Cold hands, feet causing agony

Cold hands, feet causing agony
Practical Practitioner
Published on Monday, March 30, 2009 9:23 AM CDT
PAM EGAN
Dear Pam,
For some years now I’ve been suffering from really cold hands and feet and sometimes they are so cold that I can’t hold on to things. I’ve been diagnosed with Raynaud’s Disease. Do you have any other suggestions to warm up my hands and feet?

For many people, Raynaud’s isn’t only triggered by cold weather, it can also be caused by sudden changes of temperature such as touching cold objects. The Raynaud’s Association is available to answer your questions and provide more information. Their helpline number is 800-280-8055 or e-mail at info@raynauds.org.

In Raynaud’s, the blood supply to the body’s extremities is temporarily blocked, the fingers change color looking very white- almost dead. They then turn blue and finally go bright red when blood flows back into them again. The whole process can be agonizing; it’s been compared to shutting your fingers in a car door. Besides gloves and heating aids, there is a mineral that can warm you inside out.

The simple mineral (Iodine) Iodoral is like an internal heater. David Brownstein, M.D. explains in his book, “Iodine, Why You Need It, Why You Can’t Live Without It,” how the thyroid requires iodine to produce its hormones and to regulate the body’s metabolism.

Hypothyroidism is indicated by a low metabolic rate. Some of the many symptoms that indicate a hypothyroid state include: brittle nails, cold hands and feet, dry skin, elevated cholesterol, fatigue, inability to concentrate, infertility, menstrual irregularities, muscle cramps and weakness, poor memory, puffy eyes and weight gain. Hypothyroidism is common in an iodine deficient state and Brownstein has found proper iodine supplementation often results in curing or improving the hypothyroid condition.

Worldwide, we are experiencing epidemic proportions of iodine deficiency, in part due to deforestation, soil erosion, and poor farming practices that deplete minerals from the soil and yield iodine-deficient crops. There are other contributing factors that exacerbate this disturbing global problem.

Exposure to toxic chemicals hinders the uptake of iodine in the body as the toxins compete for iodine receptor sites and inhibit the body’s ability to absorb this valuable mineral. These toxins include a group of elements known as halides (and their derivatives), all of which have similar chemical structures. The halides consist of bromide, fluoride, chloride and iodide, the latter being the only one with therapeutic effects in the body.

In the 1980s, bromine (a bromide derivative) replaced iodine as a bread dough ingredient. Bromine is a known breast carcinogen. This singular change by the food industry resulted in an epidemic of bromide toxicity and increases in thyroid disorders, thyroid cancer and other illnesses resulting from iodine deficiency. Bromine is also used in crop fumigation, pest control, in some carbonated drinks and several prescription medications.

The body does not produce iodine and it is often difficult to get adequate levels from food; however, the ocean is an abundant source. Sea vegetables (sea weed) are a concentrated source of iodine, and although fish contain this mineral, most also have high levels of mercury.

Pamela Egan, NP, CDE, ABAAHP Diplomat is a board certified adult and family nurse practitioner, certified diabetes educator, and completed a Fellowship in Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine. She can be reached at 893-3737 or pegan@eganhc.com.

Interesting reading I suffer from cold hands but not that bad.

UK - Daily Echo letter

UK - Daily Echo - Hit and myths of fluoride

by Stephen Peckham
of Southampton , a member of Hampshire Against Fluoridation

Click image to see larger picture.
Last line missing is - that way too.

The Dangers of Fluoride & Water Fluoridation

Over 2000 scientists have signed up now.

Jordon - Amman water fluoridation plan put on hold

Amman water fluoridation plan put on hold
29 March 2009
AMMAN - The Jordan Water Company (Miyahuna) has suspended plans to add fluoride to the capital's water after initial studies indicated a variation in existing fluoride levels in Amman's water sources.
"Studies carried out by Miyahuna and the Ministry of Health over the past two years indicated that levels of fluoride vary in the capital's water sources; some are high while others are quite low," Miyahuna Deputy Executive Director Saad Abu Hammour said.
The study indicates that the highest percentage of fluoride - 0.65 milligrammes (mg) per litre of water - was detected at the Zai Water Station, which supplies the capital with the majority of its water needs.
Water samples from other sources, however, revealed low fluoride levels, ranging between 0.1-0.5mg per litre of water.
The international standard for fluoride in water ranges from 0.7 to 1.2mg per litre of water.
"We decided to put plans to add fluoride on hold as more scientific studies are needed to determine how much fluoride should be added and where," Abu Hammour told The Jordan Times, noting that excessive amounts of the mineral can cause dental fluorosis.
Dental fluorosis occurs with the excessive intake of fluoride, either through naturally occurring fluoride in the water, water fluoridation, toothpaste, or other sources.
Adding fluoride to the capital's water, which is projected to cost the company JD200,000 annually, was driven by a previous study which revealed that fluoride levels in some of the capital's water are below the percentage needed to combat dental disease.
Fluoride is commonly added to toothpaste, drinking water and oral hygiene products because it increases the resistance of tooth enamel to decay.
According to the Health Ministry, an estimated 60 to 75 per cent of children suffer from dental diseases, while studies indicate that children under the age of six usually have four decayed teeth.
By Hana Namrouqa
© Jordan Times 2009

USA - State of dental Health in California a silent epidemic, says Sen. Gloria Negrete McLeod

State of dental Health in California a silent epidemic, says Sen. Gloria Negrete McLeod
Friday, 27 March 2009
GLENDALE—"In 2000, the United States Surgeon General called the state of dental health in America a silent epidemic. Not much has changed since. Many poor children, the elderly and many minorities are silently suffering from oral disease that are progressive, diligent and becoming more complex over time," declared State Senator Gloria Negrete McLeod during the 43rd Anniversary and Inaugural Ball of the Southern California Filipino Dental Society held at the Glendale Hilton Hotel on Saturday, March 21.

"We all know that oral diseases can affect an individual’s physical appearance, ability to eat and communicate and economic productivity, and the ability to perform at home and school and on the job," Senator McLeod said. A report by the California Health Care Foundation also stated that one-fourth of all adults and 28 per cent of children in California have untreated oral condition. The report added that school children with infected and painful teeth miss more school days than children with healthy teeth and that 65 per cent of children ages 6 to 8 have untreated tooth decay, more than twice the national average................

Fluoridated USA

USA - We The People Stimulus Package

OK nothing to do with fluoridation all about democracy, something we are all losing.

Australia - Push for review of council fluoride decision

Push for review of council fluoride decision
Rebecca Lollback | 28th March 2009
THIS week's decision to fluoridate Ballina Shire's water supply has broken the heart of one Alstonville mother.
Susanna Piper is worried about the effect it will have on her 13-year-old autistic son, who she says is already 'severely poisoned and sick'.
“I'm appalled that the council has made this decision in such haste, with a lack of public consultation,” she said.
“There was no indication that this issue was going to be voted on at the council meeting.
“People didn't have the opportunity to voice their concerns.
“I am disappointed that children and adults in the Ballina community won't be protected from the neurotoxin sodium fluoride.”
Wardell resident Brian McDougall is also angry over the council's decision.
“No one asked under what premise would they like to reconsider the review. There were no statistics to back up the claims,” he said.
“After all, we are only dealing with poisons, mass medication and freedom of choice.
“Nor was there any recent public consultation or poll on the decision to fluoridate Ballina Shire's drinking water.”
However, North Coast Area Health Service 'Teeth for Health' project officer, John Irving, said the council had made the 'right decision'.
“There has been heaps of public discussion about it in the past three years,” he said.
“We surveyed more than 10,000 people in NSW, including people in Ballina Shire, and 87 per cent supported fluoridation.”
But Ms Piper wants people who are against fluoridation to email, write to or call the council.
“Make direct contact with them. We will see if we can get this decision overturned,” she said.

UK - Letter Andover Advertiser

Keeping a low profile?
3:20pm Friday 27th March 2009
LAST year I wrote to the Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, to say that all fluoride information and responses were coming from the Chief Dental Officer, Dr Barry Cockroft.
Since it was the health risks rather than dental effects that concerned many of us, we needed a statement from the Chief Medical Officer.
I received no reply. The letter was printed in the Environmental Issues Forum Newsletter later. I have since received a reply from the Chief Dental Officer, to whom it was passed! May we assume that the Chief Medical Officer prefers to keep a very low profile indeed on this subject?
Margaret Reichlin, MacCallum Road, Upper Enham.

USA - Bottled Water Blues

Roseanne Colletti
Posted March 27, 2009
If you can't leave home without one, you're probably one of the people responsible for making the U.S. the single biggest consumer of bottled water in the world. In fact, U.S. residents drink more bottled water each year than any other beverage except carbonated soft drinks. Mexico, China, Brazil and Italy round out the top five consumers.

That being said, it's entirely possible your children may drink nothing but bottled water, as many households cook with it as well. This could mean the fluoride kids ingest from the public water system in many communities, never reaches them. Depending on which side of the ongoing debate about fluoride you're on, that's a good thing or a bad thing.
The Hatfield's and McCoy's had a greater chance of resolving their differences than do those for or against fluoride in water. The American Dental Association has long supported fluoridation where water systems are lacking. "In some situations you may see as much as a 40% greater chance of decay without fluoride," says Dr. Mark Wolff, Chair of the Department of Cariology and Comprehensive Care at New York University College of Dentistry. On the other hand, organized lobbying groups against fluoridation claim point out fluoride is has been linked to arthritis, allergies, kidney and thyroid dysfunctions, bone damage and even cancer.

Whether you want fluoride in your drinking water or not, here's the dilemma faced by people who rely solely on bottled water. Some bottled water has fluoride because it occurs naturally, some bottled water doesn't have fluoride because it has been taken out and some bottled water has had fluoride added to it. So, how do you tell the difference?(bottledwater.org)

UK - Southampton - Lymington Times

Canada - Fluoridation rebuttal

Fluoridation rebuttal
Letters
Mar 26, 2009
Some 55 years ago I became involved in the revival of the health of a nation devastated and suffering the aftermath of war: U.K. c.1950. My business,wheat flour, bread (the staff of life for many) was by law, fortified with essential micro nutrients, micro minerals, in trace (very tiny) amounts known to be lacking within a restricted, rationed diet. Even today, here in Canada, we can buy "enriched" white bread that follows the same logical progression in a minor way.
When I see letters that purport to give sound reasons why Drinking Water Fluoridation is not necessary and they launch forth on a litany of woe on the supposed dangers of fluoride that, on examination, are false, my background comes in to play.
First mention in Ms Sprules letter, Dr. Hardy Limeback - I have checked his qualifications and background. We then leap to 2000 scientists, doctors, dentists and environmentalists and Arvid Carlson - a Nobel Prize Winner in medicine - who decry the practice of drinking water fluoridation but beyond that, no detail. Knock out the environmentalists who's qualifications are moot, and how many truly qualified people do you have left?
The next part of this paragraph leads into false waters. How can you say "Fluoride is not a nutrient and healthy teeth do not need this medication" when fluoride is a normal part of life and is the thirteenth element (the second trace element after iron) in the human body. It gets worse, "Arsenic, lead and mercury are also found in the human body, but there is no requirement for them either,” in part, that's wrong. Arsenic is an essential trace element (Metabolism of methionine), Lead is recognized as 'possibly essential' (salts toxic in excess*). Mercury is a wild card, salts used in treating infections but toxic*.
*Exploration of body composition is on-going. There are ever more sophisticated ways of determining it with the recognition that elemental body composition will vary with place and time, and in the case of several trace elements, many fold. It is only in recent times that cobalt (0.0000043% proportion of body mass) was found to be an essential trace element - Vitamin B12.
Enough of the science, although you really cannot escape it. On to the the third paragraph of Ms. Sprules letter she embarks on fluoride as an enzyme disruptor, a thyroid depressor. She claims it was used in the last century, successfully, to treat hyperthyroidism and accumulates in the bones, teeth (?) and pineal gland. A positive note for a change but I cannot find this reference (hyperthyroidism is, in part, related to graves disease) and cannot find any linkage to fluoride. Where she gets the idea that dental fluorosis and hyperthyroidism are growing health concerns is beyond me. But so it goes.
I sorta kinda give up on this foolishness, it has overtones of the 'snake oil' salesman of yore and now, unfortunately, permeates down to our children in both grade and high school. The references given, www.fluoridealert.org and www.cape.ca lead ever deeper into the false muck. May I suggest a more open and honest source of information for your readers in www.ganfyd.org while it is still available to the general public?

– Ivor Davies

I hope somebody can answer his smear against "Dr. Hardy Limeback - I have checked his qualifications and background." and further comment on the other scientists and doctors' integrity who signed the anti fluoridation petition.

Australia - Legal firm builds fluoride case against Government

Legal firm builds fluoride case against Government
ALEX JOHNSON
26/03/2009 9:24:00 PM
A WARRNAMBOOL law firm is exploring legal action against the State Government on behalf of residents who have become ill because of fluoride.
Solicitor Adam Kempton is establishing a database of people who believe the introduction of public water fluoridation has triggered ailments from rashes through to kidney disease. Mr Kempton would not specify the number of people who had registered so far. He said the evidence could lead to individual or class action against the Department of Human Services
(DHS) and Wannon Water.
The DHS announced in mid-2007 that fluoride would be added to the water supplies of Warrnambool, Allansford and Koroit. The chemical entered the water supply in September last year following passionate debate and a community referendum on the issue. ``This whole debate has been about conflicting scientific evidence and there are experts not only in Australia but the world, who will swear...how fluoride
worsens certain people's medical conditions,'' Mr
Kempton said.
``At the lowest level, there's expert opinion either way.'' The database is being collected in conjunction with the community-driven Fluoride Action Group.
There would be consequences if a court found the State Government's view that fluoride caused no harm to be wrong, Mr Kempton said.
``Assembling these people is about holding water authorities and the State Government to account for
actions they take.''
Wannon Water has claimed it was only following a DHS directive in building a fluoride dosing plant but Mr Kempton claims the water authority could have objected to the order. Wannon Water marketing and communications manager Annette Cannon declined to comment yesterday. DHS spokesman Bram Alexander said the depart
ment was aware of the legal firm's call for residents to come forward.
He said it was Government policy to extend fluoridation to areas ``that did not enjoy the benefits of fluoride''. ``It's our belief that fluoridation of drinking water supplies is safe and effective,'' he said.

Liquid blue gold

From the Ecologist
Water filters
On the whole, UK tap water is pretty good. According to the Drinking Water Inspectorate, the vast majority of water samples pass industry standards for levels of impurities. But this doesn’t make it 100 per cent ‘pure’. Tap water is disinfected with chemical cleansers such as chlorine – which can morph into harmful chlorine by-products (CBPs), some of which are known carcinogens – and aluminium, which has been linked with dementia and Alzheimer's.

Fluoride, added to the water supply of around 10 per cent of the UK population, can increase the risk of various cancers, brittle bones and damage the immune system. Other contaminants could include nitrates from fertilisers, pesticides, toxic metals (such as lead and mercury), solvents and pharmaceutical drugs including antibiotics, hormones and chemotherapy chemicals.

Filtering devices can remove a substantial amount of these contaminants. Simple Jug filters (£15-£25) remove chlorine and toxic metals such as lead; some remove nitrates. If you’re after filtered water fresh from a tap, go for a plumbed-in filter under the sink. Reverse-osmosis filters (£300-£900) are the most effective and use a fine membrane to filter out water under pressure.

Water distillers (£200-£400) can be fitted under a sink or put on a kitchen surface. Water is boiled and cooled, leaving behind any contaminants – almost all – whose boiling points is above that of water.

Canada - Fluoride debate focuses on money

Fluoride debate focuses on money
Updated: Thu Mar. 26 2009 14:41:52
ctvcalgary.ca
Some aldermen say fluoride in the water supply is costing Calgarians too much money.
Alderman Andre Chabot says if the city continues the practice, we are looking at a multi-million dollar bill. "I've been told it could cost as much at $6-million to replace the equipment that actually puts the fluoride in the water."
The fluoride debate started in 1957 and since then there have been six plebiscites on the issue.
The city started adding fluoride to the water supply in 1989 after 53 percent of Calgarians voted in favour of the move.
While much of the debate has focused on health concerns, there seems to be growing financial concerns about the practice of adding fluoride.
On April 6th, five aldermen will enter a motion asking that fluoride be removed from drinking water in an attempt to save money.
The motion also asks for $750,000 to help low-income Calgarians who can't afford regular fluoride treatments at the dentist.

Uk - Southampton Daily Echo

Canada - Calgary Council set to vote on fluoride in water

Council set to vote on fluoride in water
Published March 26, 2009 by Jeremy Klaszus in News
City council is set to reopen the contentious debate on whether or not Calgary should have fluoride in its drinking water.

Ald. Druh Farrell is spearheading a motion to remove the compound from the city’s water supply and instead spend $250,000 annually for three years on fluoride treatment for low-income families. (It currently costs the city $600,000 each year to add fluoride to the water.)

“It would be more appropriate to allow an individual the choice, since it is easy to access fluoride, but costly and unreasonable for consumers to remove it from their drinking water,” says the motion, which is being supported by aldermen John Mar, Jim Stevenson, Brian Pincott and Andre Chabot.

Council is scheduled to vote on the motion April 6. Some aldermen aren’t yet sure how they’ll vote. “There are a lot of questions that need to be answered,” says Ald. Linda Fox-Mellway.

Australia - Warrnambool residents to sue over water fluoridationPosted

Warrnambool residents to sue over water fluoridationPosted
A Warrnambool lawyer says more than 12 people want to sue the Victorian Government for adding fluoride to the city's water supply.
The water was fluoridated in September.
Lawyer Adam Kempton says his clients claim existing diseases have worsened since they started drinking fluoridated tap water.
He says the clients want to sue the Government for personal injury.
"There's scientific evidence that shows the implementation of fluoride into the water system may harm or accentuate the extent of those ailments," Mr Kempton said.
"We've asked them to come forward, go on our database, with a view to taking either individual or class action in relation to the introduction of fluoride."

USA - Crash may promote more thinking about fluoridation

Wind Gap crash may promote more thinking about fluoridation
Paul Carpenter
March 25, 2009
The whole country was concerned over the crash of a tanker truck full of hydrofluoric acid near Wind Gap, causing the evacuation of thousands.
Our daughter called from Tennessee to make sure we were all right after it was a top news item there.
My reaction, once I learned there was no significant spill of the chemical, was that maybe this incident will, at long last, focus attention on the biggest fraud ever perpetrated by U.S. government officials.
The hydrofluoric acid in that truck had been made in Ontario and was on its way to the Philadelphia area to be used to refine gasoline.
Sunday's account said this chemical can cause various problems, including death, and is used to make refrigerants, herbicides and other things in addition to gasoline. It did not mention its most controversial use.
Hydrofluoric acid is used to make ''hex,'' or uranium hexafluoride. Millions of tons of hex were needed in the 1940s to enrich a few pounds of weapons-grade uranium for nuclear bombs.
After World War II, the main concern was what hex had done to farms near a du Pont plant that made fluorides for the Manhattan Project, and how to get rid of the nasty toxic waste.
The feds concocted a gigantic hoax to convince Americans they needed fluorides in drinking water. Reports about that hoax have been pooh-poohed for years, including what I wrote about it in the 1990s.
Now, however, official reports have been declassified and a 2004 book tells essentially the same story.
I always had an interest in this issue because I once worked in the Manhattan Project -- then going by a new name. Intense secrecy surrounded such work, but now you can learn most of what I knew about nuclear weapons at a public library.
Here is how the hydrofluoric and hex hoax evolved:
In 1943, farms in Gloucester and Salem counties in New Jersey were contaminated by du Pont fluorides being made for the Manhattan Project. Crops were damaged, animals died and people became ill. After the war, some farmers sued.
To deflect lawsuits, the government had the University of Rochester study the toxic effects of fluorides, but the labs there were owned by the Manhattan Project and headed by the late Harold Hodge. They proclaimed fluorides to be beneficial for tooth decay.
Meanwhile, another study looked into the health of workers producing hex. A secret report disclosed that the workers lost all their teeth, but the version released to the public said only that workers now had fewer cavities. It would be comical if not so sinister.
The first push for fluoridation of water was in Newburgh, N.Y. After checking results, the American Dental Association proclaimed fluoridation to be safe. And who performed that research? Why, it was Hodge, who was up to his ears in Manhattan Project money from the Rochester scam.
Obviously, if the ADA ever admitted its role in a half-century of deceit, it would destroy that organization's credibility, so it still sticks to the same story.
Since my days of working on nukes, nearly all the information has been declassified, and two publications have been especially damaging to those seeking to keep the fluorides fraud going.
One was a 1997 report called ''Fluoride, Teeth, and the Atomic Bomb'' by medical researcher Joel Griffiths and journalist Christopher Bryson. In 2004, Bryson wrote a book called ''The Fluoride Deception.''
Those and other materials, including objective research (never done in the United States), reversed the trend to fluoridate water in most advanced parts of the world. Besides America, only Australia and a few other nations still push fluoridation. Most of Canada and Western Europe have come to their senses.
The world is full of toxic chemicals and some are useful. I support the use of fluorides in manufacturing, despite the risks. We need them to make aluminum, fuel and other products.
The accident near Wind Gap, however, may help illustrate why we need to question the value of putting poison in public water -- just to perpetuate more than a half-century of lies.
paul.carpenter@mcall.com 610-820-6176

USA - Dentists Remember and Respond to a Child's Preventable Death

.....The Deamonte Driver Dental Project started by targeting nine Prince George's County elementary schools and relies on principals, school nurses and parent liaisons to identify children in need of help using criteria such as eligibility for free school lunches. Children are provided diagnostic, preventive and simple restorative dental services, like fillings, in a specially customized dental van that pulls up to school sites. In just four days in February 2009, the group screened 170 children at Seat Pleasant Elementary School. Each child received a report card to take home indicating needed follow-up dental services--either preventive, routine or emergency. The dentists found 32 children who required emergency services for problems like abscesses, acute gum disease and teeth rotted down to the nerve centers.

In fluoridated Prince George County, Maryland:NYSCOF

Fluoride Call to Action

Fluoride Call to Action


Worth reminding us of what is so wrong with fluoridation.

FLUORIDE ACTION NETWORK Newsletter

FLUORIDE ACTION NETWORK


FAN Bulletin 1057: Why we doubt the benefits of swallowing fluoride. Part 1

Australia - Fluoride protestors vow to fight on

Fluoride protestors vow to fight on
Luke Keioskie | 24th March 2009
AS anti-fluoridation campaigner Wayne Evans had his day in court yesterday, a dedicated group of protestors took up residence outside Coffs Harbour court house and proclaimed fluoridation as undemocratic.
The Fluoridation Is Not Democratic (FIND) group were there to let residents know they have a choice about their water supply, according to spokesperson Sylvia Turner.
“Fluoridation is a cheap fix when what's really needed is education and improved dental care,” Ms Turner said.
“It's poisoning through mass medication, and our children will suffer because of it.”
Visitors to the court house yesterday were handed fact sheets by FIND which claim infants will be put at risk of developing dental fluorosis, or scarring of the tooth enamel, if water is fluoridated.
But Teeth for Health project manager, John Irving, said there is overwhelming evidence to support fluoride's safety and effectiveness.
“There's a lot of misunderstanding and a lot of myths relating to water fluoridation,” Mr Irving said.
The Australian Dental Association claims Townsville became the largest Queensland city to fluoridate its water supply in 1964, with studies showing children in Townsville have significantly less cavities than children in Brisbane, with the fluoride found to strengthen teeth and make them more resistant to tooth decay.

UK Southampton Daily Echo

Tooth Decay: Countries with Fluoride vs. Countries without from kevin on Vimeo.

FLUORIDE ACTION NETWORK

FLUORIDE ACTION NETWORK
http://www.FluorideAlert.Org
FAN Bulletin 1056: Renewed effort to fluoridate Europe
March 22, 2009
Fluoridation is a practice in which a relatively small number of people, with limited scientific qualifications, are intent on fluoridating drinking water supplies worldwide with very little to no understanding of fluoride's toxicology.

Global Consultation on Oral Health through Fluoride. The worldwide ambitions of this dental lobby was revealed in November 2006 when the WHO (supported with a lot of cash from the US as well as the sugar lobby), IADR (for whom the fluoridation practice represents the gravy train for dental research) and the FDI (funded by the toothpaste, sugar, pharmaceutical and chemical industries) organized the "Global Consultation on Oral Health through Fluoride" in Geneva and Ferney Voltaire, 17-19 November 2006. These bodies (WHO, IADR and FDI) issued a declaration containing this chilling and preposterous phrase: "universal access to fluoride for dental health is a part of the basic human right to health." Click here for the full statement.

Since this declaration was made we have seen a stepped-up push to fluoridate countries in Asia and the Middle East, with a very public push in China. Hopefully, China and India, with huge a endemic fluorosis problem, will not be easily fooled.

Now we see a visible push to fluoridate Europe. Hitherto, most of the European countries have resisted American efforts to fluoridate their water, only England, Ireland and Spain took the bait. But there are many dentists in Euroepan countries who still support the party line, and can be counted on to use their "prestige and authority" to support the measure.

Evidence for the push comes in an invitation from the European Commission. This body is soliciting comments on on their "Working Mandate on fluoridation" and submissions on papers, reports, etc., published after 2004 on fluoride.

Now, an innocent reader of this statement might believe that the European commission is really concerned about the Irish being fed this poison, or concerned about the fact that the UK government is set to double or triple the number of people fluoridated there, however, there is a phrase in this European Commission invitation, which gives the whole game away. They say "no one doubts the beneficial effects of fluoride."

"No one doubts the beneficial effects of fluoride!"

What that phrase announces loudly and clearly is that the dental lobby still has the inside track on this issue in Europe.

They also know that the dental lobby is standing by to provide consultants (like Bazian Ltd. who did the job in Southampton) to demolish the studies done in non-fluoridated countries where many adverse health effects have been observed with exposure to high natural levels of fluoride. We have seen how highly paid consultants can make black into white and fluoride safe enough to sprinkle on your cornflakes! That is if they can get away with the ridiculous notions that the 507-page report by the National Research Council (NRC, 2006) has no relevance to water fluoridation and the equally preposterous notion that the studies from four continents showing a possible association between fluoride exposure and lowered IQ in children, have no relevance for children drinking fluoridated water. Consultants like Bazian Ltd. appear willing to parade themselves as experts when they clearly don't know the difference between concentration (mg/liter) and dose (mg/day) or the difference between dose (mg/day) and dosage (mg/kg bodyweight/day) and also willing to duck the critical discussion on "margin of safety" or the other critical steps required when trying to determine the safe dose of toxic substance when a whole population is to be exposed. (See links to Bazian's reports on the 2006 NRC report and the IQ studies.)

We have to get honest and independent European scientists and doctors quickly up to speed on this issue. In this we will need the help of the International Society of Doctors for the Environment (ISDE).

USA - State police still investigating wreck that led to evacutions

State police still investigating wreck that led to evacutions
by Express-Times staff
Sunday March 22, 2009, 4:43 PM
The North Penn Goodwill services set up outside of the Pen Argyl HS gym following an evacuation of Wind Gap Borough after a tractor trailer carrying Hydrogen Fluoride overturned on Route 33.State police are still investigating Saturday's tractor trailer wreck on Route 33 that caused thousands to evacuate a one-mile radius of the crash site.
State police at the Belfast barracks said an investigation into the crash is ongoing.
The driver of the Honeywell truck carrying 16 tons of hydrofluoric acid, Raymond Leblanc, 54, of Ontario, Canada, swerved to avoid a deer around 2:30 a.m. Saturday.
The tractor trailer slid several hundred feet before coming to a rest on its side.
Because of potential fatal contact with the chemical, authorities evacuated a one-mile radius of the area around the crash as a precaution............

Northampton County Administration Director John Conklin said yesterday's evacuation went according to plan. Most residents were incredibly cooperative, he said.

"We probably had a much greater percentage of people that listened and got out," Conklin said. "This was a really bad chemical to have an accident with. We took all the necessary precautions."

USA - Miami-Dade County's pilot program for Medicaid dental is criticized for too low fees and too few dentists.

The Columbia report notes some progress -- with 23 percent of Medicaid kids in Miami-Dade having at least one dental visit in 2007, up from 16 percent in 2005, but still below the 29 percent in 2003, before the pilot project began.

............Still, the Patch Oral Health Initiative, a University of Miami project, has found that dental care among poor children in Miami-Dade is sadly lacking. The program, which provides fluoride varnish to protect teeth and does a preliminary examination of preschool kids, found that 58 percent needed to be seen in a dental office and 10 percent had ''emergency needs,'' as was the case with Johanna Jimenez.

Half with decayed teeth and a third with emergency situations did not get follow-up care, the Patch report said, because of a variety of problems.

'There is a pervasive sense that since these are `just baby teeth' there is no big problem with this,'' says Brian Guerdat of the Patch program. ``But pain is very real . . . which can cause children to have behavior problems at home and school, prefer soft foods easy to chew rather than healthier choices necessary for better growth/development.''

Miami-Dade, where 90 percent of the residents receive fluoridated water.

When was the last time you checked your pet's mouth?

By Brian J. Lowney
Fur, fin and feathers
March 22, 2009 6:00 AM
When was the last time you checked your pet's mouth?
According to veterinary experts, one important aspect of animal health that is often neglected is dental care.
"A lot of other diseases frequently start as a sequel to periodontal disease," reports Dr. Timothy Donovan, owner of Kindred Spirits Mobile Veterinary Service in Mattapoisett. When dental problems go untreated, they produce harmful bacteria that can eventually lead to heart and kidney problems and other conditions.
Dr. Donovan emphasizes that every cat and dog should receive a comprehensive dental checkup during the animal's yearly veterinary examination, and owners should periodically check for broken teeth, cuts and gum infections. Despite "tough economic times, dental care should not be overlooked," and is just as important as grooming the animal to keep it healthy, Dr. Donovan says.
"At home, make a visual inspection of the teeth and smell the animal's breath," he says, noting that halitosis, drooling and changes in eating habits are warning signs of dental disease.
"I think the biggest fallacy is that feeding a cat dry food will maintain dental health," Dr. Donovan says. "It's not true. Cats don't chew long enough for the texture to make a significant difference. Keeping teeth clean shouldn't be a reason for feeding dry food."

If a feline is cooperative, its teeth should be brushed periodically with toothpaste made especially for cats. Don't use human toothpaste — the fluoride can make animals sick.

And humans.

USA - Fear of hydrofluoric acid leak prompts evacuation of 5,000 in Pennsylvania

Fear of hydrofluoric acid leak prompts evacuation of 5,000 in Pennsylvania
A tractor trailer carrying hydrofluoric acid sits on its side on Route 33 south near Wind Gap, Pa., on Saturday, March 21, 2009. (Xinhuanet/AP Photo)
Safety concerns resulting from the crash of a truck carrying large amount of hydrofluoric acid prompted evacuation of some 5,000 people in eastern Pennsylvania early Saturday, authorities said.
The truck was carrying some 33,000 pounds (14.9 tons) of acid and the acid spilled after the truck crashed near Wind Gap, Pennsylvania, Jeff Steiert with the local Office of Emergency Management told reporters.
About 5,000 people within a 1 mile (1.609 km) radius of the accident were ordered to evacuate as a precaution, and could be away for up to 24 hours, he said.
The driver, who was briefly trapped in the truck, was treated at a hospital and released. No other injuries had been reported, Steiert said.

USA - Worcester to open 1st dental clinic

OCEAN CITY -- Worcester County's first public dental clinic is expected to start seeing patients in March, bringing much-needed oral health to local low-income children.And in a county recognized by Maryland Office of Oral Health as having one of the highest rates of tooth decay in the state, the almost $800,000 project may be long overdue.
The Worcester County Health Department is finalizing plans to renovate the old Berlin senior center for the state-funded clinic that will provide dental services to children on Medicaid and support preventative measures in the community. Currently, of the 22 dentists in the county, only one will see low-income patients.
However, while the clinic is necessary for the 14.8 percent of county children who did not have access to a dentist as recently as 2004, many think there are other preventative measures governments could be doing. The Ocean City/Assateague Democratic Club voted Wednesday night to lobby local officials to fluoridate the public water systems.
According to county Health Officer Debbie Goeller, Worcester has the lowest percentage of people on fluoridated water systems in the state.
"It's a political issue," Goeller said. "Until enough people say we want it, we won't get it."
While putting fluoride in public water has been proven to reduce dental problems in children, there are several issues facing the initiative in Worcester County. To begin with, many homes, businesses and even schools are served by wells, leaving it up to the owners to do something about it.
As for the public water systems, Goeller said, the seasonal nature of the county, concerns about cost and objection to any additives have created local resistance.
The water in Ocean Pines, for example, has never been fluoridated, because the creators of the originally seasonal community didn't see the need.

nyscof wrote:
In 2006, a National Research Council expert panel published a review of fluoride/fluoridation toxicology literature. They revealed that fluoride, even at low levels added to water supplies, can be harmful to some people - especially babies, kidney and thyroid patients and high water drinkers. Studies linking fluoride to cancer and lowered IQ are plausible, they reported.
As a result of the NRC report, the American Dental Association and the Centers for Disease Control now advise that infant formula should not be mixed with fluoridated water.
Also as a result of the NRC report, the National Kidney Foundation dropped its endorsement of water fluoridation and replaced it with this warning:“Individuals with CKD [Chronic Kidney Disease] should be notified of the potential risk of fluoride exposure.”
This information is not reaching the public as more effort is expended protecting fluoridation rather than the public.

USA - Communities applauded for fluoride levels

Communities applauded for fluoride levels
By Chronicle staff
ShareEight DeKalb County communities received awards this week from the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency for maintaining state-mandated fluoride levels in water supplies every month last year, according to a news release from the state health department.

Water departments from DeKalb, Genoa, Malta, Sandwich, Shabbona, Somonauk, Sycamore and rural subdivision Buck Lake Estates were among 435 Illinois communities to receive the awards. Kirkland and Cortland water departments were given honorable mentions for maintaining mandatory levels 11 out of 12 months.

Illinois requires communities to maintain fluoride levels at 0.9 to 1.2 parts per million to help residents prevent tooth decay, the release said.

If some districts Water Departments get awards for keeping the dosage of fluoride correct what about the citizens in districts that do not maintain safe levels?

Canada - Research does not support Flouridation

It is very unfortunate that the Fluoride seminar at McMaster was cancelled. At this seminar you would have learned from Dr. Hardy Limeback, Head of the Preventive Dentistry Dept., U of T, that the latest research shows that fluoride taken internally does not protect teeth from decay. Not all dentists support water fluoridation. See www.fluoridefreedentist. com which has recently been formed and is growing quickly.
Over 2000 scientists, doctors, dentists and environmentalists have decried this practice, among them many notable scientists like Arvid Carlson, the 2000 Nobel Prize winner in medicine.
Fluoride is not a nutrient and healthy teeth do not need this medication. Arsenic, lead and mercury are also found in the human body, but there is no requirement for them either. The less the better for all these elements.
Fluoride is an enzyme disruptor, a thyroid depressor ( was used in the last century successfully to treat hyperthyroidism ) and accumulates in the bones, teeth and pineal gland. Dental fluorosis and hypothyroidism are growing health concerns.
Fluoride, which had been locked for millennia in rock formations, has increased dramatically in our environment since the industrial revolution with the burning of coal, and the production of aluminum and phosphate fertilizers. One thousand pounds of hydrofluorosilicic acid are added to Halton's water supplies every day. This industrial waste product contaminated with lead and arsenic is washed from the smokestacks of phosphate fertilizer plants, and trucked from Florida to Halton where less than 1% of it is actually drunk, the rest going back into the environment. Yet this waste product is so toxic that it is not allowed to be diluted into rivers, lakes, land fills or even the ocean.
Regarding McMaster's seminar - WHY was it cancelled? No one has given me a good answer.
– Diane Sprules
www.fluoridealert.org/southhampton.html;
and www.cape.ca/resources/documents.shtml

UK - Southampton Daily Echo letters

USA - Poison in the water? Let's talk

Poison in the water? Let's talk
Some want to rethink Madison Water Utility’s fluoridation policy
Bill Lueders on Thursday 03/19/2009 ,
"From our perspective," says Heikkinen, "this is a public policy decision that should be made by elected officials."
Bruce Rideout was expecting a different reaction. He thought his recent email to the Madison Water Utility questioning its addition of fluoride to drinking water would get a curt reply, or none at all.
Instead, Rideout began hearing "from all these people strongly encouraging me" to raise the issue at the Water Utility Board’s next meeting on Tuesday, March 24. (It’s at the Water Utility, 119 E. Olin Ave., 4:30 p.m.)
"I was kind of taken aback," says Rideout, a town of Blooming Grove resident whose water comes from Madison. "It was almost as if they were waiting for somebody to come forward."
Among those who replied was board president Jon Standridge. He expressed his view, prompted by a Wisconsin Water Association session on the subject, that Madison "should probably readdress the issues of continuing fluoridation" in light of "new information that has become available since the decision" to fluoridate Madison’s water was made in 1948. And while local public health authorities back fluoridation, Standridge advised, "I do not see this as a closed issue, but one that merits further discussion."
Rideout, who plans to attend next week’s meeting, agrees some arguments against fluoride run to the "conspiratorial." But he’s also seen articles "from highly competent scientists" suggesting that fluoride in water may do more harm than good.
Fluoride, naturally present in most water sources, is added to reduce the incidence of tooth decay. But some dispute whether this is effective, and link fluoride to an increased risk of hip fractures and other maladies. Even Madison recognizes that fluoride can be harmful; in August 2007 it shut down a well that was adding too much of it.
"There are a litany of health hazards related to fluoride," says Rideout, noting that people have died from ingesting large amounts. "I have serious questions about the addition of a toxic chemical to water."
While most large municipal water systems add fluoride, 361 of the state’s 614 water systems do not. Some communities have rejected calls to add the chemical.
Last July, the village of Poynette in Columbia County stopped adding fluoride, which one local official dubs "poison." In response, the Madison and Dane County Public Health Department launched a fluoridation review.
"We initiated it ourselves," says Tommye Schneider, the department’s director of environmental health. "We wanted to be prepared, in case this issue started coming up in Dane County."
Completed in January, the review called "the continuation and expansion" of fluoridation "a public health imperative."
Tom Heikkinen, Water Utility general manager, notes that "fluoridation of drinking water systems has been a subject of debate since it was started." His office frequently gets letters and emails on the subject.
And while Heikkinen is confident "there is no harm in fluoridating our water supply," he says the Water Utility Board is interested in exploring the issue further. The use of fluoride is now required by city ordinance.
"From our perspective," says Heikkinen, "this is a public policy decision that should be made by elected officials."

UK - Southampton

Exposure To Fluoride Lowers Intelligence

Exposure To Fluoride Lowers Intelligence
Date: 18/03/09
A number of studies have shown that exposure to fluoride can cause behavioural changes. At a 1998 conference on fluoride in Washington, Professor Roger Masters reported a significant link between the blood lead levels of 280 000 children in Massachusetts and the use of silicofluorides (the fluoride added to our water supply – waste products of the fertiliser and glass industries).
In the previous alert, ‘Fluoride in drinking water should be banned’, I touched on some of the detrimental health effects fluoride can have on our health. This is an issue that clearly has many people up in arms. So much so that my colleague, Rachel Linkie writes about it in the April issue of Health Sciences Institute and right you are, we all should be up in arms! More so, we should make as much noise against fluoride in drinking water as we can...
Let the children play or pay?
A number of studies have shown that exposure to fluoride can cause behavioural changes. At a 1998 conference on fluoride in Washington, Professor Roger Masters reported a significant link between the blood lead levels of 280 000 children in Massachusetts and the use of silicofluorides (the fluoride added to our water supply – waste products of the fertiliser and glass industries).
Fluoride increases the toxic effects and absorption of lead. Both in the UK and in the American state of Georgia, behavioural changes associated with lead toxicity, such as violent crimes, are more frequently reported in communities using silicofluorides than in areas not using it.
At the same conference in 1998, neurotoxicologist Dr. Phyllis Mullinix, from the Boston Children’s Hospital in Massachusetts reported on the results of a study using two steroids to treat childhood leukaemia. One of the steroids had a fluoride atom in its structure, and the use of this steroid caused behavioural patterns typical of hyperactivity.
A follow-up study also showed a significant drop in the average IQ scores of the children given the steroid with fluoride, compared with those taking the non-fluoride steroid.
Detrimental or just mental?
New studies from China shows that an excessive intake of fluoride can build-up in the brain and permanently reduce the IQ of children.
Two very similar suburban villages in the Shanxi province in China have only one major difference: the level of calcium fluoride in their water supply.
Xinghau’s water contains 0.91 part per million (ppm) of fluoride and 14 per cent of the population has dental fluorosis – mottling, softening, porosity and brittleness of the tooth. They have no cases of skeletal fluorosis.
In contrast, the neighbouring village, Sima, has 4.12 ppm fluoride in its water. 86 per cent of the population shows clear evidence of dental fluorosis and 9 per cent has clinically diagnosed skeletal fluorosis.
In each village, 160 randomly selected children (excluding those with congenital or acquired disease not related to fluoride) took a standard IQ test lasting 40 minutes. Each child’s mother lived in one of the villages during pregnancy. The two studies came to extraordinary and identical conclusions: exposure to high fluoride lowers intelligence, as measured by IQ scores.
The general IQ level score in Sima (high fluoridated water) was 97.7, whereas in Xingua (lower fluoridated water) the general IQ level score was 105.2. That is a 7.5 point or 7.7 per cent difference, which is a significant difference on a statistical level.
Among the 160 children selected for the study, the number of those from Sima with IQs of 69 and lower was sic times that of the children from Xinghua and 26 per cent fewer children in Sima had IQ scores of 120 or above.

These are just two studies in a long list of studies that have been conducted world wide, which all shows time and time again that fluoride holds very little (if any) health benefits.

Canada - Anti-cavity crusade

Anti-cavity crusade
DENTAL HEALTH: Program helps youth without coverage Posted
By HEATHER IBBOTSON, EXPOSITOR STAFFUpdated 18 hours ago
Dr. Alicia Gertig treats many mouths in serious need of help, some of them as young as three.
The Brantford dentist is one of many area dental professionals who take part in the Children in Need of Treatment (CINOT) program offered through the Brant County Health Unit.
The program provides access to urgent dental care for youngsters without private dental benefits or other forms of dental coverage.
The program's eligibility requirements have now expanded to include youth aged 17 and under, as part of the province's poverty reduction strategy.
"Children shouldn't have to suffer," Gertig said in an interview on Tuesday at her St. Paul Avenue office, adding that she has seen cases of "rampant decay" in the teeth of children as young as three. She has also seen the necessity for decayed tooth extractions in children aged four to six.
"It's amazing how quickly a cavity progresses," Gertig said.
The CINOT program was introduced across Ontario in 1987.
Last year, the program treated 436 cases throughout Brant County, down by about 50 cases from 2007, said Beth McIntosh, dental program co-ordinator with the health unit.
"We're fortunate here because of the participation of local dentists," she said. Currently, 78 dentists across the county participate in the program.
The average cost of dental services provided for these urgent cases is $330 per child, McIntosh said, with at least two children last year requiring more than $1,000 in urgent care dentistry.
The CINOT program covers the cost of fillings, extractions, X-rays and even root canals. Orthodontic work is not covered.
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There are three main reasons why some youngsters end up with serious dental decay, McIntosh said.
Diet is part of it, she said, adding that the constant consumption of sugary beverages, in bottles or sippy cups, is a dental no-no.
As well, many children have not been taught about proper dental hygiene and the importance of regular brushing and flossing, she said.
A third factor is the simple lack of access to dental care by families who cannot afford to send their children for regular checkups, McIntosh said. For some families, dental care is more reactive than preventative.
McIntosh said she expects the numbers of children and youth seeking treatment through the CINOT program to climb, given the new eligibility inclusion of teenagers up to and including 17-year-olds.
The program may also see more patients due to the economy.
"We're falling on hard economic times," Gertig said, adding that some families simply don't have "a couple hundred dollars kicking around for dental care."
Such costs could "bury a family," she said.
That is why the CINOT program is so important and such a boon to any community, she said.
"Everyday families are losing jobs and losing their (dental) coverage," she said.
In addition to treating children with urgent dental care needs, Gertig emphasizes dental hygiene to all her young patients to encourage the development of healthy habits that will last a lifetime.
Gertig's decision to enter a career in dentistry and her participation in the CINOT program can be traced back to her father, Dr. Hans Gertig, who retired from a 40-year career in dentistry two years ago. He was involved with the CINOT program since its earliest days, Gertig said.
"He had such a kind and tender heart. He never turned anyone away," she said.
To be eligible for the CINOT program, patients must be age 17 or under and have no access to private dental coverage or coverage through other governmental programs.

Brantford (Ontario) was the first Canadian city to add fluoride chemicals to prevent tooth decay and they still do:NYSCOF

UK - Letters

A good question what is the present intake of fluoride - do they really look?









"Not aware of any adverse effects," because they again don't seriously look for any. Anecdotally I could relate some but that is as accurate as those who claim that there are none.

Nature's own sweet treat can save your teeth

Get Healthy Tri-State: Nature's own sweet treat can save your teeth
March 17, 2009 @ 09:45 PM
The Herald-Dispatch
When it comes to sweets, not all of them help your dentist buy a third home in Cabo San Lucas. Sweet, delicious dates may leave holes in his schedule, not your teeth.

That's right. These candies from nature have one up on chocolate kisses and gobstoppers: They have a substance that may help strengthen tooth enamel and guard against plaque. Dates are rich in the element fluorine, which sounds like what it is -- a relative of fluoride, that enamel-friendly compound that can actually help reverse early tooth decay.

Raisins also may save you from extra trips to the dentist. Phytochemicals in these fruits appear to inhibit the growth of certain types of bacteria that mess with your mouth, and they help prevent it from sticking to teeth.

Try tossing chopped dates or raisins into your morning oatmeal or over your salad, or just enjoy their natural sweetness as a snack. Bonus: They also provide you with fiber, vitamins, amino acids and minerals. You can't get that from a candy store!

Of course, any tooth-friendly eating habit still needs to be accompanied by no-excuses oral care. That means regular brushing for two minutes every morning and night, and, of course, flossing. When you don't floss, you're not cleaning 40 percent of each tooth. Dentists consider flossing even more crucial for preventing tooth decay and periodontal disease than brushing is, and it may even help prevent heart disease. We think they're both important: The combination of regular brushing and flossing can make your RealAge more than six years younger.

Australia - LNP won't brush aside flouride

LNP won't brush aside flouride
Jessica Marszalek March 18, 2009 - 1:27PM
A Liberal National Party (LNP) government would stick with the decision to put fluoride in drinking water, but release data on the health benefits, leader Lawrence Springborg says.
Fluoride was introduced into Queensland drinking supplies last December and 90 per cent of the state will be drinking the water in four years' time.
But while the move brought Queensland - where 50 per cent of Queensland children suffer from dental decay before the age of six - into line with other states, some sections of the community say it amounts to unnecessary mass medication.
Mr Springborg on Wednesday said he would not repeal the decision, but would order Queensland Health to provide greater transparency of the health program.
"All we're saying is Queensland Health should be able to give us the data ... and there should be a comparison each year of what the health benefits have been," Mr Springborg told reporters in Brisbane.
"Queenslanders just want to know that."
He said residents who had not been consulted on the decision to add fluoride to the water supply at least deserved to be informed on its effects.
"We're going to present the people with all the data which they've never had so that the community can be comforted one way or the other," he said.
Mr Springborg said the government had erred in its handling of the issue by not providing enough information for an informed debate.
AAP

Bill Maher - Anti-Pharma Rant

Australia - QLD gov forcing mass medication

QLD GOV' FORCES PEOPLE TO HAVE MASS MEDICATION AGAINST THE PUBLIC POLL, 87% of Qld said NO TO FLUORIDE and 93% said NO TO RECYCLED WATER

Sounds familiar we have the same disregard of people's choice in Southampton by the Strategic Health Authority.

USA - Illinois families need dental care

Illinois families need dental care
Published: 3/16/2009 12:08 AMSend To:
We are facing an oral health care crisis in our state. Illinois has among the lowest funding rates in the nation for government funded dental care. Over the last three decades funding has decreased, dental clinics have closed and the dental care gap has widened. Despite an increase in enrollment for government dental programs, millions of children and adults go without dental care.

Children suffering from toothaches often have trouble focusing in school and may have trouble eating nutritious foods like fresh fruit and vegetables. In some cases tooth decay can be so severe that a child must have all of their teeth pulled, going through the young years of life toothless and ashamed. This causes developmental problems and contributes to low self esteem and unsatisfactory school performance.
For many families, public dental clinics are the primary source of care and increased demand has flooded an already overwhelmed system. Illinois has just one clinic per 8,400 children who rely on government insurance. Families often have to wait several months for an appointment, forcing many into emergency care.
The long term implications are serious and can lead to significantly poorer health as adults. There is an undeniable link between overall health and oral health. Studies show that poor oral health may be linked to heart disease, stroke, preterm childbirth and oral cancer. Illinois dentists provide charitable care to thousands of patients each year, and in February dentists donated treatment for "Give Kids a Smile Day."
But dentists can't solve the problem alone - it's time for the State of Illinois to make funding dental care a priority.
More and more Illinois families are out of work, losing health insurance and feeling the effects of the economic downturn. Children face enough challenges growing up; basic dental care should not be one of them.
Robert Rechner
Executive Director
Illinois State Dental Society

Illinois where fluoridation is state-mandated: NYSCOF

FLUORIDE ACTION NETWORK

FLUORIDE ACTION NETWORK
http://www.FluorideAlert.org
FAN Bulletin 1052: Lessons learned in Plattsburgh, NY
March 16, 2009
Last Thursday (March 12) after much hoopla in the local press I finally gave my 45 minute presentation to the Plattsburgh (NY) city council. The dentists had presented their case the week before and tried to persuade the local councilors to rescind their invitation to hear from me, but that effort failed.

It was a very interesting experience to watch the dental lobby's game plan up close. First, attack the messenger; second, muddy the waters and third, ask councilors to put their trust in their local dentists.

Attacking the messenger. Both before and at the meeting, dentists used the true and tried method of those who do not have the arguments or the evidence on their side: attack the messenger as a way of deflecting from the message. Prior to the meeting in media interviews, Dr. Heins, a local dentist, had said that I and other fluoridation opponents were "dishonest" practiced "junk science" and that I, in particular, was a "clown." At the meeting, I made it clear that I resented the first two charges since they were not true - as my presentation should have made abundantly clear. But I did concede the third point and told the audience that when I was at College I played soccer with John Cleese! At the meeting I was told by another dentist that I was a "scientific entertainer." If he meant by this that I was able to present information in a way which not boring, was understandable to the public and was scientifically accurate, again I plead guilty. But I don't think that was what he meant.

Muddying the waters. As far as the message was concerned, Dr. Heins had claimed before the meeting that that there were thousands of papers demonstrating that fluoridation was safe and effective. However, neither he nor the other two dentists who spoke at the meeting cited any specific scientific evidence to support these claims. However, they did manage to cite again the agencies that endorse this practice and done with such aplomb that the uninitiated might have believed that they were actually listening to scientific evidence rather than to its glaring absence! At the meeting I was again charged with using "junk science" even though I cited peer reviewed and published studies to support all my arguments. One even said I was citing studies which had not been replicated - an incredible charge when you consider that there are 23 studies - from four different countries - indicating a possible association between lowered IQ in children and exposure to fluoride. The real "junk science" in this issue, of course, is the failure of governments that promote fluoridation to do ANY studies on some of the health issues of greatest concern.

Who do you trust? Again the game plan was very clear. Essentially, the councilors were asked to choose between: "highly respected" local dentists, supported by prestigious agencies like the CDC and the ADA or a "scaremongering" outsider. Framed like this, it is very difficult for councilors, unless they are very well informed and confident in their own assessment of the arguments, to side with the outsider. It is "safer" to side with the local professionals and let the matter drop. We will have to wait and see if this happens in this case. The good news is that a number of people from the general public attended this meeting and some of them had their eyes and ears well and truly opened. I hope that they will hold the councilors feet to the fire. You can read press accounts of the meeting and a follow-up article.

I have seen these tactics before. Ironically, this was exactly how the first meeting I ever attended on this issue played out. In July of 1996, after having read the literature that my wife had collected, we attended a meeting of the local Village board who were using the need to replace the corroding fluoridation equipment as an opportunity to revisit the issue. On the way to the meeting I had said to my wife, "Well this issue is going to be easy, when they hear what I read this afternoon there is no way they are going to continue this practice!"

When we entered the meeting room we were met with a phalanx of dentists from miles around as well as a local doctor. At the meeting Dr. Elmer Green (NY Department of Health) spoke in favor of the practice, and the late Dr. John Yiamouyiannis spoke against. I added a few words based on what I had read that afternoon and then the dentists provided their enthusiastic chorus of "professional" support for the practice. Then the audience chimed in. Most said things to the effect, that they were not scientists but they trusted their dentist or doctor and if their dentist or doctor said it was OK then it was good enough for them. Needless to say the Village board backed off - and it took us another seven years before we managed to get fluoride out of our water. But I learned something very important that night. After the meeting I went up to the doctor who was there and I asked him to read three of the papers I had read that afternoon and he said, "I don't' have time to do that."

I replied, 'Well, that is not very responsible. You have just heard these people saying that the reason they are going along with this is because you said it was OK."

He responded by saying that he didn't have time to read up on every issue that crossed his desk. I said, "I can quite understand that, but you shouldn't let these people believe that you have read the literature on this and it is your professional judgment that the practice is safe."

Thus, it turned out that on my very first day of involvement in this matter, I was to witness the "microcosm" of what I would see and hear repeatedly over the last 13 years around the world, namely that dentists, doctors, local, state and federal health officials would state categorically in public that fluoridation was safe even though they offered no evidence that they had actually read the literature on the matter. More often than not, like our local doctor, they were simply parroting the opinions of other "authorities."

How do we fight this? The good news from Plattsburgh is that during my presentation I was able to hand out copies of the Professionals' Statement calling for an end to fluoridation worldwide (the fancy pdf version) as well as copies of the 29 minute DVD "Professional Perspectives on Fluoridation." This I believe will help to define just whose "professional" opinion is viable in this matter. It may still not be persuasive enough for those who for psychological rather than scientific reasons will want to side with their local dentists - but I think it gives us a fighting chance.

We still have a few copies of the DVD (with a glitch in one of the added features, a matter we continue to work on) available at a bargain price of $15 (US) and $17 (outside US). To order the DVD you can either send us a check (payable to FAN) to Connett, 82 Judson Street, Canton, NY 13617 or email us and let us know that you have made a donation (for the same amount) using our secure online server.

The current number of signers of the Professionals' Statement is 2,187 - see top of our home page.

Paul Connett

Fluoride is Harmful to Your Health Speech with Data

Australia - No date set for Coffs water fluoridation

No date set for Coffs water fluoridation
New South Wales Health says fluoride will soon be added to Coffs Harbour's water supply to help combat tooth decay, but it will not say when.
The project manager of Teeth for Health, John Irving, says there is overwhelming evidence to support fluoride's safety and effectiveness.
He says while it is already found in toothpaste and some foods, children and adults are not getting enough.
Mr Irving says the a minority oppose fluoridation but a far greater number support it.
"The latest summary of the research was conducted by the National Health and Medical Research Council just over 15 months ago where it did a meta-analysis," he said.
"That analysis of all that research still shows that fluoride is effective and safe. There's a lot of misunderstanding and a lot of myths relating to water fluoridation."

Editorial: Improving dental health requires responsibility, outreach

March 15, 2009 @ 12:00 AM
The Herald-Dispatch
Two-thirds of children in West Virginia have cavities by age 8. That is far, far too many.
West Virginians drink a lot of sugary soft drinks. They use a lot of tobacco products. Both are bad for their teeth.
Small children, too, suffer from "Mountain Dew mouth" because their parents put soft drinks and sugary fruit juices in baby bottles and sippy cups for their children to drink in bed. The habit of drinking sugary drinks starts young and continues into adulthood.
Couple that with the fact that relatively few children in West Virginia see a dentist regularly and you have a prescription for dental problems in a large number of people in this state. But it's not just here. It's in Appalachia as a whole.
As reported by Laura Wilcox in The Herald-Dispatch a week ago, experts say many factors contribute to bad teeth, including a lack of fluoride, access to care and preventive action.
Experts say there is no single solution to the dental care problem, but many efforts are making a difference, said Bobbi Jo Muto, community oral health coordinator for the Robert C. Byrd Center for Rural Health at Marshall University.
One recently announced was a $500,000 grant for children's oral health in West Virginia. Grant money will provide increased access to preventive services for youth through school-community partnerships.
Muto told Wilcox that preventive care should be a priority in the region.
"If we can just make people realize they don't have to lose their teeth. They don't have to have a cavity. It's 100 percent preventable, and yet we have all these children with rampant decay," she said.
It's another of those areas that come down to parents taking responsibility for their children's dental health, just as they take responsibility for other aspects of health. That means instructing them in good dental care, making sure they see a dentist and being aware of what they eat and drink.

West Virginia is 92% fluoridation:NYSCOF

Arrogance of fluoridation - Stateline Australia 07-09-07

Arrogance of fluoridation - Stateline Australia 07-09-07

Why Fluoridation Is Not Universally Popular

Scrubbers on the stacks of this fertilizer plant filter out the fluoride that would otherwise poison the environment. (Michael and Paul Connett)
Why Fluoridation Is Not Universally Popular By Louise McCoy
Epoch Times Staff
Scrubbers on the stacks of this fertilizer plant filter out the fluoride that would otherwise poison the environment. (Michael and Paul Connett)Fluoride, a poisonous waste product of the fertilizer and aluminum industries, has been added to water supplies since 1945.

Since water fluoridation has been used to prevent tooth decay, it has met with opposition by those who do not want governments to determine their medication, and by those who know its bad effects. This method of involuntary medication is now being questioned more because of the great information wave and subsequent studies.

Fluorine is so chemically related to iodine that it preempts iodine in the cells like a hatched cuckoo in a bird’s nest.

Iodine is found in the reproductive glands, the thyroid, the pituitary, and the breasts. Doctors in Europe used to “cure” hyperthyroidism with fluoride until the 1970s. [1] Hypothyroidism is now so common that everyone knows people taking thyroid medication.

Since fluoride is not destroyed by heat, it is in processed food and drink made with fluoridated water. It has also become more concentrated in the human body. Only large amounts of iodine (12 to 50 mg per day) can unseat fluoride from its comfortable lodging. The remedy? Eat plenty of seaweed, or get a doctor to prescribe non-radioactive iodine.

John Yiamouyannis, Ph.D. (biochemistry) explained to a small group of us, while on his anti-fluoridation crusade, that fluoride destroys an enzyme that repairs DNA, and, as a result, causes cancer. He wrote the book “Fluoride the Aging Factor: How to Recognize and Avoid the Devastating Effects of Fluoride” explaining the biology of fluoride poisoning.

New York City spent $6 million fluoridating its water in 2003. New York City’s children, especially the poor, have the worst teeth in the nation. Silicofluoride that the city uses in its water is known to be more damaging than sodium fluoride. Sodium fluoridated communities and non-fluoridated communities have the same rates of tooth decay.

Fluoride production is now declining, making it more expensive. This may be the time to put the money to some other use, such as preventing tooth decay.

References:
1. fluoridealert.org/health
2. folsomtelegraph.com/detail/101445.html
3. fluoridealert.org/phosphate/overview.htm

India - Toothpastes high in fluoride: CERS

AHMEDABAD: Consumer Education and Research Society (CERS) conducted tests on 18 variants of eight brands of toothpaste in its in-house laboratory
and found all fluoridated toothpastes to be high in fluoride content.

According to CERS, since fluoride is present in water, food, fish, tea, some fruits and vegetables as well as in some drugs containing sodium fluoride (meant for osteoporosis and dental caries), its excess use could cause fluorosis, leading to discolouration of teeth and even loss of teeth. It may also lead to dental fluorosis, skeletal fluorosis, non-skeletal fluorosis affecting the central nervous system.

The highest fluoride content 910 ppm was found in Pepsodent Kids' against the permissible 1000 ppm. According to CERS, children swallow about 50 per cent of the toothpaste on their brush. More than half the fluoride intake of a two-year-old comes from toothpaste. It has recommended use of non-fluoridated toothpaste for children.

As per standards, the flouride content in toothpastes should not exceed 1,000 ppm but there is no such provision for children's toothpaste. CERS stated that maximum fluoride was found in Colgate Advanced Whitening' 797 ppm, followed by Close Up' 738 ppm, Pepsodent' for adults contained fluoride in the range of 603 to 693 ppm. The least was found in Colgate Super Shakti Dental Cream' 527 ppm.

CERS also stated that fluoride is more poisonous than lead, slightly less poisonous then arsenic, is used in rat poison and as an insecticide for ants and cockroaches. The brighter side however, is that, after brushing with fluoridated toothpaste the fluoride left on the teeth diffuses the plaque and helps protect teeth from decay.

USA - Group Asks City To Remove Fluoride From Water

Group Asks City To Remove Fluoride From Water
updated 12:47 a.m. ET March 14, 2009
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. - Representatives from the Fluoride Action Network asked Plattsburgh city councilors Thursday to take fluoride out of the city drinking water.
Network representative Paul Connett said fluoride is to blame for long list of of health problems, and he wants it removed from the water.
"Fluoride also has other things like lead in it", said Connett supporter Bill Provost. "It has other heavy metals too, so it's a bad substance. It's a carcinogen, and we don't need it in our water."
But dentists say fluoride's health benefits far outweigh any possible long-term negative side affects.
"It gets into the hydroxyapatite crystal of the tooth, said" Dr. Bob Heins. "It makes the tooth resistant to the toxins made by bacteria in the mouth. That's a given fact."
City councilors said they are still gathering information on the topic. It will be some time before they decide whether or not to remove fluoride from the water.

Two sides to fluoride

Two sides to fluoride
Editor:
I strongly suggest that readers do their own research into the matter of fluoridation of drinking water. A previous writer already gave the website: www.fluoridealert.org.
Here is just one quote from this site describing research done: "Rats fed for one year with 1 ppm fluoride (either as sodium fluoride or aluminum fluoride) in doubly distilled and de-ionized water, were found to have increased levels of aluminum in their brain and amyloid deposits. Amyloid deposits in the brain are associated with Alzheimer's disease." http://www.fluoridealert.org/varner. htm
France, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Northern Ireland, Austria and the Czech Republic do NOT put fluorides in their water supply! If fluoridation is such a boon to mankind, why on earth would so many European nations refuse to do it? According to statements from these governments, the main reason is that they consider it unethical medication of persons without prior consent.
Why is Canada still in the last century?
Karl Roehrborn
Owen Sound

Research supports water flouridation

Research supports water flouridation
Letters
Mar 12, 2009
Seminar, February 26, 2009, “Drinking Water?Fluoridation”
You are no doubt aware that captioned seminar was cancelled. I had prepared a series of notes and questions prior to my planned attendance. Rather than waste the time and effort I have spent in detailed research, may I ask your indulgence to read, and possibly question or comment on my notes?
The criticism of drinking water fluoridation invariably offers a few clinically proven facts, then makes sweeping misleading and unsupported statements that seem to be related to these facts but aren't. One of the great favourites is the factual statement that the fluoride level in breast milk is very low. Indeed it is. However, they neglect to inform that a child is born with fluoride already present at much higher levels. Fluoride transfer takes place, via the placenta, from mother to child in the womb. The elemental composition of the human body will vary with place, time, and in the case of several trace elements, many fold. The fact remains that fluoride is a normal part of life. It is the thirteenth element in human body composition.
The mention of serious health risk from water fluoridation builds and misleads on the known fact that fluoride is toxic. This plays on the publics ignorance and fears as they have little awareness of the toxicity in of substances and chemicals used in our daily lives: few are aware that toxicity (or poison) is in the dose. This is followed by the misleading claim that the hydrofluorosilicic acid used in Halton's drinking water is industrial grade. This has an anxiety impact, as the public are totally unaware that many essential chemicals start - sometimes fortuitously - as a by-product of industrial processes followed by careful refining to make them fit for purpose.
The forgoing just a few of my notes but they all lead to the conclusion that the antifluoridationist rhetoric has become, on examination, so encumbered with unrelated distortions it enters the realm of research to find out how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.
The base science and authority I have examined, and questioned, support the safety and effectiveness of drinking water fluoridation using approved hydrofluorosilicic acid, in trace amounts judged necessary, as a prophylactic measure. – Ivor Davies

This needs answering.
Several counter arguments I can think of, even if he is right about babies getting fluoride through the placenta it still does not counter the argument that the baby does not need any extra fluoride at birth than the amount found in mother's milk.
Secondly in the case of Southampton just over 200 tonnes of fluoride per year is needed to "treat" these socially deprived children and that means 4 tonnes of toxic substances such as mercury and arsenic going into our drinking water as it is only 98% pure. Does that make sense?
Also there is no control over the dose as we all drink different amounts.
Anyway if over 2000 professionals including a Nobel Prize winner have put their weight behind the argument that fluoridation is not safe why should we consider I Davies rhetoric.

Australia - Neoh passes fluoride buck: Heat laid on water board

Neoh passes fluoride buck: Heat laid on water board
BY PETER COLLINS
13/03/2009 4:00:00 AM
ANOTHER hand grenade has been thrown into the fluoridation war with Warrnambool's mayor calling for Wannon Water to explain safety implications.
Cr Michael Neoh said fluoridation critics had long blamed the city council, but the water authority had been left off the hook despite it having a direct involvement in adding fluoride to the city supply.
He also warned that unruly behaviour in council-organised discussions on fluoridation would not be tolerated any more.
His comments followed a heated council debate on Monday night where a decision was made to organise a public forum to hear scientific evidence from both sides of the issue.
The debate was triggered by a senior officer's recommendation that the council take no further action because fluoridation was a State Government responsibility.
Fluoride was added to Warrnambool's water supply late last September.
Invitations will be sent to two local GPs worried about fluoridation health effects, the Department of Human Services and the dental profession.
Cr Neoh later contacted The Standard to air his concerns. He said considering the debate focus had now shifted from who was responsible for fluoridation to the health implications, Wannon Water must be asked to explain its stance.
"It's a fair call now to ask the board of Wannon Water if they have been briefed on the safety of fluoride," he said.
"Has Wannon Water board and officers got that information and has it been made available to the public?
"Surely Wannon Water has a duty of care to supply evidence on the safety of fluoride.
"Wannon Water has had greater involvement in this than the city council."
Cr Neoh said he would suggest that the board be invited to address the forthcoming forum.
Wannon Water board chairman Harry Peeters told The Standard the authority had merely followed State Government directions.
"We put into practice what the policy is," he said.
Mr Peeters said the board would consider any request from the city council.
"But I'm not going to pre-empt any decision by our board," he said.
Cr Neoh has warned that rowdy fluoridation opponents will be ejected from the forum if they disrupt proceedings.
"I will clear the gallery if necessary," he said.
"Our guests must be shown respect and given a fair chance to present their evidence without interjections.
"As meeting chairman I have the power to remove people if there are ongoing interjections."
Monday's council meeting had about 50 fluoridation opponents in the gallery. Some of them interjected, disrupting debate.
Cr Neoh wondered if there had been selective targeting of the council or naivety about who was ultimately responsible for the directive to fluoridate public water.
Cr Neoh said the State Government had decided to fluoridate Warrnambool's water, not the city council.
"A number of councillors supported a motion that involves receiving a presentation about effects on humans from adding fluoride to the public water supply," he said.
"Have these councillors asked the board of the relevant water authority if the practice, undertaken by their organisation, of adding fluoride to the public water supply is safe?"

Philippines - Most school kids have poor oral hygiene

........................One of the survey findings, however, offered hope as it showed the school was the best place to institutionalize healthy habits, Lapus said.
Some pilot studies carried out in the country showed that implementing school-based daily fluoride tooth brushing could reduce new dental caries by 40 percent and oral infections (fistulas and abscesses) by 60 percent, he said...................................

DNA DAMAGE INDUCED BY FLUORIDE IN RAT KIDNEY CELLS

DNA DAMAGE INDUCED BY FLUORIDE IN RAT KIDNEY CELLS
Lihong Jia,a Zhiyu Zhang, Lingling Zhai, Ying Zhang, Guifan Sun Shenyang, China
SUMMARY: DNA damage by fluoride to newborn rat kidney cells isolated by enzymic digestion is reported. The cells were exposed for 24 hr to sodium fluoride at NaF concentrations of 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.8, and 1.0 mM. Damage to DNA was determined by single cell gel electrophoresis assay (Comet assay). Significant breakage of DNA strands occurred at 0.8 mM NaF and above. Compared with the control group, the comet tail length was significantly increased, indicating that,....................................................................................Click title to see full pdf article

THE EFFECT OF FLUORINE ON THE DEVELOPING HUMAN BRAIN

THE EFFECT OF FLUORINE ON THE DEVELOPING HUMAN BRAIN
Li Du,a Changwu Wan, Xumao Cao, Jialiu Liu
Guiyang, China
SUMMARY: Fifteen fetuses from an endemic fluorosis area that were aborted therapeutically at the 5th–8th month of gestation were compared with 16 aborted fetuses from a non-endemic area. Stereological study of the brains showed that the numerical density of the neuron volume and the undifferentiated neuroblasts as well as the nucleus-cytoplasm ratio of the neurons were increased. The mean volume of the neurons, however, was reduced. The numerical density of volume, the volume density, and the surface density of the mitochondria were significantly reduced. The results showed that chronic fluorosis in the course of intrauterine fetal life may
produce certain harmful effects on the developing brain of the fetus.....................................

Fluoride in drinking water should be banned

Fluoride in drinking water should be banned
Date: 11/03/09 Keywords: Bone Cancer, dental-decay, fluoride
There is no debate: Fluoridation of drinking water should be banned. Like mercury (dental fillings), fluoride is not an obvious choice for dental health. The reason for this: It’s a poison – more poisonous than lead and slightly less poisonous than arsenic. The fluoride used in toothpaste, mouth rinses and dental gels usually is sodium fluoride – a waste product from the aluminium industry. The fluoride added to our water supply is hydrofluorosilic acid or sometimes silicofluoride – waste products of the fertiliser and glass industries.

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I was bemused when I recently read this news headline: ‘Health bosses in Derbyshire are looking at extending the fluoridation of drinking water.’
Why do we still even have to debate this issue in this day and age? Evidence against the fluoridation of water has been mounting since the 1980s. Yet, amazingly there are still so- called ‘Health bosses’ that believe by adding fluoride to our drinking water it will improve dental health.
Let’s quickly look at a few hard facts.

Fluoride: What’s your poison?

Like mercury (dental fillings), fluoride is not an obvious choice for dental health. The reason for this: It’s a poison – more poisonous than lead and slightly less poisonous than arsenic.

The fluoride used in toothpaste, mouth rinses and dental gels usually is sodium fluoride – a waste product from the aluminium industry.

The fluoride added to our water supply is hydrofluorosilic acid or sometimes silicofluoride – waste products of the fertiliser and glass industries.

Professor Kaj Roholm , former Chief of the Toxicology Committee for the National Research Council classified hydrofluorosilic acid and hexafluorosilic acid as “extremely toxic.” One chemical company selling fluoride to water suppliers describes it as “a colourless to straw yellow, transparent, fuming, corrosive liquid with a pungent odour and irritating action on the skin.”

Hydrofluorosilicacid is listed as a Part II poison under the Poisons Act 1972. As such its use as a commercially ingestible product in water violates UK and EU pharmaceutical legislation governing the regulation of medicinal substances, as well as the Poisons Act.

Fluoride: Worldwide rejection

Since 1990, 54 US and Canadian cities have rejected hydrofluorosilic acid, but almost 60 per cent of the US remains fluoridated. In these areas, there has been a dramatic increase in bone cancer in young males aged between 9-19. A National Cancer Institute Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results Programme recorded an increase of 79 per cent of bone cancer in young men living in fluoridated areas of Iowa and Seattle. But in the unfluoridated areas the incidence of bone cancer decreased by 4 per cent.
Professor Hardy Limeback, a consultant to the Canadian Dental Association studied the health effects of fluoride on children and he warned that children under three years should never drink fluoridated water or use fluoride toothpaste or products, and that fluoridated water must never be used for making baby formula.
Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Finland, Luxembourg, Norway , Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands and Italy have all banned the addition of hydrofluorosilic acid to drinking water and so have Japan and India.

Fluoride and Fluorosis

Dental fluorosis caused by drinking fluoridated water is a very visible example of the toxic effect that fluoride can have on our bodies. A study of five primary schools around Birmingham in the UK, indicated that 34 per cent of young children had dental fluorosis. Peter Mansfield, former President of The National Pure Water Association (NPWA) tested over 500 volunteers in the West Midlands and found that 60 per cent had four times the 'safe' level of fluoride in their urine.

The quantity of fluoride in toothpastes for children is even more of an issue as children, because of their smaller size, naturally can be poisoned with far lower levels. There is, for example, enough fluoride in a tube of fluoride toothpaste to kill a small child. Even more surprising, is that when it comes to dental hygiene, fluoride actually does more harm than good.

Fluoride:

* Accumulates in bones, making them brittle and more easily fractured
* Damages tooth enamel ('dental fluorosis') and may lower fertility rates
* Increases the uptake of aluminium into the brain and lead into the blood
* Inhibits antibodies from forming in the blood
* Confuses the immune system, causing it to attack the body's tissues, which can increase the risk of cancerous growths
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Fluoride: More than you bargained for

We don’t ingest fluoride just simply by drinking water or brushing our teeth but it also enter our bodies through other sources such as processed food, some cheaper (lower- end of the market) vitamin tablets, and drinks like fruit juice, soda and tea. So how do we control the amount of fluoride that we ingest? It’s simple: We don’t!

There is no control over how much water people consume. Thirsty children weighing 28 – 42 lbs could be receiving the same amount of fluoride as adults four times their size. And that is just by drinking water. Tea (and we do love our tea in Britain) is a major source of fluoride even when made with non-fluoridated water. The Department of Health recognises that: “Those consuming large volumes of tea would have an intake of 4.4 – 12mg depending on whether tea was prepared from fluoridated water.” These levels are considered far above those generally recognised as safe.

The 1 part per million (ppm) level of fluoride in UK water supplies deemed 'safe' by the government is 100 times higher than that normally found in mother's milk. Prof Paul Connett, a leading authority on fluoride, spoke at the Science, Medicine and The Law conference in London in January 2005. He said: "There are no benefits, only risks, for infants ingesting heightened levels of fluoride at such an early age, [when] susceptibility to toxins are particularly high."

What can you do?

Without breaking the bank, there are some measures you can take to control the amount of fluoride you ingest.

* Always read the label on any products such as toothpaste, mouthwashes and dental floss
* Use only non-fluoride toothpastes and mouthwashes
* Refuse fluoride treatments from your dentist
* Eat a healthy organic diet and avoid processed foods.
* Avoid drinking fluoridated water.
* If you cannot avoid drinking fluoridated water, implement an activated alumina defluoridation filter or a distillation filter at home.

You can participate in a letter writing campaign to stop water companies adding fluoride to tap water by contacting the National Pure Water Association (NPWA) www.npwa.org.uk or www.greenparty.org.uk

Look out for next week’s alert when I will talk further about the dangers of water fluoridation and further measures we all can take to control our fluoride intake.