ChowBaby

Since the Fluoride Action Network (FAN) first issued a statement in August 2007 calling for an end to fluoridation, over 1300 additional professionals signed on as even more evidence emerges to condemn fluoridation.

Now over 1,850 professionals urge Congress to stop water fluoridation until Congressional hearings are conducted, citing scientific evidence that fluoridation, long promoted to fight tooth decay, is ineffective and has serious health risks. See statement: http://www.fluorideaction.org/statement.august.2007.html

Since the first FAN statement, the following has occurred:

-- The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, Canada’s leading voice on environmental health issues, released a statement opposing fluoridation.

-- The National Kidney Foundation dropped its fluoridation support replacing it with this caution: “Individuals with CKD [Chronic Kidney Disease] should be notified of the potential risk of fluoride exposure.”

-- Researchers reporting in the Oct 6 2007 British Medical Journal indicate that fluoridation was never was proven safe or effective and may be unethical. (1)

-- “A qualitative review of ...studies found a consistent and strong association between the exposure to fluoride and low IQ,” concluded Tang el al., in "Fluoride and Children’s Intelligence: A Meta-analysis” in Biological Trace Element Research (e-published 8/10/08)

-- Scientifc American editors wrote in January 2008, "Some recent studies suggest that over-consumption of fluoride can raise the risks of disorders affecting teeth, bones, the brain and the thyroid gland"

-- Dr. A. K. Susheela, a leading fluoride expert, explains in a video why US physicians overlook fluoride as a possible cause of diseases commonly caused by fluoride. http://tinyurl.com/Susheela

-- An expert panel Health Canada commissioned to study the risks of fluoride exposure says the government should cut the recommended amount in drinking water, encourage the use of low-fluoride toothpaste by children and have makers of infant formula reduce levels in their products. The panel recommended reduced fluoride exposure because it was worried children might be getting too much of the chemical.

Signers to the FAN statement include:

-- Dr. Arvid Carlsson,winner of the 2000 Nobel Prize for Medicine

-- Vyvyan Howard, MD, PhD, President, International Society of Doctors for the Environment

-- Ken Cook and Richard Wiles, Environmental Working Group

-- Lois Gibbs, Center for Health, Environment, and Justice

-- Joseph Mercola, Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, who runs the #1 most visited natural health website

-- Theo Colborn, PhD, co-author, “Our Stolen Future”

-- Sam Epstein, MD, Chairman, Cancer Prevention Coalition

-- The current and six past Presidents of the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology

-- Board of Directors (2007), American Academy of Environmental Medicine

-- FIVE Goldman Prize winners - given for excellence in protecting the environment

. -- Three members of the prestigious 2006 National Research Council (NRC) panel that reported on fluoride’s toxicology

-- Three officers in the Union representing professionals at EPA headquarters

-- Hundreds of medical, dental, academic, scientific and environmental professionals, worldwide.

Nobel Prize winner, Dr. Arvid Carlsson, , says, “Fluoridation is against all principles of modern pharmacology. It's really obsolete.”

An Online Action Petition to Congress in support of the Professionals' Statement is available on FAN's web site, http://congress.fluorideaction.net and over 15,000 individuals have signed so far.

“The NRC fluoride report dramatically changed scientific understanding of fluoride's health risks," says Paul Connett, PhD, Executive Director, Fluoride Action Network. "Government officials who continue to promote fluoridation must testify under oath as to why they are ignoring the powerful evidence of harm in the NRC report,” he added.

The Professionals’ Statement also references:

-- The new American Dental Association policy recommending infant formula NOT be prepared with fluoridated water.

-- The CDC’s concession that the predominant benefit of fluoride is topical not systemic.

-- CDC data showing that dental fluorosis, caused by fluoride over-exposure, now impacts one third of American children.

-- Major research indicating little difference in decay rates between fluoridated and non-fluoridated communities.

-- A Harvard study indicating a possible link between fluoridation and bone cancer.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a DC watchdog, revealed that a Harvard professor concealed the fluoridation/bone cancer connection for three years. EWG President Ken Cook states, “It is time for the US to recognize that fluoridation has serious risks that far outweigh any minor benefits, and unlike many other environmental issues, it's as easy to end as turning off a valve at the water plant.”

wow! thank you for the additional resources. this is compelling stuff. the more i've read, now including a bunch of stuff you've listed here, the more i'm convinced to follow through on our accidental avoidance of fluoride. i've also always been wary of assuming that something is safe because it has the seal of approval from reputable organizations like nemours (the folks behind kidshealth.com) and/or gov't commissions. i think the bisphenol-a debacle has hopefully raised some critical awareness. the anti-fluoride research is certainly compelling. i hope folks will look into it.

I admire your efforts to help families make healthful beverage choices, especially at a time when Americans consume twice as many calories from beverages as they did 40 years ago. Obesity and diabetes are on the rise. Water – whether bottled or tap – is a smart beverage choice.

As an employee of Nestlé Waters North America, which owns Poland Spring, we are happy to provide healthful, convenient hydration – but we know that our products, like most consumer goods, have an environmental impact.

One way we’re lightening that impact is our Eco-Shape bottle. It uses 30% less plastic than the average half-liter plastic beverage container currently on store shelves. And Eco-Shape isn’t our first attempt at lightweighting. In fact, we’ve reduced the amount of plastic in our bottles by 40% over the past 15 years, avoiding the use of 260 million pounds of plastic.

We just published our first corporate citizenship report. It states our future goals, such as our commitment to use next-generation packaging made from either recycled materials or renewable resources. We’ve also been advocating for comprehensive recycling programs that would make it easier for consumers to recycle all types of plastic containers, from bottled beverages to detergent to peanut butter. We are committed to recycling 60% of all single-serve plastic beverage containers by 2018.

We’re listening and are working hard to provide healthful, environmentally-conscious beverage options.

Sincerely,
Jane Lazgin
Director, Corporate Communications
Nestlé Waters North America