Wisconsin's poor because 70% of children who were eligible for Medicaid or BadgerCare in a recent year could not get it. Studies have found that few Wisconsin dentists accept Medicaid patients, and the problem is worst in rural areas.
"Dental decay is the No. 1 chronic disease of childhood, particularly among low-income children who often don't have access to a dentist," Doyle said in a statement. Children with dental problems often can't eat or are too embarrassed to smile, interfering with their ability to sleep and to be ready to learn in school, Doyle said.

Monday, December 25, 2006

USA - In 91% fluoridated West Virginia NYSCOF

Walter said she was "flabbergasted" earlier this year to learn about the number of Eastern Panhandle children in need of dental care, let alone the more than 10,500 in the Panhandle who do not receive preventive care, according to state health officials.
"We want these kids to have their two front teeth for Christmas," Walter said after being reminded of the holiday jingle written by Donald Better Gardner in 1944.
"It's stunning what our little kids are walking around with (in their mouths)."

“A huge part of this is going to be educating the parents,” said Dunn, noting that many people, even those who are affluent, now shy away from drinking public water and the fluoridation treatment for dental health that comes with it. Fluoride isn’t in bottled water.

Good excuse for fluoridation not working kids are not drinking it - so why put it in?

Reminder about plants suffering from fluoride.

To offset fluoride in houseplants, use bottled water occasionally
Sunday, December 24, 2006
JANE C. MARTIN




Easter lilies are among the plants
susceptible to fluoride damage.
Q: Which houseplants are sensitive to fluoride from city water? I have a few plants with brown leaf tips and perhaps need to water them with bottled water. — Garden Information Line caller A: Not only is municipal water a source of fluoride but so is perlite — the white, spongy material in many potting mixes. Some fertilizers also might release enough fluoride to harm plants.
Cast-iron plants, dracaena, Easter lilies, freesias, parlor palms, peace lilies, prayer plants and spider plants can show symptoms of leaf-tip burn (browning) from fluoride.

It’s probably not necessary to water all the time with bottled water; just flushing the soil occasionally with rainwater or bottled water helps to reduce fluoride salt buildup.

Sunday, December 24, 2006

USA - Rich Campbell: Who needs experts? We've already got three on the County Commission

On Tuesday, five commissioners listened to the same body of evidence for and against fluoride that was presented during four hours of public testimony.
Two commissioners, Smith and DiTerlizzi, concluded the benefits of fluoridated water far outweigh the potential — and unsubstantiated — health risks and endorsed the measure. Kudos to them for making the right decision.
Three commissioners, Weberman, Heard and Valliere, appeared to fixate on the minority view espoused primarily by naysayers, pseudo-scientists and conspiracy theorists and voted down the proposal.

So if you are against fluoride according to Rich Campbell you are one of the above a naysayer, pseudo-scientist or a conspiracy theorist.

In fluoridation mandated Connecticut:NYSCOF

"About 60 percent of the children have never visited a dentist before, Wilde estimated. 'The rates of [tooth] decay are so high,' she said."In fluoridation mandated Connecticut:

"About 60 percent of the children have never visited a dentist before, Wilde estimated. 'The rates of [tooth] decay are so high,' she said."

Saturday, December 23, 2006

USA - Polluters can do it far more, without reports, EPA says

Polluters can do it far more, without reports, EPA says
By Corinne Purtill and Matt Dempsey
The Arizona Republic
Arizona residents just lost the right to know exactly what some of their industrial neighbors are releasing into the environment.
In a move protested by lawmakers, residents and even the agency's own scientific advisers, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has quadrupled the amount of toxic chemicals that companies can release into the environment without having to report how much they've emitted.
More than 40 percent of Arizona's toxic-releasing facilities will no longer have to provide detailed information about their emissions to the public. And for the first time, some facilities that handle the most dangerous chemicals, such as lead or mercury, will no longer have to file detailed reports about how much they're using.
The data have been used by everyone from Arizona State University researchers to south Phoenix residents fighting a foul-smelling factory. The EPA said it made the change to provide relief to businesses and encourage companies to recycle chemicals instead of releasing them.
Industry representatives applauded the change for cutting down on paperwork and public intrusion into their business.
People with an eye on the government said the EPA's move is the most recent offense from an agency that has favored politics over science under the Bush administration.

Friday, December 22, 2006

Russia - Years of Pollution

Near a 5.4 million-square-foot pharmaceutical plant, fluoride is 300 times the norm.........
........In the Kola Peninsula, near Scandinavia, fully one- fourth of the babies have heart defects or bone-marrow disorders. Not far to the south, in the town of Nadvoitsy, decades of dumping by an aluminum plant has contaminated drinking-water sources, turning the teeth of the town's children black and rotten.

If that is the legacy of communism capitalism isn't so bad.

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Email from NYSCOF

New York – December 21 -- Legislators and officials are responding to newly published evidence of fluoride's adverse effects and rejecting fluoridation.
This December, Juneau, Alaska and Martin County, Florida voted fluoride out of their drinking water. A Tennessee state legislator urged water companies to stop fluoridation. And the Vermont Department of Health sent a fluoridation warning to all Vermont dentists and pediatricians.
December 19, Martin County, Florida commissioners reversed their 2002 fluoridation mandate. Commissioners said fluoride studies raised health doubts, and they weren’t convinced an oral health problem exists in their county.
December 11, the Juneau, Alaska assembly decided to stop fluoridation. One assemblyman said, “…many medical experts are against providing fluoride to infants… I think I prefer the cautious approach," reports the Juneau Empire.
Tennessee State legislator Dr. Joey Hensley, also a physician, urged all Tennessee water departments to stop fluoridation, in letters dated December 4. One city announced plans to stop January 2007.
According to Hensley, “information is now coming out showing that the health risks associated with drinking fluoridated water significantly outweigh fluoride’s limited cavity fighting action.”
In March 2006, the National Research Council’s (NRC) long-awaited report revealed that fluoride jeopardizes health - even at low levels. Dental fluorosis is now an adverse health effect, bone fractures are now of concern, arthritis like pain and stiffness in joints is now a result of low levels of fluoride exposure, tiny amounts of fluoride can cause thyroid depression and brain damage, according to the NRC report.
One NRC fluoride panel member was Tennessee risk assessment expert Kathleen Thiessen, PhD, who wrote to the Governor of Tennessee, "I support Representative Joey Hensley's recent recommendation that Tennessee water agencies stop adding fluoride to their water, and I encourage you to do so as well."
Dr. Thiessen works for Senes Oak Ridge, a human health and ecologic risk assessment firm, whose clients include the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
Per the American Dental Association’s precedent-setting advice, the Vermont Department of Health notified Vermont dentists and pediatricians, to warn parents against using fluoridated water for infant formula.(6) to avoid tooth- discoloring dental fluorosis.
Acushnet, Massachusetts Board of Health asked New Bedford officials to halt its pending fluoridation of the shared water supply and alert the public of adverse aspects.“Demand your community halt or decline fluoridation. Fluoridation is ineffective, unnecessary, and harmful,” says lawyer Paul Beeber, President, New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation.
Also, in 2005 and 2006 over 15 communities rejected fluoridation in at least 13 States and British Columbia.
Contact: Paul Beeber, Esq., President, NYS Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation, Inc.
nyscof@aol.com
http://www.orgsites.com/ny/nyscof
and http://www.FluorideAction.Net



Starts well but ends up with too many outlandish conspiracy links.

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

USA - Martin won't be adding fluoride

Martin won't be adding fluoride
By Jason Schultz
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
STUART — On one side were the blue-shirted activists, those convinced that fluoride is hazardous to the health of most anyone who drinks it out of the tap.
On the other side were those dressed in white: dentists and nurses who desperately wanted the chemical compound added to Martin County's water supply to help strengthen teeth and prevent decay.
On Tuesday, the blue shirts won.

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

USA - Health dept. issues fluoridation warning

Health dept. issues fluoridation warning
By HOWARD WEISS-TISMAN, Reformer Staff
Tuesday, December 19
BELLOWS FALLS -- The Vermont Department of Health is warning parents not to give any fluoridated water to infants under 12 months of age.
The recommendation comes on the heels of a recent statement from the American Dental Association that also asks parents not to mix infant formula with fluoridated water because of the risk it poses to the children.
It is the strongest statement to date from either the ADA or the health department concerning the health risks of the compound that is added to many municipal water supplies in the country to battle tooth decay.
"This warning went out to every dentist and pediatrician in the state," said Steve Arthur, oral health director for the Department of Health. "We now know that when dealing with infants that less is best." .......................

......................But Michael Connett, an anti-fluoride activist who works for the Fluoride Action Network, said the health department warning is an important wake-up call and should not be taken lightly. For years, Connett said, both the ADA and the Vermont Health Department have been hesitant to do anything but fully endorse the use of fluoride. A recent article in the British medical journal, The Lancet, reported that fluoride may also damage a child's developing brain. And on Oct. 14, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration notified bottled water manufacturers that they can not claim that fluoridated water that is marketed to infants prevents tooth decay. Adding fluoride to public water forces users to ingest the chemical whether they want it or not, Connett said. He called the practice reckless.

"It took them 60 years to finally acknowledge that fluoride is dangerous for infants," said Connett. "If fluoride is not safe for everybody than it is not safe for anyone. Period."

USA letter in support of fluoridation

Guest columnist: Dental organizations endorse adding fluoride
MARTIN, RDH
guest columnists
December 19, 2006
Our members would like to express our complete support for community water fluoridation in Martin County and Stuart. Our conviction is based on years of rigorous training as dentists and hygienists at academic institutions across the nation, our research subjected to peer-reviewed scrutiny, and our collective experience over decades of private and public health care. We are passionate about improving the oral health of our community. The general public should expect nothing less from the dental profession.
Let me assure you there is not a single doubt in our members' minds of the unquestioned benefits, safety, cost effectiveness, and fairness of community water fluoridation.
We certainly have no financial motive for this. In fact, we each stand to lose thousands of dollars each year as your teeth become more resistant to cavities. Why do we do this? Because we as dentists have a moral obligation to our patients that transcends profit.
Every year, local dentists and hygienists collectively volunteer thousands of hours treating the less advantaged. If you could see the destruction of teeth and observe the pain and suffering we see in the very young and elderly, it would break your hearts, as it does ours. We help these people, because no one else will. Dental disease not only causes enormous pain and suffering it is often life shattering for those who have little control over their circumstances. Handing out free toothbrushes, as suggested by some, is an insult to the less fortunate.

Local Martin County dentists, hygienist and assistants recently held an annual volunteer clinic, Project Christmas Smile, in Jensen Beach. We treated more than 50 patients, delivering over $15,000 of free dental care. We invited local officials to come so they could see for themselves the terrible results of dental disease on the less fortunate; none showed up.

Tooth decay is a disease so prevalent that most accept it as normal. Few understand that it is preventable with safe and cost-effective measures such as water fluoridation combined with good home-care practices. In fact, it is more cost effective for the taxpayer to prevent a community's disease than to treat the disease. The benefits are shared by all who live in the community, rich and poor.

If your commissioners choose to withhold these benefits after approving them more than four years ago, it will not be because of peer-reviewed science. As one of the most-studied public health measures in history, community water fluoridation has more than 60 years of unblemished safety and solidly proven benefits. All but four of the 50 largest U.S. cities are fluoridated, some for more than 50 years.

It is truly unfortunate that a very few, very vocal individuals have so badly misinformed our commissioners. The overall body of trusted science is crystal clear in its findings that fluoridation of community water supplies is safe, beneficial and cost effective in the prevention of dental disease. The only doubts are false ones from individuals doing "research" on the internet, picking individual lines out of context from solid real research, quoting junk science, and claiming vast conspiracies to frighten and threaten our public officials.
Martin is the only county on Florida's east coast without fluoridated community water supplies. Fluoride is a benefit that transcends all racial and economic barriers. Please give those who are less fortunate the one tool that will have the greatest impact in reducing the pain and suffering from tooth decay.
Orlandi, of Jensen Beach, is president of the Treasure Coast Dental Society.
Henry, of Pensacola, is president of the Florida Dental Association.
Martin, of Tallahassee, is president of the Florida Dental Hygiene Association.

We are very vocal - they're not?

Comments (1) »

Canada - Dorval to resume fluoridation of drinking water

Dorval to resume fluoridation of drinking water
Montreal Gazette
Published: Monday, December 18, 2006
The wide smiles said it all on Monday –- fluoride will be added to drinking water in Dorval once again.
Liberal MNA François Ouimet and Dorval Mayor Edgar Rouleau grinned ear to ear as they announced that the way had been cleared for Dorval to reintroduce the cavity-fighting chemical in its drinking water.
“This is great news for residents of Dorval,” said Rouleau. “The city of Dorval does have the power to fluoridate its water.”

USA - Local dentist refutes fluoride warnings

Local dentist refutes fluoride warnings
By: Jim Ashley
Source: The Herald-News
12-17-2006
Dayton Dentist Larry Smith says that despite the efforts of a practicing physician serving in the state legislature to ban fluoridated water for public utilities, he has seen no “scientific proof” that such water is harmful to humans.
Smith was responding to an article concerning Dr. Joey Hensley that appeared in Wednesday’s edition of The Herald-News.
The article noted that Hensley, who has served in the legislature since 2003, had sent a letter on Dec. 4 to hundreds of water districts throughout the state warning them that fluoridated drinking water can cause serious physical harm to people, especially infants.
Smith said that an email from the Lillie Center in Brentwood, Tenn., concerning Hensley’s letter did not show any “scientific proof” and is “a bunch of malarkey.”
The people trying to ban fluoride, he said, “have got some kind of agenda they are trying to invoke.

He's right there, we want to stop the dumping of a contaminated toxic substance into our water supply.

Monday, December 18, 2006

Not cancerous.

Went to see the dermatologist today to find out the results of my scalp lesions' biopsy. Good news they were not cancerous so will live for a few more years yet. Bit of a relief as that hanging over your head is inclined to dominate your thoughts. I've still got the Basel cell cancer lesion on my forehead but that is not serious and will be removed in the new Year. I shouldn't have got the cancer at all if the B17 was affective as they promise but at least I've lived longer than my two brothers and my father so I must be doing something right.

Bill

USA - Editorial comment

Editorial comment December 18 2006

By Grant Shimmin
Perhaps the measure of local satisfaction with the decision by the district council to conduct a public referendum on the fluoridation of Ashburton’s water supply is that no correspondence has been received by the Guardian at time of writing.
At its height, earlier this year, the debate about fluoride generated a huge number of letters and it was clear there was a deep, almost passionate level of concern in the community about the issue.
Many of those letters expressed concern about the “mass medication” of the public and called for a referendum to decide the issue.
That’s what we’ve got now, by a pretty overwhelming majority, with councillors voting 10-2 in favour of the referendum option.
Those charged with making the decision for us clearly decided there was such a depth of public feeling on the issue that it was simply inappropriate to try to make a determination on behalf of the people of our community. So what we have is the most democratic means available for deciding the issue. The silence so far on the letter, e-mail and text front seems to signal that as a community we’re pretty happy with the decision, though that’s surely the calm before the storm.
No doubt the decision sets the scene for a second, possibly even more intense round of public lobbying than in the lead-up to the initial determination by council of whether the issue needed to be given serious consideration or not.
We all have a responsibility now to cast our vote for the option we believe represents the best way forward for ourselves, our families and our communities as a whole. Interesting times surely lie ahead.
No referendum needed just don't put medicine in everybody's drinking and bathing water.

USA - Fluoride referendum sought by commission

Fluoride referendum sought by commission
Treatment set to start next month
By George Andreassi
Posted December 18 2006
STUART · With the Martin County Commission facing conflicting recommendations on whether to fluoridate the county's drinking water, Commissioner Lee Weberman suggested a referendum to gauge voter support for the initiative.
The commissioners are scheduled to discuss the fluoride issue Tuesday.
As a result of public outcry about possible side effects, three commissioners said they are ready to reverse the decision the commission made in December 2002 to add therapeutic amounts of fluoride to the county's water supply to reduce dental decay. The program was scheduled to begin in January.

Letter from Ann Wills

Still no answers on oil disaster
I am appalled that a year after the Buncefield explosion little has been done to help badly affected residents and little has been revealed about who will have to pay compensation for the errors that led to it.
Residents reported smelling strong petrol vapour in the air before the explosion. This would contain benzene, which is a proven cause of cancer & leukaemia.
There is no word on why Buncefield didn't have vapour monitors to detect a build-up of vapour.
These are similar to gas leak & carbon monoxide detectors which people can buy for their homes. In the USA even petrol pumps have a vapour recovery system to stop customers breathing fumes & to prevent explosions.
Water was contaminated with perfluorooctane sulfonate (POFAs) from foam used to fight the fire. This contained harmful fluoride chemicals linked to bladder cancer and birth defects. I understand that unfortunately this stored contaminated water leaked into the river Colne. Just type "POFA's" into Google and read the information it gives.
I hope the future possible risk of residents developing cancer and leukaemia from the benzene will be taken into account in compensation. There should be a full enquiry as I can't believe that in a developed country such as UK so little positive action has been taken after a whole year.

A.Wills
Ruislip

Sunday, December 17, 2006

India - Could apply here as well

Joint pain? It could be fluorosis
Meenakshi Kumar
[ 17 Dec, 2006 0034hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
NEW DELHI: The next time you suffer from a persistent backache or an irritating stiff joint, don't attribute it to long hours spent at the computer. It could well be the result of fluorosis, a disease thought to affect people in rural India with no access to safe drinking water. It's time to include it in the long list of urban lifestyle diseases.
While fluoride-rich water is perceived as a major cause for fluorosis, in reality, 50% of fluoride entry into the body is through food. Whether it's a plate of chaat-papri, liberally sprinkled with black salt, canned fruit juices, black tea, masala powders or Hajmola tablets—all are equally responsible for increasing fluoride content in the body. Of course, regular consumption over a sustained period and the body's immune system determine how badly the fluoride affects the system.
"Patients come to me with complaints of back-ache, joint pains, fatigue and low energy levels. When I test their drinking water, it's perfect. But on testing their blood and urine samples, I find high fluoride content. Further examination reveals consumption of food rich in fluoride," says Dr A K Susheela, executive director, Fluorosis Research and Rural Development Foundation (FRRDF). Since its setting up in 1997, number of urban patients, she says, has doubled.
A recent UNICEF study conducted in smaller towns and rural areas revealed that 66 million are afflicted by fluorosis in India. Out of this, nearly 6 million are children between 6-14 years. The disease is widespread—19 states and 203 districts are affected —but efforts to prevent it are negligible. Unfortunately, no study has been conducted in cities on the numbers affected through food.
"It's necessary to first diagnose the disease. But no hospital is interested in buying the testing equipment. It costs only Rs one lakh. Is that too much for any hospital?" asks Susheela.
Till two years back, Bijoy De, an MNC executive, suffered from fluorosis symptoms—extreme fatigue, constant back and joint pains. When he visited Susheela, his haemoglobin level was 11. "I travel constantly and had little control over what I ate. On the advice of my doctor, I changed my food habits. Within 3-4 months, my haemoglobin level shot up to 13."
Similarly, Kanpur-based Ratish Bajpai was constantly fatigued and had regular back pain. On testing, the blood serum level was eight times above normal, while the fluoride level in urine was 20 times higher. " I had no idea about fluorosis. I vaguely knew it was something to do with water," he says.
And that's the level of awareness of most urban Indians—thanks to lack of knowledge among doctors and unavailability of fluorosis testing centres. Only two centres in the country, AIIMS and FRRDF, are equipped to test fluorosis. "As most doctors aren't trained for the disease, it goes largely undiagnosed or misdiagnosed," says Dr V B Bhasin, senior orthopaedic surgeon, Gangaram Hospital. In fact, many end up being treated for arthritis as the symptoms for both diseases are the same. In the past few years, Bhasin has had patients complaining of stiff joints and backaches.
When no other treatment works, he sends them for fluoride testing and most end up being positive. Affirms Dr P K Dave, chairman, Rockland Hospital, and a senior orthopaedic doctor, "In most cases, complaints of back pain have been traced to a high fluoride content in the body."
Interestingly, fluorosis manifests itself slowly. The good news is that it can be easily prevented in the early stages. However, in the advanced stage, called skeletal fluorosis—when the vertebrae partially fuses and moving joints becomes difficult— there's no cure.
"That's why," suggests Susheela, "it's important not to ignore joint pains and backaches. It's advisable to do a fluoride test whenever a backache or joint pain persists."
Thankfully, awareness levels are rising, though slowly.

USA - Martin likely to reject fluoridation

Martin likely to reject fluoridation
By Jason Schultz
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Sunday, December 17, 2006
STUART — The practice of adding fluoride to drinking water to strengthen teeth has been used for decades. And the battle over the merits - or dangers of the chemical has been raging across the globe about as long.
Anti-fluoride activists have claimed the chemical weakens teeth and bones since the 1940s, said Jensen Beach's Pat Arena, who has been leading a charge against fluoridation on the Treasure Coast. But dentists and national health organizations have always dismissed the claims of fluoride's detractors, pointing to scientific studies showing that fluoride does indeed strengthen teeth.
On Tuesday, the latest battle over fluoridation will be fought in the Martin County Commission chambers. And the growing group of local opponents will likely win their crusade to keep it out of the county's water.

"I think fluoride is going to go away. It's going to happen nationally," said Arena, an engineer who has been fighting since April to prevent fluoride from being added to water by the county's utility department for more than 20,000 customers.

Three county commissioners - Sarah Heard, Susan Valliere and Lee Weberman - say they will likely vote against fluoridation. The other two - Doug Smith and Chairman Michael DiTerlizzi - said last week they are still making up their minds.

"I think it's mass-medicating the public," Valliere said. "I just don't think I can confidently say to everybody 'It's safe. Drink up.''"

USA - Grant to Provide Dental Services for Less-Fortunate Children

Green Bay Wisconsin is fluoridated:NYSCOF
"In Green Bay alone, it's estimated that 11,000 uninsured or under-insured children don't have proper access to dental care.
Retired Dentist Gene Eggers has seen the problem first hand.
'A teacher would show up with a child in tow, that's been up, can't concentrate, all these symptoms,' he said. 'Maybe they were swollen and begging us to work the child into the program.'"

Saturday, December 16, 2006

From Ann Richards

The Hampshire PCT circus came to Emsworth Community Centre on Wednesday 13 December for its monthly general meeting. Peter and I decided to take the opportunity of attending because they are unlikely to come to such a convenient venue again in the near future.We went armed with an extract from the American Dental Association’s website (www.ADA.org) dealing with babies and the mixing of formula feeds with fluoridated water. Although still very pro-fluoridation the ADA has at last quietly slipped onto their website the admission that it is dangerous for babies to have formula feeds made up with fluoridated water and that up to the age of 6 children are incapable of spitting out fluoridated toothpastes or mouthwashes. We added an article by Daniel G Stockin Harmed Babies and Minorities: Acceptable Collateral Damage of Water Fluoridation which spells out the implications of this admission very succinctly.It was not easy to talk to board members because most arrived late. However we were able to speak to a representative of Petersfield Patient and Public Involvement Forum (PPI) and she was very forthcoming. She said that fluoridation was completely off the agenda for 2007, although it could raise its head again later. She agreed to take our information sheets back to her PPI. A man who was with Gosport and Fareham PCT and now works for Hampshire knew nothing about fluoridation but said that everyone is still trying to come to terms with the PCT reorganisation hence there is little time to worry about much else.Then we buttonholed Professor Montgomery, Chairman of the PCT; he confirmed that fluoridation is off the timetable for the present, but he did mention that he is serving on the BMA Ethics Advisory Group and said that the group will be looking at fluoridation. He took our handout and promised to put it before a group meeting – but he could not promise anything! On the positive side he had a pleasant approach and is obviously nobody’s fool.It does not seem that we can do much more to fight fluoridation in this area unless/until the PCT brings it to the fore again.
We intend to keep a watch on the web for future meetings of the PCT and to scrutinise agendas.The next meeting will be held at 2.30 pm on Thursday 25 January 2007 at The Market Room, The Grosvenor Hotel, Stockbridge SO20 6EU.

Irish Medical News

Alliance of NGOs to challenge fluoridation regulations

A new alliance of NGOs has been developed to challlenge national and international regulations and guidelines which permit the use of synthetic flourides in infant formulas.In addition, the group is calling for an international ban on the fluoridation of drinking water.
The alliance is arguing that drinking water is an inappropriate medium for the delivery of flou­ride, because it is impossible to control dosage owing to different levels of consumption.The group has proposed that any government wishing to promote flouride for the purposes of reducing dental caries should make it “at most, optional and should ensure that in whatever appropriate form flouride is delivered the dosage can be controlled according to body weight, age, medical condition and individual consent”.Long time anti-flouridation campaigner Mr Robert Pockock of VOICE Ireland is involved in the alliance and has welcomed “the united front being developed against ingested fluoirde”.“Since babies are among the most susceptible groups exp­osed, it is deeply irresponsible for any regulator to continue allowing this unlicenced drug to be used for babies.”He added that “given the toxicity of synthetic flourides and their uncontrolled dosage, there are undeniable risks to the human body and there is no safety margin between the amounts required to yield a therapeutic effect and the amounts that are universally safe”.The five NGOs involved in the alliance are The Alliance for Natural Health, The Dr Rath Foundation, The National Health Federation, VOICE and MayDay.

UK - Manifesto for a healthier Bolton

Manifesto for a healthier Bolton
By Jane Lavender
Comment | Read Comments (1)(By Terry Moore)
A PLEDGE to improve the ailing health of Bolton's population has been signed by borough health bosses.The manifesto for improving health services in the town, entitled Better Health for Bolton, was officially launched at an event at the Reebok Stadium.Falling life expectancy, chronic heart and liver disease, and high rates of cancer have prompted health chiefs to draw up the action plan.Tim Evans, interim chief executive for Bolton Primary Care Trust, said: "I see this manifesto as a real challenge because it sets out 71 promises, but I'm optimistic that they can be achieved."Things have already come a long way in the last five years, but we can't rest on our laurels, we must keep pushing ahead and that's what this is about."
Among the promises are plans to improve the lifestyles of people in Bolton's most deprived areas, reduce smoking, improve early detection of cancer, reduce obesity and improve dental health by lobbying for fluoride to be added to the water.
Access to GPs' surgeries will be improved, there will be better health centres and more help for those involved in substance abuse.The Primary Care Trust will also develop care in the community to keep people out of hospital, provide children's nursing and therapy services closer to home and increase the breast feeding rate.Teenagers will see an improvement in emotional and sexual health services and work will be done to reduce teenage pregnancy.
Older people will be encouraged to take part in exercise and more will be done to ensure those with long-term conditions, such as lung disease, are cared for in their own homes.Another aim is to offer more support for carers.

Australia - 'No barrier' to fluoride

PREMIER Peter Beattie has insisted his Government's plans to build a southeast Queensland water grid are no barrier to councils fluoridating their own drinking supplies.Mr Beattie yesterday said councils in the region could add fluoride at downstream treatment stations which supplied their areas."Brisbane could put it in at Mt Crosby, Gold Coast could put it in at their local area," he said.Mr Beattie's comments come amid confusion over whether individual councils could still choose to fluoridate their water supplies with the introduction of the grid.The Government is offering rebates to councils for the set-up costs of fluoridating their drinking supplies. But the grid will be capable of shifting water from one region to another.Mr Beattie hinted that there might be changes to the Government's bid to put the fluoride onus on councils."The Water Commission is going to have to look at this and give us advice," he said.The five-year $6 million statewide rebate scheme for fluoride infrastructure has been a flop with not one council taking up the offer.

Local Government Association of Queensland president Paul Bell said the state should "bite the bullet and mandate fluoridation of water supplies statewide".

USA - Unhealthy Diagnosis

Connecticut water companies are required to add fluoride chemicals into the drinking water: NYSCOF

"'The state of Latino Health in Connecticut is in crisis,'"
"the study also found high incidences of ... dental problems

Friday, December 15, 2006

USA Health panel backs fluoridation in Martin

By JAMES KIRLEY jim.kirley@scripps.com December 15, 2006STUART — A committee of local public health advocates Thursday repeated its support for adding fluoride to Martin County's drinking water after hearing dentists say the practice is a safe way to prevent tooth decay. Opponents say it amounts to slow poisoning.
The Martin County Health Coordinating Council unanimously voted to recommend that county commissioners continue plans to add therapeutic amounts of fluoride to county water beginning in early 2007.

Lots of comments from readers for and against

Kempsey council baulks at fluoridation cost

Kempsey Shire Council says it will ask the New South Wales Government for permission not to go ahead with fluoridating the local water supply, saying the operating costs are far too high.
While the Health Department is paying the set-up costs, local councils are being told they will have to meet the ongoing operating costs, which Kempsey council is estimating will be more than $110,000 annually.

But it will save them $1billion - according to previous post.

Ireland - Fluoridation 'cutting tooth decay'

Fluoridation 'cutting tooth decay'
Paul Anderson
Tooth decay levels are lower among children with fluoridated domestic water, a cross-Border survey of oral health shows today.
Among the study's findings was that 15-year-olds in the Republic, where public water supplies are fluoridated, have 40 per cent fewer decayed, missing or filled teeth than their counterparts in the North where the public water supply is not fluoridated.
The survey compared levels of oral health in children and adolescents with those found in surveys done in the 1990s and a national oral health survey in 1984.
The Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney, who unveiled the report, said it was an important component of a larger research project evaluating national oral health and dental services.
Ms Harney said: "Although decay levels are higher amongst the less well off, it has been found that fluoridation is effective in both disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged groups. In contrast to many other health promotion activities, water fluoridation prevents tooth decay across the social divide."
Fluoridation of water is a controversial practice. It is a particularly sensitive subject in the United States because of fears of mass litigation in the event that a link between fluoridation and ill health is recognised by a court.
Half of all fluoride ingested is stored in the body, accumulating in calcifying tissue such as teeth and bones.
While experts agree that most people are not affected by fluoridation, professional bodies and healthcare practitioners - including Nobel Prize winner Dr Arvid Carlsson - believe it can cause arthritis, osteoporosis and cancer.
A causal link between fluoridation and such illness has never been categorically established, although a Harvard study published last year found it causes a rare form of bone cancer in boys.

No political will on fluoride

I have observed the names of those who write the "anti" letters. They include one doctor, one nutritionist (who is married to the doctor) and about 20 other individuals from Mackay south to Warwick.
That strident few are backed by a small network of seemingly well-credentialled opponents – many of them non-medical – who utilise the internet and email to do an effective snow job with their minority view.

"Strident" Loud, harsh, grating, or shrill; discordant - I wonder which one he meant - all of them?

A Queensland cost-benefit study indicates potential savings of $1 billion over 30 years.

$1 billion!

The minority objectors can use reverse osmosis filters to remove it, or use bottled water if they feel so strongly about it.

That's nice of him

Water fluoridation and infant formula policies

"New Zealand children continue to experience higher than acceptable levels of dental decay and fluoridated water remains one of the best weapons we have in the fight against tooth decay,'' says the Ministry's chief advisor oral health Dr Robin Whyman.

Not very effective then

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Even though 2/3 of Americans drink fluoridated water:NYSCOF

The Facts:
Each year in the United States, 30,000 people are diagnosed with mouth and throat cancer, most of whom are elderly adults. Eight thousand Americans die of these cancers annually.
Oral disease has a substantial social and economic impact on America. Children lose more than 51 million school hours yearly to dental-related illness. Employed adults lose more than 164 million hours of work yearly due to dental disease or dental visits.
More than 108 million children and adults lack dental insurance in the United States, which is more than two and a half times the number of people without medical insurance.
Tooth decay is the single most common chronic childhood disease. It is five times more common than asthma and seven times more common than hay fever. (1)
Recent research suggests potential links between the bacteria responsible for chronic oral infections and cardiovascular disease, stroke, low birth weight and premature birth. A link between periodontitis (a chronic bacterial infection affecting the gums and bone that support the teeth) and diabetes is well established.

Lots more information on web page

Water districts cautioned against fluoride

CHECKING FLUORIDE Mike Patrick, chief operator for the Dayton Water Filter Plant, checks the facility’s fluoride pumping system, which adds one gallon of fluoride to every one million gallons of water. (Herald-News photo by Jim Ashley)


By: Jim Ashley
Source: The Herald-News
12-13-2006

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Is utility-supplied water in Dayton and Rhea County tainted with a harmful chemical that is damaging residents’ teeth and internal organs? According to a practicing physician serving in the Tennessee legislature, all fluoridated drinking water, which includes water provided by some utilities in Dayton and Rhea County, is harmful to humans, especially infants and young children.Dr. Joey Hensley, who has served in the legislature since 2003, sent a letter on Dec. 4 to hundreds of water districts throughout the state warning them about fluoridated water and advising them that they should no longer add the cavity-fighting chemical to the water.
In the letter Hensley states, “information is now coming out showing that the health risks associated with drinking fluoridated water significantly outweigh fluoride’s limited cavity fighting action. Water fluoridation is medication added to water…. Giving an unmeasured amount of fluoride through drinking water and not monitoring people’s response to it makes no sense at all and violates fundamental principles of toxicology, pharmacology, and ethics.”
He then cites a recent report from the National Research Council that states, “infants and young children are receiving 3-4 times the dose of fluoride as do adults on a body weight basis.” The American Dental Association, Hensley notes, “last month quietly issued a new recommendation that infant milk formula not be mixed with fluoridated city water.” Also in his letter, he states that “the Centers for Disease Control last year admitted that 32 percent of school-age kids have some form of dental fluorosis.”
According to Daniel Stockin, former manager of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Western Regional Lead Training Center, “Dental fluorosis is an outer, visible biomarker of a poisoning that is occurring internally, akin to the bluish line that appears in the gums of people poisoned by lead.” Stockin is currently employed at The Lillie Center Inc. in Brentwood, Tenn., and is working with Hensley in his campaign to eliminate fluoride in drinking water.The Herald-News contacted a few local dentist offices to see if they had encountered evidence of dental fluorisis but none of the dentists would comment. One office did, however, say it had seen some patients with dental fluorosis.
Mike Patrick, chief operator of the Dayton Water Treatment Plant, said he had not received a letter from Hensley but had read a copy of it on the Internet.
The Herald-News received a copy of the letter via email from The Lillie Center in Brentwood, Tenn.
Patrick said he had not heard of any medical problems in Dayton or any other city caused by fluoridated drinking water, but he did note that the Dialysis Clinic Inc. “filters it out of their water.” Woody Evans, City Manager in Spring City, said he had received the letter from Hensley and had asked Greer Harris at the Spring City Water Filter Plant to stop adding fluoride to the water on Jan. 1. The letter he received, he said, has a long list of water districts that have already stopped adding fluoride to their water. “I don’t think we need to be drinking anything we don’t have to,” Evans said.
According to Tisha Calabrese-Benton, deputy communications director for the Tennessee Dept. of Environment and Conservation, Watts Bar and Graysville water utilities have not been adding fluoride to their water.
Although neither state nor federal governments require fluoride to be added to water supplies, the state of Tennessee does have guidelines for utilities that choose to do so. Patrick said the state requires a rate of 0.9-1.3 parts (gallons) of fluoride per million gallons of water. Dayton’s fluoride-water ratio, he noted, averages 1.0-1.1 per month, and in November, 70 million gallons of fluoridated water were used by local residents.
Stockin said the problem with fluoride in the short term is not the amount of fluoride in the water but the “dose that is ingested by the person.”
Dose, he explained, “is the total amount you get and how it impacts your body.”
What is “really disturbing,” he said, is that “infants, on a body weight basis, are getting three to four times the amount of fluoride that adults are getting … and is potentially harmful.”
But in the long term it can harm adults, Stockin said, explaining that “fluoride is a cumulative poison … a little less than half of all the fluoride you’ve ever ingested in your life is still somewhere in your body.”
After a few decades of this, he said, you can “wake up some day with some sort of disease.”
Stockin said that the issue of fluoride in drinking water “is going to dwarf tobacco in terms of lawsuits.”
Jim Ashley can be reached at jimashley@xtn.net.

Scary picture

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

USA - Recommend against fluoride

Martin County commissioners to sink teeth into fluoride issue
Story Tools
Martin County Commission shares views on fluoride debate
By GEORGE ANDREASSI
george.andreassi@scripps.com
December 13, 2006
STUART — With a Tuesday decision looming on whether or not to add fluoride to Martin County's drinking water, Utilities Director John Polley said he would recommend against adding fluoride because of health concerns raised in recent reports.
"I will recommend against it when it comes before the board," Polley said Tuesday.
Many medical organizations — including the American Dental Association and the American Medical Association — support adding small amounts of fluoride to drinking water to promote dental health.
But Polley said a National Research Council study on fluoride issued in March convinced him to make his recommendation. He also cited a Nov. 9 memo from the American Dental Association that recommends fluoridated water not be used to mix powdered baby formula.
"My reading of the report indicates that there is a potential for harm, in particular in infants," Polley said.
Polley, however, admitted that he had not read the entire report, which is more than 400 pages long.
I wonder who has read the 400 page report? You can vote and add comment on paper's web apge.

New Zealand - 50% of 9 year olds have fluorosis!

Health Ministry says baby formulas safe to use with tapwater
Posted at 4:15pm on 13 Dec 2006

The Ministry of Health says most baby formula products in New Zealand can be safely mixed with fluoridated water.
The American Dental Association is recommending the use of non-fluoridated water in babies' bottles, because some are absorbing too much of the chemical and developing mottled teeth.Dr Robin Whyman, the ministry's chief adviser on oral health, says studies here have found no sign that fluorosis is increasing. He says most baby formulas available here contain no fluoride, and the few that do should be mixed with non-fluoridated water.Dr Whyman says a study of Southland nine-year-olds found about half had marks on their teeth associated with fluorosis, but that level had not changed since the 1980s.

So that's alright then!

Alaska - Juneau to stop adding fluoride in about four weeks

Juneau to stop adding fluoride in about four weeks
Associated Press
Article Last Updated:12/12/2006 12:28:50 PM AKST
The city of Juneau will stop adding fluoride to the city's drinking water in about four weeks. Three weeks ago the Assembly voted 5 to 4 to stop adding fluoride. Assembly member Bob Doll brought the issue up for reconsideration last night. The vote was 6 to 3 vote this time.
City Manager Rod Swope said the public needs to be giving adequate notice before the city stops putting fluoride in the drinking water. He figures that will take about four weeks. The issue arose two years ago when it was discovered that a public works employee had stopped adding fluoride to drinking water because it was suspected of eroding city pipes.

New Zealand - appeal to take note of advice for babies overdosing.

US Warns About Fluoride And Babies
7:34 am, 13 Dec 2006
A Northland dentist says it would be negligent for New Zealand to ignore American advice about babies and fluoride. The American Dental Association, which supports fluoridation, is now advising parents not to use fluoridated tap water to make up baby formula.It says because of their small body-weight, bottle-fed babies can be overdosed, and suffer adverse effects. But the New Zealand Dental Association says new concerns in the United States about babies and fluoride are not relevant here.
A spokesperson, Dr Martin Lee, says there is no need to issue similar advice.
But Laurie Brett, a Whangarei dentist who has challenged the use of fluoride, says New Zealand has been accepting American advice about fluoride safety since the 1950s, and should heed the new note of caution.
The American Dental Association says its advice on baby formula does apply to places with the same fluoridation levels as New Zealand's.

Why isn't the NHS taking note in fluoridated parts of the UK?

Ohio is 91% fluoridated: NYSCOF

"The Ohio Department of Health has identified dental care as the state's No. 1 unmet health need for children and adults.
Without insurance -- or cash to pay the dental bill -- many people put off care or go to hospital emergency rooms only when the pain gets unbearable."
``'Our problem has been recruiting enough dentists to give us time on the van,'' she said."

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

USA - Board of Health hopes to halt fluoridation

Board of Health hopes to halt fluoridation
By PAUL GATELY, Standard-Times correspondent
ACUSHNET — The Board of Health is sending a letter to New Bedford Mayor Scott W. Lang this morning asking that the city meet with town officials and halt its pending fluoridation of the shared water supply.
Thomas Fortin of the health board advised selectmen last night that the intent is to stop the fluoridation program, alert the public to its adverse aspects, establish facts about the effects of the process, and request federal studies not released for decades and review their data.

USA - Lawmaker issues plea to limit fluoridation

Tuesday, 12/12/06
By JESSICA FENDER
Staff Writer
The only practicing physician in the state legislature has asked hundreds of water districts to stop adding fluoride to drinking water, citing recommendations from the American Dental Association that mothers avoid using tap water to mix baby formula.
State Rep. Joey Hensley, a Republican from Hohenwald, said he mailed about 250 letters last week after hearing that ingesting too much fluoride can cause fluorosis — or staining of the teeth — in young children.

"I'm just trying to bring it more to the front, because more and more people are concerned about it. They don't have a choice now," Hensley said.
He added that he was worried about low-income mothers who may have to mix baby formula with bottled water, which could be costly.
Water districts decide individually whether to add fluoride — long touted for its cavity-fighting properties — to its water, and Hensley said he doesn't plan to introduce legislation banning the practice.
Metro Water Services in Nashville adds fluoride to its water.
A statement by the dental association still recommends fluoridating water to prevent tooth decay.

Monday, December 11, 2006

UK - Folic acid echoes fluoridation

"In matters of health we should be given information so we can make an informed choice, not dictated to all the time."
A spokeswoman for Help the Aged said: "We would need to see more evidence of how this might affect older people, but generally we would not want to see anything introduced that put the well-being of older people at risk. "People need to have a choice."A lot of pensioners are limited in what they can buy and bread is a staple part of their diet.

"Taking away their choice would cause concern."

A spokesman for Age Concern said: "Folic acid may help young people but we need to make sure the needs of older people are also being considered.

"When deciding if this should be put in bread we need to be sure that, although there are benefits for certain people, it does not cause any problems for older people."

A spokeswoman for the Food Standards Agency said the committee's final report is expected to be published on Tuesday and its board will then be launching its public consultation on the issue.Once that is completed, the FSA board will consider the results and then pass on its recommendation to health ministers.
The row echoes the controversy surounding the fluoridation of water. Fluoride is added to around 10 per cent of the UK's drinking water to improve children's teeth after research revealed it could cut dental decay by up to 60 per cent. But some now want an end to fluoride in drinking water as young children exposed to too much can end up with mottled teeth.Campaigners also claim it may even trigger bone cancer and osteoporosis.However the World Health Organisation, the Royal College of Physicians and the Department of Health have endorsed water fluoridation as safe.

Sunday, December 10, 2006

Who can you trust?

D. Express 9.12.06 "WHO WANTS TO BE A CHEAT?"
Dentist David Heppleston, 45, conned the NHS out of half a million pounds by making up bogus patients & charging for treatments he hadn't done. The dentist from Scarborough did this even after winning £64,000 on "Who wants to be a Millionaire?" in 2002.
Ann

Well you may have heard the BBC news at 8.06 today am. Sir Richard Doyle has ecently died.The newscaster stated quite clearly that "it has been revealed that he received a salary from the Monsanto chemical in the 80's /90's of £750 per day "! For those who do not knowe he was probably the strongest proponent for water fluoridation in the 80's and 90's. Certainly many famous names (who were struggling against water fluoridation) suffered at his hands
Anthony

USA - Doctors, officials seek fix for state’s oral health woes

There’s been a 15 percent increase in cavities for West Virginia children ages 2 to 5 in recent years.
Twenty-five percent of low-income children will not have seen a dentist by kindergarten.
Only one of every five West Virginia children who receive Medicaid visit a dentist each year.
Twenty-eight percent of West Virginia children have untreated tooth decay.

West Virginia (USA) is 91.5% fluoridation: NYSCOF

USA - Adamantly and enthusiastically endorses the addition of fluoride

Editorial: Add fluoride to water system
December 10, 2006
To fluoridate or not to fluoridate?
This is the question the Martin County Commission will address at its Dec. 19 meeting.
The editorial board at the News has carefully examined the issue — and adamantly and enthusiastically endorses the addition of fluoride to public drinking water in Martin County. The body of scientific evidence — as well as the number of public health organizations and dental/medical associations that support the use of fluoride — is overwhelming. This additive, when used in proper amounts (0.7-1.2 parts per million) is a proven, safe and effective means of preventing, and even reversing, preliminary tooth decay.
The opponents of fluoridating the county's drinking water have gained traction, in recent months, by appealing to emotion, by citing questionable studies and by picking and choosing select pieces of "evidence" that support their position.
Don't believe the negative hype.
"Fluoridation of community drinking water, which began in the late 1940s, and the use of fluoride products, are credited for the dramatic reduction in tooth decay experienced by U.S. residents," according to the Center for Disease Control's Web site (www.cdc.gov). "In 1999, the CDC included water fluoridation in its list of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th Century."
One of the most outspoken opponents of fluoridation, Pat Arena of Jensen Beach, has put forth a number of arguments against putting this additive in our drinking water. Some of Arena's major arguments merit attention.
Arena makes reference to a study conducted by a 2001 Harvard graduate student that purportedly found a link between fluoride and an increased risk of osteosarcoma, a rare and often-fatal form of bone cancer.
Dr. David F. Boden, a periodontist who practices in Stuart and Port St. Lucie — and lives in Palm City — puts this issue in context. Boden points out that the primary research authors subsequently published what is called a "comment letter" in Cancer Causes Control (2006) in which they cautioned that the results of the graduate student's study weren't supported by the findings in the larger body of information.
"When I, as a scientist, read this material," Boden said, "I conclude there is no smoking gun here, only ambiguity."
Arena also expresses concern that the cumulative effect of fluoride in food, toothpaste and other sources may exceed the daily consumption of 0.7 ppm proposed for Martin County.
Boden: "When we look at the 0.7 ppm concentration figure, that takes into account what we know comes in through food, toothpaste, etc. We already know about these sources, so we adjust the number accordingly."
Arena cites a Nov. 9 memo from the American Dental Association recommending that fluoridated water not be used to mix powdered baby formula.
Boden responds by pointing out that domestic producers of powdered baby formula long ago adjusted their products to take into account fluoridated water systems.
"The importation of baby formula may lead to a higher concentration of fluoride," Boden said, "but I stress, the higher concentration level is minimal."
Boden is a member of the ADA and the Florida Dental Association, the American Academy of Periodontology and Florida's representative on the ADA's Ethics Committee.
And he, along with thousands of his colleagues and dozens of nationally recognized dental, medical and health care organizations, unreservedly endorse the use of fluoride in public drinking water.

• More than 170 million U.S. residents — about two-thirds of the population — are served by water supplies in which the fluoride concentration has been adjusted to optimal levels.

• Forty-two of the 50 largest cities in the U.S. have adopted water fluoridation.

• Between 2000 and 2004, 125 U.S. communities voted to add fluoride to their water systems.

Come Dec. 19, the County Commission would be wise to add Martin County to the list.

FLUORIDE OR NO FLUORIDE?

Nine of the the 10 largest U.S. cities have fluordiated water. Here are the top 10 cities (and Florida cities in the top 50) and year fluoridation began:

Rank City Year
1 New York 1965

2 Los Angeles 1999

3 Chicago 1956

4 Houston 1982

5 Philadelphia 1954

6 Phoenix 1990

7 San Diego n/a

8 Dallas 1966

9 San Antonio 2002

10 Detroit 1967

This is the full article I printed it as it does examine some of the latest objections to fluoride. Guess we are as entrenched in our opinion as they are theirs.

Saturday, December 09, 2006

UK Bradford Dental experts put fluoride case

Dental experts put fluoride case
By Claire Lomax
Comment | Read Comments (2)
Coun Elaine Byrom doesn't believe there is support for fluoridation
Dental health professionals last night outlined how they plan to improve the oral health of the Bradford population.
Children in Bradford have some of the worst teeth and gums in the country and Bradford Council's health improvement committee has long voiced its concerns about how to improve access to dental care in the district.Representatives from Bradford and Airedale Teaching Primary Care Trust gave a presentation on the provision of dentistry and oral health improvement plans.This included an outline of an oral health action plan, which includes support for the fluoridation of water, a measure which Bradford Council rejected as "unethical" when it was last raised in 2003.
The dental experts' report says: "The need for water fluoridation in Bradford is clear, with benefits for the whole population.
"If water fluoridation is found to be feasible in Yorkshire and Humber, the tPCT would request the Strategic Health Authority to carry out a public consultation exercise to assess local support for such a measure."

There is an added comment by George glasser

USA - Health Department recommends mixing baby formula with 'fluoride-free' water

Health Department recommends mixing baby formula with 'fluoride-free' water
Published: Friday, December 8, 2006
The Vermont Department of Health recommended today mixing powdered or concentrated baby formula with water that is fluoride-free, or contains very low levels of fluoride, for feeding infants under 12 months of age.
The department cited recent studies that have discovered the possibility that infants in this age group may be consuming more fluoride than necessary.

I wonder why the the NHS hasn't come out with this latest advice to mothers?

Friday, December 08, 2006

Plants and fluoride

6. Browning of leaf tips: Low humidity, excess fertilizer, water that is high in fluorine, spray damage from pesticides, unfavorable soil reaction (a high or low soil pH), air pollutants or root loss due to excessive water in the soil will cause tips to brown. Water that contains fluorine should be allowed to sit for several days before using so the that the fluoride may bubble out. Simply trim away brown tips with sharp scissors to improve the looks of your houseplants.

Bubble out?

Australia - MORE than three in four Queenslanders support water fluoridation, a survey has found.

Warwick residents on the Darling Downs will vote in a referendum next year on whether to allow fluoride to be added to their water.
Australian Dental Association Queensland president Robert McCray said the interests of the majority should guide decision makers on the fluoride issue.
He said a recent meeting of international dental health experts convened by the World Health Organisation urged governments to legislate to ensure access to fluoride in all countries.

Can we ever stop the brainwashing?

Thursday, December 07, 2006

USA - Letter

Letter of the Week: The people have spoken; let's sue Big Brother - Dec. 5, 2006
So here we are, having fluoride forced down our throats unless we spend the time, money and trouble to find pure water for drinking and cooking. It is not believable that, even after Orwell’s book, 1984, came out, a majority of people voted to let Big Brother decide what is best for all of us and put something in our water. But at least that was in the years before so much testing was available and the ill effects of so many substances was not known. There was more trust of Big Brother – and perhaps more reason for the trust. (?) And perhaps not so many people were familiar with Orwell’s warning.

But what is truly unbelievable is that once again, here in the 21st century, a majority of people vote, like a bunch of sheep, to let Big Brother continue the practice. And in Arcata, of all places!! I never thought I’d see the day. I am a Liberal – yes, with a capital L – and proud of it; I want a sensible amount of regulation and want government acting always for the general good and less for the interest of the rich and powerful – but when we let government invade even our digestive tracts “for the good of us all,” this is liberalism run amok.

Will I be able to bill the City for the cost in time, money and the trouble to an aging woman with health problems in getting my own water supply? Some of us should be thinking of a class action suit along those lines.


Sarah Kavasharov
Arcata

UK - New bid to put fluoride in water

The fluoridation of water in Bradford would bring benefits for the population, according to a new oral health action plan.
Bradford and Airedale Teaching Primary Care Trust will present its draft oral health action plan to a meeting of Bradford Council's Health Improvement Committee tomorrow.

Long report with 4 comments so far and poll to vote

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

USA - Dental Q & A

Q: What are the reasons why my son should take fluoride tablets as my dentist recommended?
A: Fluoride has been studied for more than 50 years and found to be safe, effective in cavity reduction, and inexpensive to put in community water.
Water systems that are not fluoridated require daily supplements to achieve reductions in cavity rates. The American Medical Association has classified fluoride as an "essential nutrient," much like calcium.
Numerous studies have not found a link between recommended levels of fluoride and health risk to humans.

There you have it an expert's opinion - he never read the York Report

USA - Letter

Fluoridated tap water
On Nov. 9, 2006, the American Dental Association quietly sent a memo to its membership advising dentists that infants under 1 year of age should be safeguarded from consuming formula mixed with fluoridated tap water.
After years of steadfast support for a "one-size fits all" regiment for fluoride, the ADA has recognized that infants' delicate body makeup is especially susceptible to the harmful effects of the fertilizer industry byproduct. Even the minute amount added to tap water (1.2 parts per million) is enough to cause incurable dental fluorosis, an ugly brown staining on teeth.
To avoid exposure, the ADA recommends that parents should purchase bottled water that does not contain fluoride when reconstituting formula for their infants.
While this may be helpful advice, it would be much simpler (and cost effective) to eliminate Minnesota's 36-year fluoridation program altogether. That way, people could choose their individual forms of medication without having it automatically fed into the tap water. Folks wishing to use fluoride supplements could do so at their own will.
Neither parents nor anyone should have to avoid exposure to chemicals in the tap water based on safety concerns.
Jason Krueger
University of Minnesota-Duluth alumnus

USA - The Surprising Truth About Cavities

Parents often assume that kids get cavities because they're lax about brushing and flossing. That's true to an extent, but what few people know is that tooth decay is a disease known as dental caries that's caused by specific germs, spreads easily within families, and can last a lifetime. What's more, it's more common among young children than any other chronic illness, including asthma and diabetes.

At least 4 million preschoolers suffer from tooth decay -- an increase of more than 600,000 kids in the last decade. "Children now have much more sugar in their diets at an early age," says Paul Casamassimo, D.D.S., professor of pediatric dentistry at the Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health, in Columbus


NYSCOF: After 60 years of water fluoridation reaching 2/3 of Americans on public water supplies and with almost 1/2 of all school children fluoride overdosed with dental fluorosis

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

USA - Very pro fluoride editorial

Add fluoride now
By Bulletin Editorial staff
Published: December 04. 2006 5:00AM PST
When it comes to health care, Oregonians historically have been willing to try new and unproven ideas, from the Oregon Health Plan to the legalization of medical marijuana. Given such daring, you'd think it would be a snap to adopt established and proven strategies. Strangely, though, that's far from true, at least when it comes to water fluoridation.
Most of the country has been enjoying the benefits of fluoridated water for decades. In low concentrations, fluoride strengthens teeth, reducing the need for painful and expensive repair work. This benefit is especially important for children in families without the wherewithal to visit a dentist every six months. They might not get cleanings and other treatments, but they still drink water.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which strongly supports water fluoridation, almost 66 percent of Americans on public water systems drink fluoridated water. In Oregon, that percentage is a pathetic 19.4, which places us ahead of only two states. These are Hawaii, at 8.6 percent, and Utah, at 2.2 percent. So backward is Oregon that a number of cities, including Bend, have ordinances forbidding water fluoridation.

The state continues to wallow in third-world water policy despite fluoride's proven benefits because various groups, armed with flimsy science and abundant passion, insist upon it. Bills that would mandate fluoridation for large water suppliers - typically those serving more than 10,000 people - surface regularly in the Legislature, but invariably make little headway. This session will probably see a similar bill, perhaps with a better outcome.

We have faith that mandatory fluo-ridation will happen eventually because it's a good idea, and even lawmakers can't keep good ideas down indefinitely. And what better time to take fluoridation seriously than 2007, when the Legislature will face greater pressure than ever to stretch health care dollars? Fluoridation, it just so happens, saves money.

The CDC has made lots of information available to anyone who cares to look, but a pair of reports suggests just how wasteful Oregon's drinking water policies have been. The first examines Louisiana Medicaid information for young children between July 1995 and June 1996. Its findings suggest that Medicaid-eligible children in communities without fluoridated water were three times more likely than Medicaid-eligible children with fluoridated water to receive dental treatment in a hospital ... and the cost of dental treatment per eligible child was approximately twice as high The CDC also points to a study in the Journal of Public Health Dentistry that found that in larger communities - at least 20,000 people - where the per person cost of fluoridation was about 50 cents, every $1 invested yielded about $38 in avoided dental treatment. Smaller communities saved money, too.

Oregonians have demonstrated time and again their impatience with government waste, so it's nearly impossible to imagine that the economic benefits of fluoridation wouldn't impress them. That's why any lawmaker who doesn't jump at the chance to support fluoridation next year should have his commitment to public health and government efficiency questioned.

One sided argument

USA

Is adding fluoride in Martin's drinking water a good idea?
By JAMES KIRLEY
jim.kirley@scripps.com
December 5, 2006
Dentists say fluoride is a public health miracle, and critics say it can be dangerous to your health.
To some extent, both groups are right.

Extensive article with comments

USA - Letter

Is all fluoride bad? No. Direct application of fluoride to the teeth puts the fluoride where it is most needed and in the concentration most compatible. Dr. Paul Keyes, retired Director of the Dental Division of the National Institutes of Health, has published findings which show that fluoride applied directly to the teeth can have a profound effect in decreasing decay, especially when combined with the elimination of refined syrups, sugars and white flour ingestion. I applaud the direct application of fluoride to the teeth and suggest it freely when the clinical situation warrants.

But, fluoride in the public water system is a bad choice that used to be believed to be a good choice. When I last wrote to the BDN about fluoride in the public water system (in the late 1960’s), I supported the concept. I can no longer do so.

The original (and, I think, only) large scale population study of systemic fluoride administration in the water was the Kingston/Newburgh study in the 1940s. That study was terminated well before final results were tabulated; speculation has it that the control city experienced a decrease in decay that was about equal to that in the city that had the fluoride added. Additionally, a number of noted researchers are of the opinion that the study had significant design faults and would not be accepted for publication today in any peer-reviewed journal.

When we combine the above information with the knowledge that fluoride can be toxic at fairly low levels, that it may be implicated in increased hip fracture incidence in the elderly who live in fluoridated areas, and that there may be a connection with systemic fluoride ingestion and increased lead levels in children, I cannot recommend that we continue to have fluoride added to our water system.

Robert E. Clukey, Jr., D.M.D.

North Carolina is 85% fluoridated: NYSCOF

In North Carolina, it is estimated that 20% of three year-old-children have dental decay and by the time children enter kindergarten, 40% have decay. Thanks to the Cabarrus County dentists who have volunteered their time to help with this project, we will:

Monday, December 04, 2006

USA - Fluoride vote stirs debate

North Baldwin is not the only utility finding itself thrust into a fluoride debate. Richard Peterson, superintendent of Riviera Utilities in Foley, said he has fielded customer questions for a while, including from a local dentist who strongly opposes fluoridation.
Peterson has contacted the American Dental Association on several occasions with a list of questions on fluoride and received detailed responses supporting fluoridation.
His board's position remains that as long as the ADA recommends fluoridation, Riviera Utilities will continue its program, Peterson said.

In Bay Minette, Padgett said he and his board are open to a public debate on the issue. So far, no groups have requested to speak to the board, he said.

You do not need to register if you are outside of the USA to see all 7 pages.

Sunday, December 03, 2006

India - Girls can't find bridegrooms in this village

“Most of the girls of marriageable age are afflicted with fluorosis. Considering that marriages in the countryside are solemnised at an early age, there must be around 75-100 girls in the village who are waiting to find a bridegroom,” said Professor K K Singh and Neeraj Kumar, of the Department of Environmental Sciences, AN College, which conducted a study on fluoride content in the village water.

Deprived of their childhood even before they could walk, the children, mostly Dalits, of Kachhariadih village have been crippled by fluorosis.

“The fluoride content in water tested at most of the places in the village is 3 PPM, which is much above the permissible level of 1 PPM. Out of 12 hand pumps in the village, all of them had fluoride content in excess of the normal quantity,” said the members of the A N College team.

Virginia reports few violations

The most frequent violations involved excessive levels of two common treatment chemicals--chloroform and fluoride. Chloroform violations were reported by 271 waterworks; 45 systems had problems with fluoride levels.

Source: Virginia Department of Health


A few too many

Saturday, December 02, 2006

David Icke sums it up

FDA approves fluoride in bottled water 'to fight tooth decay' when the connection has long been discredited
'The American Dental Association immediately praised the agency's decision. "Whether you drink fluoridated water from the tap or buy it in a bottle, you're doing the right thing for your oral health," said ADA executive director James Bramson. "Thanks to the FDA's decision, bottlers can now claim what dentists have long known--that optimally fluoridated water helps prevent tooth decay."'

Utter bollocks

Anonymous said... In comment to previous post

It would Be really nice to get or have access to the Names and credentials of these "Experts"
I have, but no reply yet
other need to ask as well


Contact Information:
FDI World Dental Federation
Dr Habib Benzian, Development and Public Health Manager
13 Chemin du Levant, l'Avant Centre
01210 Ferney-Voltaire, FRANCE
Telephone: +33 4 50 40 50 50
Fax: +33 4 50 40 55 55
Website: www.fdiworldental.org

International & American Associations for Dental Research
Christopher H. Fox, DMD, DMSc, Executive Director
1619 Duke Street?Alexandria, VA 22314-3406, USA
Telephone: +1 703 299 8082
Fax: +1 703 548 1883
Website: www.dentalresearch.org

World Health Organization Oral Health Programme
Dr Poul Erik Petersen
Telephone: +41 22 791 3475
Fax: + 41 22 791 4866
Website: www.who.int

Friday, December 01, 2006

Global Consultation on “Oral Health through Fluoride”,

A panel of experts on fluoride urged government and other influential bodies during the Global Consultation on “Oral Health through Fluoride”, which took place 17-19 November, to develop effective legislation, necessary directives and programmes to ensure access to fluoride for dental health in all countries.
Geneva (PRWeb) November 30, 2006 -- A panel of experts on fluoride urged government and other influential bodies during the Global Consultation on "Oral Health through Fluoride", which took place 17-19 November, to develop effective legislation, necessary directives and programmes to ensure access to fluoride for dental health in all countries.

Scary - global experts