Fluoride News You Can Use Issue #1 (Courtesy of the Fluoride Action Network)

[Guest guest]

Fluoride Action Network | July 2008

_http://www.FluorideAlert.Org_ (http://www.fluoridealert.org/)

 

 

When we first launched this newsletter at the beginning of the year, we

expected to release it on a monthly basis. Regretfully, however, we have fallen

a

bit behind and apologize for the lag time that has occurred between the

present and previous issue. Looking to the future, the newsletter may continue

to

be a bit sporadic over the coming months, but we do believe it will provide

a very useful service to people who wish to remain informed and involved in

the fluoride issue.

 

So here it goes: issue number 1 of our revamped newsletter " Fluoride News

You Can Use " , including videos you can watch, flyers you can download, fluoride

news you should know about, and a quick online action item that could help

save Louisiana from an impending fluoridation mandate.

 

1) NEW VIDEO: An Environmental Professional Speaks Out on Fluoride

 

This week, the Fluoride Action Network (FAN) launched the latest _video_

(

) in its " Professional Perspectives "

series on water fluoridation. The video is short (just 5 minutes) and features

Brent Foster, an environmental attorney and State Conservation Chair of the

Oregon Sierra Club. Foster explains why he went from being a onetime proponent

of fluoridation to spearheading a successful statewide effort to defeat

mandatory fluoridation in Oregon, and how he was able to get the support of the

only doctor, dentist, and nurse in the Oregon legislature. The video can be

viewed online at _FAN's homepage_ (http://fluoridealert.org/)

_http://fluoridealert.org/_ (http://fluoridealert.org/) , or on _YouTube_

(

)

_

_

(

)

 

2) Kidney Foundation Drops its Support of Fluoridation:

 

A new position paper from the National Kidney Foundation concludes that

individuals with chronic kidney disease should be notified of the potential

risk

from exposure to fluorides. The document acknowledges gaping holes in

research concerning kidney impacts from fluorides, and thus further undermines

the

myth that fluoridation has been proven safe for everyone. In addition to

advising that kidney patients be notified of their vulnerability to fluoride,

the

Kidney Foundation officially withdrew from the American Dental Association's

list of organizations which support fluoridation. To read more about this

development, and to watch a FAN video discussing the issue, _click here_

(http://www.fluoridealert.org/press/nkf2.html)

_http://www.fluoridealert.org/press/nkf2.html_

(http://www.fluoridealert.org/press/nkf2.html)

 

3) List of Communities Rejecting Fluoridation Grows Larger

The number of communities rejecting fluoridation continues to grow. On April

1, _Quebec City_ (http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=4e7_1207002044)

_http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=4e7_1207002044_

(http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=4e7_1207002044) in Canada terminated its

fluoridation program after 36 years, thus

joining the ranks of other major Canadian cities - such as Montreal and

Vancouver - which do not fluoridate their water. Another major victory occurred

on

the _Isle of Man_ (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/isle_of_man/7451658.stm)

_http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/isle_of_man/7451658.stm_

(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/isle_of_man/7451658.stm) in Europe when

the Health

Ministry announced on June 12th that it was abandoning its attempt to

fluoridate

water after a government survey showed the public opposed to the plan. Other

communities recently rejecting fluoridation include Dryden, Ontario;

Littleton, Massachusetts; and Yarmouth, Massachusetts. In Dryden, voters

rejected a

fluoridation proposal by a 7-to-1 margin!

 

4) City that Gave Birth to Fluoridation is Having Second Thoughts

 

In 1945, Grand Rapids, Michigan became the first city to ever fluoridate its

water. Now, 63 years later, some city officials in this town are beginning

to wonder whether they should join the growing tide of cities and towns

rejecting fluoridation. As noted in an a June 23 article from the _Chicago

Tribune_

(http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-fluoride-jones_23jun23,0,6

241215.story) ,

" the chemical widely credited with dramatically cutting cavities and

promoting oral hygiene, is having its scientific credentials questioned in the

city

that literally swallowed it first... [T]he push here mirrors a spreading

nationwide awareness and re-examination of the health impact of a wide variety

of

chemicals added to food, health-care products and water. "

To read the Tribune article, _click here_

(http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-fluoride-jones_23jun23,0,624\

1215.story)

_http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-fluoride-jones_23jun23,0,624\

1215.story_

(http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-fluoride-jones_23jun23,0,624\

1215.

story)

 

5) TAKE ACTION: Help Save Louisiana from Fluoridation Mandate!

 

While the victories above are encouraging, proponents of fluoridation

continue their relentless push to, quite literally, shove fluoride down

people's

throats. Of particular concern are renewed attempts to pass mandatory

fluoridation bills at the statewide level in the US. Sadly, in April, the

legislature

in Nebraska (with virtually no public input) passed one of these bills,

thereby requiring every town with at least 1,000 residents to fluoridate their

water. A similar bill has also just been quietly fast-tracked through the

Louisiana legislature. We still have a chance, however, to prevent this tragedy

from happening. FAN has set up an _ONLINE message_

(http://la3.fluoridealert.org/) to Governor Jindal, urging him to veto the

bill. Please take a moment to

send this message today, and please ask your friends and family to do the

same. To send the message, _click here_ (http://la3.fluoridealert.org/)

_http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2477/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=25086_

(http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2477/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=25086)

 

6) NEW FLYER: 1,700+ Health Professionals Call for End to Fluoridation

 

The Fluoride Action Network continues its ongoing effort to solicit the

support of professionals from the medical, scientific, and environmental

communities. Over the past year, over 1,750 professionals -- including a Nobel

Prize

Laureate in Medicine, 3 panelists who wrote the groundbreaking National

Research Council review " Fluoride in Drinking Water, " 3 scientists from the

Environmental Protection Agency's Headquarters Union, and hundreds of doctors,

dentists, and researchers -- have signed FAN's _Professionals' Statement

Calling

for an End to Water Fluoridation_

(http://fluoridealert.org/professionals.statement.html) . To help raise more

awareness about this movement, and to help

get additional signers, FAN has released a _professional quality flyer_

(http://www.fluoridealert.org/prof-statement.pdf) containing the text of the

full

Statement. The flyer should prove a useful tool to enable local groups to

demonstrate that there are solid science-based arguments against fluoridation.

To download a copy, _click here_

(http://www.fluoridealert.org/prof-statement.pdf) .

_http://www.fluoridealert.org/prof-statement.pdf_

(http://www.fluoridealert.org/prof-statement.pdf)

 

If you know of any professionals who might add their name to this list,

please refer them to the online sign-up form at:

_http://professional.fluoridealert.org_ (http://professional.fluoridealert.org/)

 

7) Important Fluoride Conferences in Toronto, Canada, August 7-11

 

With over 30% of children in the United States and Canada now impacted by

dental fluorosis, it is clear that millions of children are being over-exposed

to fluoride. In light of the health risks associated with excessive fluoride

exposures, scientists and activists are converging in Toronto, Canada for

_TWO historic conferences._ (http://fluoridealert.org/conference2008/)

 

The _first conference_ (http://fluoridealert.org/conference2008/isfr.html)

(August 7-10), hosted by the International Society for Fluoride Research

(ISFR), will examine fluoride's impact on bone and brain health and feature

presentations from some of the world's leading scientists on fluoride toxicity.

The _second conference_ (http://fluoridealert.org/conference2008/fan.html)

(August 10-11), hosted by the Fluoride Action Network, will address what

citizens can do to stop water fluoridation in their own communities and

regions.

 

Taken together, the back-to-back Conferences will allow people to

 

• hear and digest the best science on fluoride's dangers to human health.

• meet in person some of the world's leading fluoride researchers.

• meet and strategize with citizens and scientists fighting fluoridation

from Canada, US, Australia, and other countries.

 

To learn more and to register for these conferences, see:

_http://www.fluoridealert.org/conference2008/_

(http://www.fluoridealert.org/conference2008/)

 

Here's to a fluoride-free future! Together we can make it happen.

 

Paul Connett, PhD

Executive Director

Fluoride Action Network

 

p.s. To help support FAN's work, please consider giving a tax-deductible

donation today at: _http://donate.fluoridealert.org_

(http://donate.fluoridealert.org/)