California legislature mimics unethical actions of U.S. legislature to benefit large corporations--your help is needed

[Guest guest]

Hello,

 

The California legislature has started mimicking recent unethical

actions

of the U.S. legislature. Remember when our Government passed the Patriot

Act without allowing public discussion or even permitting senators and

congressmen to read the act? Now the California legislature is doing the

same thing. It has just pushed through a law without permitting the 30

day

discussion period and without full disclosure of the risks. The law is

now

awaiting the signature of Arnold Schwarzenegger. After that, all

municipalities in California will be required to fluoridate their water

without the consent of the people. (When proposed to the people of San

Diego twice in the past 60 years, each time the people voted against

it.)

 

You may think that fluoride in our drinking water is good for fighting

tooth decay. The benefits of fluoride are themselves controversial. The

fluoride they plan to put into our water supply, however, is from

hydrofluorosilicic acid--a by-product of the fertilizer industry. It is

known to contain arsenic and lead and is regarded as hazardous waste by

the

Industrial Resources Group

(http://www.indresgroup.com/safety_hydacid.htm).

Their website states that the acid is " Corrosive. Contact may cause

severe

irritation, eye burns and permanent eye damage. " It may also cause

" severe

skin irritation, burns and permanent skin damage " and is " harmful if

inhaled. "

 

Hydrofluorosilicic acid has never been tested for long-term safety. If

you

search the EPA website, only one listing appears. It links to a PDF file

that states that the acid is added to the water supply for the purpose

of

fluoridation--that's it.

 

What about arsenic in our drinking water? In January 2001 the EPA

changed

the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of arsenic in drinking water from 50

µg/L to 10 µg/L and the Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) to zero.

The

" EPA has decided to set the drinking water standard for arsenic higher

than

the technically feasible level of 3 µg/L because EPA believes that the

costs would not justify the benefits at this level. " See

http://www.epa.gov/safewater/ars/ars_rule_techfactsheet.html. The EPA

feels

we are safest with absolutely no arsenic in our water!

 

The EPA website states that: " Studies link inorganic arsenic ingestion

to a

number of health effects. These health effects include:

* Cancerous Effects: skin, bladder, lung, kidney, nasal passages,

liver

and prostate cancer; and

* Non-cancerous effects: cardiovascular, pulmonary, immunological,

neurological and endocrine (e.g., diabetes) effects. "

What about lead? It is a known neurotoxin. The EPA website

(http://www.epa.gov/lead/) states that: " Lead is a highly toxic metal

that

.... may cause a range of health effects, from behavioral problems and

learning disabilities, to seizures and death. Children 6 years old and

under are most at risk, because their bodies are growing quickly. " These

are precisely the children that the Government supposedly wants to give

fluoride to prevent cavities! Which would you rather risk? Cavities or

" behavioral problems, learning disabilities, seizures and death. "

 

According to a recent email message from Jeff Green, Director of

Citizens

for Safe Drinking Water, " the California State Legislature used all of

the

tricks available to prevent public participation and assure information

was

not available to legislators in their decision making that will likely,

and

is intended to, effect what 35 million Californians will eat and drink

for

the rest of their lives, as well as who will pay for it, and who will

defend the coercive action. "

 

In my opinion, this bill was pushed through the legislature to provide

the

fertilizer industry a convenient way to dispose of their toxic waste and

make a profit on it. This represents one more example of the rights of

ordinary citizens being superceded by a powerful corporate-controlled

government.

 

Please read the following and contact Governor Schwarzenegger to voice

YOUR

opinion.

 

Victoria Inness-Brown