Source:
Department of Odontology, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, European
University of Madrid, Spain.
Abstract
AIM:
To demonstrate that the application of dental fluoride varnishes in
children increases urinary fluoride excretion.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
From a randomly assembled group of 42 children aged between 5 and 8 years,
residing in a community with non-fluoridated water, spot urinary samples
were taken before the topical application of dental fluoride varnish and 2
hours afterwards. In an age-matched control group of 16 children from the
same community, who received no treatment, samples were taken the same way.
The urinary excretion of fluoride was analysed by determining fluoride ion
(F-) level and fluoride/creatinine (F/Cr) ratio in the urine.
RESULTS:
In the study group, the average pre- and post-treatment F/Cr ratios were
0.42 and 1.38 mg/g, respectively (p < .001). No significant changes were
observed in the control group, which received no treatment. The average 2
hours afterward F/Cr ratios were 0.29 and 0.27 respectively (p = 0.426).
CONCLUSION:
The topical application of dental fluoride varnish leads to a significant
increase in urine F-, which is attributable to the application of the
product.
_http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23270283_
(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23270283)
Monday, December 31, 2012
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
WHAAAAAT?? Can anybody explain this contradiction? Should somebody notify the NBCSL of what Atlanta, GA already knows, because they're not listening to their own activists??!!
Civil Rights Leaders Call for Halt to Water Fluoridation
Because fluoride can disproportionately harm poor citizens and black families, Atlanta civil rights leaders, Andrew Young and Dr. Gerald Durley, have asked Georgia legislators to repeal the state’s mandatory water fluoridation law.
Former U.N. Ambassador and former Atlanta Mayor
Reverend Dr. Gerald Durley, Pastor of Providence Baptist Church in Atlanta
Andrew Young
Dr. Gerald Durley
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Now we have the National Black Caucus of State Legislators endorsing fluoridation! What has happened? Are they not communicating to each other? Study after study provide evidence that fluoride has worse health effects on Hispanic and African-American populations, just as the above Atlanta, Georgia anti-fluoride activists already know!
RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY WATER FLUORIDATION
http://nbcsl.org/public-policy/resolutions/item/636-energy-transportation-and-environment-resolution-ete-13-0
Energy, Transportation, And Environment: Resolution ETE-13-02
WHEREAS, the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) recognizes the importance of oral health to the overall health and well-being of children and adults; .......THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) recognizes the importance of community water fluoridation as a safe, cost-effective public health intervention proven to prevent tooth decay and reduce oral health disparities;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NBCSL urges state and local governments to implement and maintain optimal levels of water fluoridation in public water supplies;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NBCSL calls for further studies to be done on the long-term health and effectiveness of water fluoridation to gain more information on the issue, and allow for improved distribution;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NBCSL calls upon the United States Congress to provide full funding for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) oral health infrastructure grants to all 50 states as authorized by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) of 2010; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, the Vice President of the United States, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the United States Surgeon General, and the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, members of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, and other federal and state government officials as appropriate.
5 Health Breakthroughs to Celebrate Over Christmas
From All of Us, to All of You - A Very Merry Christmas and a Joyful New Year!
(From Dr. Mercola, MD, but we echo his message to all)
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/12/25/christmas-2012.aspx?e_cid=20121225_PRNL_art_1
December 25, 2012
Friday, December 21, 2012
Another glimpse at how to keep New Year's Resolutions
Seven ways to break your bad habits for the new year
Thursday, December 20, 2012 by: PF Louis
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/038413_bad_habits_New_Year_tips.html#ixzz2FjhrWbri
(1) First realize it's your bad habit without shaming and blaming yourself. It's your habit, and it's there because you've been practicing it consciously or subconsciously for some time. This is taking responsibility. It may be wise to isolate, analyze, and write down what keeps you from moving on.
(2) Once you've taken responsibility, don't fear failing or getting worse. But realize deeply that there is a need to change and nourish that need with some level of optimistic possibility.
(3) Next, you need to demand improvement from yourself. This is more powerful than others' demands if you intend to improve your will power. Don't get too harsh with yourself. Some temporary disappointment with your bad habit is normal. But get over it and change from the conceptual level to a heartfelt resolution.
Your demand to improve should be one of certainty. That doesn't mean you shouldn't ask for help from a higher power. If your bad habit is serious and costly enough, that's the type of help you'll need. Many call it grace. It's the only "other" you can rely on.
(4) You still may have to change the company you keep and/or your environment. This is tricky, because you can become complacent and think that's it, now that I've abandoned my former associates and old hangouts, I've conquered this bad habit. I'm finished.
But no matter where you go, there you are. It may be a necessary step, but it's not an end by itself. Actually, it's amazing how your outer situation can change if your inner self has already begun to really change.
(5) Be willing to accept friendly, helpful criticisms or reminders. Be willing to notice if and when you backslide and gently remind yourself to get on without your old bad habit.
(6) We are creatures of habit. Almost all we do in life is out of established habits. Those that are detrimental and need to be stopped demand replacement habits that are enjoyable and uplifting.
(7) Work on one achievable issue at a time. If you can go 30 days without falling back, then you might be able to work on another issue soon. It takes consistent, decisive will power. Every time you fall, get back on whatever it is you feel needs change or improvement.
Sooner or later your new good habit will make you wonder what the heck you were doing with that old bad one.
Sources for this article include:
http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com
http://www.pickthebrain.com
http://www.mindbodygreen.com
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Clean Water Portland Report - Proof of Behind-the-Scenes Secret Meetings a Year Ago by Pro-Fluoride
December 20, 2012
DECEMBER BULLETIN #20, Fluoride ALERT.org
STOP PRESS NEWS: Two more communities have stopped adding fluoride to the drinking water. Residents of Kirkland, Ontario (population 8,133) and Milton, Florida (population 7,000) will now be drinking fluoride-free water.
Portland’s battle for fluoride-free water and democracy
By Rick North
On August 10, 2012, readers of the Oregonian newspaper awoke to this front-page headline: “Portland fluoride plans flow quietly.”
The article revealed a behind-the-scenes effort by pro-fluoridationists, led by Upstream Public Health and their paid lobbyist, to persuade members of Portland city council to overturn Portland’s long-standing opposition to the chemical. Residents had voted against fluoridation three times (most recently in 1980).
Since May, Upstream had been meeting with the city water bureau to plan for fluoridation. The first meeting also included a representative from the Oral Health Division of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Upstream’s “shock and awe” campaign
Starting even earlier, Upstream had been quietly persuading numerous organizations behind the scenes to garner their endorsements. These included the Oregon Dental Association, Oregon Medical Association, Oregon Academy of Family Physicians, Oregon Nurses Association, Oregon Public Health Association, Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield and Kaiser Permanente.
They also received endorsements from many low-income and minority organizations such as the Urban League, Oregon Head Start, African American Health Coalition, Asian Health & Service Center, Oregon Latino Health Coalition and Native American Youth Association.
When the pro-fluoridationists were ready to move, in what Paul Connett has called their “shock and awe” campaign, Upstream had over 80 organizations in their “Everyone Deserves Healthy Teeth Coalition.” Not one had contacted Oregon Citizens for Safe Drinking Water (OCSDW) to get the other side of the story.
OCSDW knew that Upstream had hired a lobbyist over a year ago (who was also a campaign consultant for several Portland commissioners and candidates), but had figured that no attempt to fluoridate would take place until after the November 2012 election. OCSDW had met with staff of city commissioners earlier in the year and received assurance that no fluoridation attempt was in the works.
Everything done in secret
The discussions were so secret that mayors of Portland suburbs, under multi-year contracts to buy Portland’s water, didn’t know about them either. Water couldn’t be segregated so residents of these suburbs would be forced to drink fluoridated water if Portland fluoridated. Three of the largest cities, Tigard, Tualatin and Gresham, all sent letters to Portland mayor Sam Adams critical of the action and stealth by which it was pursued.
The print media were almost totally supportive of fluoridation. The Oregonian’s editorials led the way, labeling opposition as “crackpottery” and running a political cartoon picturing the opposition as toothless barbarians demonstrating in front of city hall. However, the Oregonian’s straight news coverage was fairly unbiased.
Two weekly newspapers, Willamette Week and the Portland Mercury, also supported fluoridation. Only one major paper, the twice-weekly Portland Tribune, stayed independent and ran several stories highlighting aspects of the story the other papers didn’t have. The TV stations were neutral. KGW, the NBC affiliate, had a debate on a half hour public affairs program with two representatives from each side.
Portland is a liberal city and the main progressive talk radio station, KPOJ, had a morning talk show host who was staunchly pro-fluoride and dismissive of anyone opposing it. KBOO, another progressive station, was more even-handed. It hosted a debate between Paul Connett and a pro-fluoride advocate, who intimated that Paul was a fearmonger. When Paul challenged her to produce one page in his book The Case Against Fluoride, that she could call fearmongering she responded that the whole book was fearmongering. Afterwards, she privately admitted to Paul that she hadn’t actually read the book!
Upstream was also running a 30-second TV spot featuring a physician supporting fluoridation. On the spot, he emphasized that “Fluoridation is supported by every major health organization – every one.” The statement wasn’t true, but the ad ran anyway, on both TV, and the internet.
Like clockwork
After the story broke, the process moved swiftly. Commissioner Randy Leonard, who headed the city water bureau, led the way. Mayor Sam Adams and commissioner Nick Fish declared their support of the fluoridation ordinance in advance of the sole public hearing, held on Sept. 6. This ensured the ordinance would pass in Portland’s five-member city council.
Other government endorsements followed like clockwork, including the Multnomah County (where Portland is located) commissioners and Governor John Kitzhaber, a physician.
Resistance by citizens
Fluoridation opponents, caught totally off guard, scrambled to react. OCSDW convened an initial organizational meeting immediately after the Oregonian article in which it was decided to:
1. Start a website (www.cleanwaterportland.org) under the name Clean Water Portland (CWP) and produce basic materials
2. Meet with commissioners to try to persuade them to vote against the ordinance
3. Line up speakers opposing fluoride for the public hearing
4. Have Paul Connett come to speak at a public meeting and offer to talk with media
5. Place an initiative on the ballot for May 2014 that would prohibit the city from adding industrial by-products (other than water treatments) to the water, which would stop fluoridation.
Leonard first announced that even if fluoridation passed, it would take five years to plan and install the equipment to initiate it. Shortly afterwards, he revised the estimate to three years. Then, on Aug. 31, he stated that the process could be expedited so that it would start no later than March 2014, two months before the May 2014 ballot initiative.
Clean Water Portland immediately ran into resistance. One commissioner and the mayor refused to meet directly with CWP representatives. Another agreed to meet, but only after he had declared he would vote for fluoridation.
The self-fulfilling prophecy unfolds
At the September 6 hearing, Leonard had lined up a stream of supporters to speak on an “Expert Panel” that went for two full hours before citizens were allowed to speak. Clean Water Portland had requested equal time on the panel but not one anti-fluoridation representative was allowed to speak. After the panel, the testimony went on for nearly five hours. Most speakers had between two and three minutes.
The efforts to oppose fluoridation were too little and too late. A majority of the commissioners had already made up their minds and there had been insufficient time to get organizations and masses of people educated. On September 12, all five city commissioners voted to fluoridate. Only one seemed conflicted. All said they received thousands of e-mails and phone calls on fluoridation – more than any other issue they had ever experienced.
One Option left
There was only one option left for CWP – gather enough signatures to force a public vote through a referendum. This task is so daunting that the last successful referendum effort on any issue in Portland was 11 years ago. Clean Water Portland would need to gather nearly 20,000 signatures in 30 days from Sept. 12 to be successful. This would necessitate gathering at least 30,000 - 35,000 to have a comfortable enough margin that 20,000 signatures would be valid.
Anticipating the city council vote, CWP convened an emergency planning meeting Sept. 9, bringing together CWP leaders with others who had recently become involved.
Within a week, CWP filed paperwork with the city, located and rented office space, installed equipment and recruited and trained office volunteers and signature gatherers. To obtain so many signatures in such a short time, the campaign would need both volunteers and paid signature gatherers.
To raise money for the paid signature gatherers, individual members of the executive committee donated and several asked others for donations. An electronic system of accepting donations was set up on the website. In all, about $44,000 was raised in a month. Virtually the entire amount was used for the paid signature gatherers and office expenses. The entire CWP leadership worked as volunteers.
In all, about 200 volunteers gathered signatures, a few gathering nearly 1,000 apiece. There were about two dozen paid gatherers. On October 11, one day before the deadline, CWP leadership turned in over 43,000 signatures, a remarkable achievement, and an indication of how upset citizens were over both fluoridation and the rushed, clandestine process that had attempted to push it through. City officials validated over 33,000 signatures, easily qualifying for the referendum.
The success of the signature-gathering meant that city officials couldn’t do anything to move toward fluoridation, including planning, buying of equipment, etc. Nothing can happen until the vote.
Two city council backers of fluoridation, Randy Leonard and Mayor Sam Adams, didn’t run for re-election. However, the two men replacing them have both expressed support for fluoridation.
The referendum has been scheduled for the May 2014 election. However, city council could decide that it can be held earlier. They had four options for 2013 – March, May, September or November. The deadline for March has already passed, but Upstream is pushing the commissioners for May 2013.
The leadership of Clean Water Portland is planning for the earliest possible date.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
"FluorideGate" - Legal actions, Gerber's new non-fluoridated bottled water for babies, Colgate's new "fluoride free" toothpaste for toddlers that can be swallowed - All great strides forward! But does this provide safe drinking water or a bandaid?
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Dan Stockin was one of two winners last year of the Albert W. Burgstahler Scientific Integrity Award, awarded each year by FAN. This award is to remind all of us that it is not enough to win this battle against fluoridation but we must do so with our scientific integrity intact.
An update on Fluoridegate
By Daniel Stockin
At The Lillie Center we continue to focus on certain four key aspects of the Fluoridegate scandal:
1) the role of the CDC and its parent agency, Health and Human Services, in suppressing developments in the scandal;
2) the issue of disproportionate fluoridation harm to black citizens and other minority communities;
3) fluoride harm to kidney patients and diabetics, and
4) the legal and risk management issues related to dental fluorosis.
We're a nonprofit organization, not lawyers or a law firm -- but what we've learned by talking with lawyers across the country makes sense to us. Legal and risk management concerns are real, and during 2012 we saw increasing leverage and traction unfolding in this arena as our Fluoridegate scandal articles were posted up on legal blogs (one example is linked below).
Most city and water utility leaders, and in fact most people in general, do not know that today's highly visible water fluoridation promoters have never been placed under oath and forced to directly answer the specific and frankly unanswerable questions about harm from fluoridation. And the vast majority of fluoridation-endorsing water agencies and private sector groups have not considered the risks that can accrue from promoting uncontrolled, unsupervised use of fluorides. Many board members and leaders of corporations and nonprofit groups do not know that they may be placed uncomfortably under oath -- either in court cases or Fluoridegate hearings.
This is why we believe it is useful to encourage leaders to carefully consider if the limited amount of cavities prevented by fluorides weighs well against the staggering health, legal, and financial risks that can accrue from their promotion, distribution, or sale.
I encourage you to visit the links below; they are highly leverageable, and risk managers will find them eye-opening. Dental fluorosis is the achilles heel of fluoridation, and we believe risk managers can readily grasp that dental fluorosis is the gateway that will lead to other actions being taken on behalf of kidney patients, diabetics, and minority and low-income families harmed by fluorides. The links provide third-party verification that fluorides are being looked at by major corporations.
It was very gratifying recently when I heard the reaction from a highly placed risk management official. He did not know that Gerber is now selling an unfluoridated bottled water so parents of young babies can avoid using fluoridated city water when mixing milk formula. Nor did he know that Colgate is selling a toddler toothpaste advertised as: "Fluoride-free. Safe if swallowed." He and his staff will be digesting information on the dental fluorosis lawsuit in federal court in Maryland, reading one of the legal blogs that has posted up our "Questions of Fluoridegate" article series, and viewing the recent Durham NC media coverage about dental fluorosis.
Fluoridation promoters often attempt dismissively to argue that fluoridation legal actions have historically never gained much traction. But they fail to recognize that personal injury claims today are very different from the arguments made in decades-ago legal cases about the police powers of the state. After all, if dental fluorosis is "barely noticeable," and "usually only a dental expert would notice it," as fluoridation promoters claim, then why did federal health officials in 2011 even bother recommending lowering the amount of fluoride in fluoridated water because of fluorosis concerns?
I believe your water utility risk manager and local, state, and federal leaders will find that the following links, taken together, paint a picture far different from what they've heard about fluorides and fluoridation. People need to know that a Fluoridegate scandal is unfolding -- and that the collapse of water fluoridation is now underway. The world is not flat, and fluorides and water fluoridation are not safe.
Links:
Dental fluorosis lawsuit - now includes Dannon
Daniel G. Stockin, MPH 706-669-0786
The Lillie Center for Scientific Research & Development
in Health & Alternative Energy
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
"...many people still do not realize that when scientists study fluoride's toxicity to humans, they study pharmaceutical-grade fluoride (the same kind used in dental products), but NOT the fluoride compounds actually used for water fluoridation, which include the far more toxic waste materials generated from the fertilizer industry..."
More Independent Voices Speak Up on Fluoridation
December 18, 2012
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/12/18/more-communities-vote-against-fluoridation.aspx?e_cid=20121218_PRNL_art_2
December 18, 2012
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/12/18/more-communities-vote-against-fluoridation.aspx?e_cid=20121218_PRNL_art_2
Story at-a-glance
- Since 2010, more than 75 U.S. and Canadian communities have voted to end water fluoridation
- Most recently, in Kirkland Lake, a community of 9,000 in Northeastern Ontario, Canada, the city council unanimously voted in favor of a motion to not add fluoride to the town’s water
- Council members, and the town’s mayor, voiced ethical concerns about adding fluoride to the water supply without informed consent, as well as health concerns, such as the amount of fluoride babies ingest when drinking fluoridated tap water
- Fluoride compounds like fluorosilicic acid are toxic industrial waste products, which can also be contaminated with lead, arsenic, radionucleotides, aluminum and other industrial contaminants; along with posing a grave risk to the environment, fluoride is linked to numerous human health risks
10 Facts About Water Fluoridation Everyone Should Know
If you live in the United States, then you undoubtedly have been exposed to mass psychological conditioning. With the average American being accosted with thousands of advertisements each day, whether blatant or not, many pieces of "conventional wisdom" are actually contrived and implanted into society. One method of doing so is through driving public opinion -- the idea that if most people believe it, then it must be true.
This is the case with water fluoridation, which most have been "brainwashed" to believe is safe and beneficial for your teeth. In reality, here are 10 facts that will help to open your eyes about what's really being added to your drinking water:
- Bottle-fed infants receive the highest doses of fluoride as they rely solely on liquids for food, combined with their small size. A baby being fed formula receives approximately 175 times more fluoride than a breast-fed infant
- There is not a single biological process in your body that requires fluoride
- A multi-million dollar U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) -funded study found no relation between tooth decay and the amount of fluoride ingested by children
- Water fluoridation cannot prevent the oral health crises that results from inadequate nutrition and lack of access to dental care
- Water fluoridation is a violation of your inviolable right to consent to, and be properly informed about, the medications we are being given
- Forty-one percent of all American children aged 12-15 are now impacted by dental fluorosis, rising to more than 60 percent of children in fluoridated communities
- The chemicals used to fluoridate water supplies are largely hazardous byproducts of the fertilizer industry and have never been required to undergo randomized clinical trials for safety or effectiveness by any regulatory agency in the world
- The U.S. FDA classifies ingested fluoride for purposes of reducing tooth decay as an "unapproved drug"
- Ingesting fluoride has been found to damage soft tissues (brain, kidneys, and endocrine system), as well as teeth (dental fluorosis) and bones (skeletal fluorosis). There are also 36 studies demonstrating a strong relationship between fairly modest exposure to fluoride and reduced IQ in children
- Fluoridation discriminates against those with low incomes. People on low incomes are least able to afford avoidance measures, such as reverse osmosis filters or bottled water. Moreover, those with poor nutrition are more vulnerable to fluoride's toxic effects.
Portland City Council trying to "Fast-Track" Fluoridation instead of having No Fluoride until the May 2014 referendum voting
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The following Action Alert was sent out by Clean Water Portland:
PORTLAND, OREGON, Action Alert!
Stop the Effort to Fast-Track Fluoridation Once Again!
You’ve likely seen the news: Fluoridation promoters and Randy Leonard are pushing the City Council at their meeting THIS Thursday the 20th to speed up the referendum vote by a full year to May of 2013!
Please ask the City Council to reject the effort to fast track fluoridation once again!
- Call and email the City Council at the contacts below!
- Join us this Thursday 12 pm for a rally at City Hall
followed by public testimony at 2pm!
Instead of a rushed decision, ask the City to support creation of a truly independent scientific review panel that can prepare a report on the current science regarding the health risks of fluoridation and its effectiveness. If the City and fluoridationists are so confident they have science on their side then why not support an independent review that can inform voters of the scientific facts about fluoridation?
We trust the science — but will they?
Tell the City that Portland voters deserve a thoughtful review of current fluoride science conducted by neutral scientists who have not taken a position for or against fluoridation.
Ask them not to thwart the public process once again — 33,000 Portland voters signed the referendum for a May 2014 vote, and the City should respect the will of the people, not take away the time needed for an independent scientific review to take place.
Please be respectful in your comments.
Thanks for your support and we'll see you at the rally and hearing on Thursday!
FAN promoting a new website a Washington State attorney started for a worldwide ban on fluoride
FluorideALERT.org:
...another plea to sign the new petition to stop fluoridation: http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Stop_Water_Fluoridation/?eqTIiab
When you go to this site you can watch the signers appearing – minute by minute – from around the world. It is hypnotic to watch and it is heartening to see how many people are getting informed and getting active. But we can make this even bigger if you can help us make it go viral. That will take getting everyone you know to sign on. Start with your family members and then those who you already know are against fluoridation and then send it to all the people on your own personal email list. Ask them to do the same. Put it on Facebook, Twitter and any other social media system you use. Over the next few days we will track the numbers.
•As of midnight (EST) Dec 16, 30 people had signed.
•As of midnight (EST) Dec 17, 560 people had signed.
...another plea to sign the new petition to stop fluoridation: http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Stop_Water_Fluoridation/?eqTIiab
When you go to this site you can watch the signers appearing – minute by minute – from around the world. It is hypnotic to watch and it is heartening to see how many people are getting informed and getting active. But we can make this even bigger if you can help us make it go viral. That will take getting everyone you know to sign on. Start with your family members and then those who you already know are against fluoridation and then send it to all the people on your own personal email list. Ask them to do the same. Put it on Facebook, Twitter and any other social media system you use. Over the next few days we will track the numbers.
•As of midnight (EST) Dec 16, 30 people had signed.
•As of midnight (EST) Dec 17, 560 people had signed.
Monday, December 17, 2012
Retired Ministry of Health, in Israel, who put fluoride in, now doing class action lawsuit in Israel's High Court to get fluoride out!
December 17, 2012
Fluoridation Report from Israel
By Miriam Westerman, with assistance from Betsy Ramsey
First let me introduce Betsy Ramsey, she is the daughter of the late Dr. George Waldbott, the leading opponent of fluoridation in the US from the 1950s on. Dr. Waldbott was the leading spirit behind the formation of the International Society for Fluoride Research in 1968 and the first editor of its quarterly journal Fluoride.
Betsy was one of the pioneers in the fight against fluoridation in Israel when fluoridation was introduced in Jerusalem in 1988. She was joined by Toxicologist Loty Zilverman in the Tel Aviv area and over the years I have helped where I can.
Betsy and I were privileged to attend the 26th Conference of the International Society for Fluoride Research in Wiesbaden, Germany in 2005, where we met several members of FAN including Paul, Ellen and Michael Connett, Chris Neurath, as well as Prof. Albert Burgstahler (who co-authored the book, Fluoridation The Great Dilemma with George Waldbott), Dr. Bruce Spittle (author of Fluoride Fatigue) and Dr. Susheela (a leading expert on fluorosis in India). Through participating in this event we were greatly encouraged to press forward with new vigor to win the water fluoridation battle in Israel.
We are grateful for the tremendous assistance FAN has given us over the years, with your sharing of professional articles, videos and peer-reviewed prime research publications. We have translated a good number of these into Hebrew and distributed them widely. As a result many in Israel have become aware of FAN’s excellent web site www.FluorideALERT.org .
I think we can safely say that much of your material has had a real impact on many people here, not only among the professors, doctors, dentists and other staff in the medical profession but also on the Israeli population in general.
We are especially grateful for Dr. Paul Connett’s visit to Israel in 2007. We kept him very busy: he gave lectures in key locations such as the Israeli Parliament (the Knesset), Hadassah Hospital, Givat Ram University, Tel Aviv Municipality and Haifa University.
The Professor in Public Health, Jimmy Krikun, a fellow fighter, commented to me at the Haifa University: “I organized this event for the sake of my grandchildren.” His grateful voice was in sharp contrast to others in the medical establishment that were not happy to have Paul speak in their institutions and in some cases put obstacles in our way.
We translated Paul’s power point presentation into Hebrew and this has also been useful in our educational campaign.
Our other efforts have included circulating important petitions and arranging demonstrations, one of which took place in front of the Knesset and another in front of the Prime Minister’s office. We have also had Christopher Bryson's book, The Fluoride Deception, translated into Hebrew and this has been distributed as widely aspossible.
Our co-workers have spoken out on the radio and on TV. Anti-fluoridation websites have also been started and these often use material from FAN's vast supply of articles and videos that reveal the health dangers of fluoridation.
All this information has been circulated further through hundreds of e-mails sent by concerned citizens to members of the Knesset. As a result a Knesset Health Committee was created in May of last year. The intent of this committee was to look into the whole matter of water fluoridation in Israel. The committee consisted mainly of Health Ministry officials, who strongly favored water fluoridation, but it also included a few of our co-workers, i.e. those who oppose to the law mandating universal water fluoridation in Israel in operation since1998.
These efforts culminated in the formulation of a Law Proposal forbidding fluoridation in Israel, which was raised in the Knesset and which, unfortunately, failed to pass in a very close vote. Sadly, of the 57 Knesset members who initially signed this proposal in a preliminary show of support, 15 later changed their minds in deference to party discipline during the first reading of the proposed law and this killed the proposal.
Now a new, hopeful development has arisen. The former engineer in the Ministry of Health, responsible for establishing the fluoride installations now in use in several locations in Israel, has woken up to the dangers of water fluoridation, and, as a retiree from public office, has presented his case favoring an end to water fluoridation in Israel, to the High Court on November 12, 2012. This could be an historic FLUORIDE CLASS ACTION (see details below). Helping him in this venture is a competent lawyer Dan Ashkenazi provided by the 'Izun Hozer' organization. The result of this action will not be available for another 45 days but we are eagerly waiting the response of the State Attorney.
I very much hope the above report will provide FAN with an adequate answer to your request for a brief history of the battle against water fluoridation in Israel and the contribution FAN has made to this work
Blessings to all citizens who are fighting fluoridation around the world and the best of luck for a successful outcome to FAN's current fundraising campaign aimed at bringing about the final victory in this fight.
Ria (Miriam)
Saturday, December 15, 2012
FAN's Story of Australia's Mandated Fluoride - How it Started and How it Ended
Fluoride Action Network.org:
In this bulletin we hear from Merilyn Haines, FAN-Australia, who explains the background to the exciting news that the Queensland government has lifted its mandatory requirement that every town be fluoridated. It is now up to each community to decide. This news – and the news that certain MPs are calling for a ban on fluoridation altogether- has led to a furor in the media. Some of the editorials have been every bit as nasty and ill-informed as those we have seen recently in the US in other communities that have stopped fluoridationMerilyn Haines’ report from Australia: Cleaning up after the perfect storm of forced fluoridation in Queensland.
Mandatory fluoridation in Queensland has just ended, almost 5 years to the day the previous (and unelected) Qld Labor Premier Anna Bligh announced her decision to force fluoridation on 4 million Queenslanders.
The new LNP government on the 29th Nov overturned the mandatory requirement allowing Queensland Councils to make decisions whether to start, continue or cease fluoridation. Immediately some Qld Councils have said that they will not be fluoridating the towns in their jurisdiction. Several other Qld councils have indicated that they may cease. The larger councils in SE Qld with interconnected water supplies will be looking at the issues involved in the New Year.
Activists for safe drinking water (i.e. no fluoride) will have their work ahead of them cleaning up after the fluoride storm, working to get all of Queensland de – fluoridated, but it is now possible and do-able.
It is interesting to look back and note the planned steps that took place for forced fluoridation to have occurred. Firstly the Qld govt bought Qld council water supplies at a rock bottom price. The Qld govt then built a water grid for drought proofing that interconnected most of the water supplies in SE Qld, over half of the state’s population.
In 2006, behind the scenes, the Queensland Dental Association asked the Qld govt for $200, 000 to help the Dental Association promote fluoridation and “counter the antis.” The then Qld Health Minister gave the Qld Dental Assn the $200,000 with no strings attached. Over the next 2 years, the Qld Dental Assn collected 25,000 signatures on a non-conforming pro-fluoridation petition and presented it to the Qld govt. Premier Bligh then used this petition as ammunition and justification for her decision to force fluoridation on the whole state.
In early 2007, the Qld Medical Assn wrote to the Qld govt saying that the govt MUST mandate fluoridation on the whole state and to use the water grid as an opportunity to do this. Premier Bligh then used the “endorsements” from the Queensland Medical and Dental Associations to justify forced fluoridation.
When Premier Bligh announced her forced fluoridation decision in late 2007, documents show that she based her decision on a study published in 1996 comparing child tooth decay in Townsville (the only large fluoridated town in Qld) to the unfluoridated capital Brisbane.1 The Qld govt portrayed that there was 65% less tooth decay in Townsville children. However, this study showed for permanent teeth in children aged 6 to 12 years old there was an average difference of only 0.23 less decayed tooth surfaces in Townsville children compared to Brisbane children. The Townsville children had a lifetime exposure of fluoridated water compared to no exposure for Brisbane children.
The Townsville Brisbane study had measured tooth decay in tooth surfaces (a more sensitive method) rather than number of teeth with decay. Each tooth has either 4 or 5 surfaces, when a child has 28 teeth, they have 128 tooth surfaces. It was discovered that dentally trained staff in Qld Health had portrayed that the difference was the number of decayed teeth, when it was really a difference of tooth surfaces. This was similar to saying that 100 kilojoules is the same as 100 calories, or that 100 km per hour is the same as 100 miles per hour. By doing this they mis-portrayed and exaggerated any difference in tooth decay. This was tantamount to fraud.
Premier Bligh ignored data from the then most recently published Australian surveys showing that children from two heavily fluoridated states had more, or similar decay in their permanent teeth than did children from non- fluoridated Qld. Premier Bligh also ignored data from the then current, and 2 previous, Qld children’s dental surveys showing that children from fluoridated Townsville had more tooth decay in their permanent teeth (the teeth they have for life ) than several large non-fluoridated Qld Health Districts. Later we discovered that data from the second national Australian adult oral health survey2 showed that was no difference in tooth decay between adults in the heavily fluoridated Australian states and unfluoridated Qld, even though these states had been fluoridated for 40 or more years.
The Qld govt in 2007 and 2008 conducted a massive advertising campaign that Queensland had the worst tooth decay in Australia and that fluoridation was proven safe. Those actions affirmed the ploy that “if you tell a lie big enough and often enough, that people will believe it.”
When Premier Bligh was booted out of office earlier this year she left Qld in a dire financial situation. The Qld Labor Party now only has 7 MPs left. Forced fluoridation was just one of Premier Bligh’s bigger mistakes. Now we are left with the mess.
We are very pleased that the new Qld govt has now taken the first huge step and has overturned mandatory fluoridation in Queensland. The change would not have occurred without 3 core LNP MPs (led by Jason Woodforth, who is now being viciously attacked in the media) and 29 more of their MP colleagues who successfully lobbied the new Premier and Health Minister to end mandatory fluoridation. There will now be interesting times ahead in Queensland. Watch this space.
(1)Caries experience among children in fluoridated Townsville and unfluoridated Brisbane. Slade GD. Spencer AJ, Davies MJ, Stewart JF. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health 1996 vol 20 No 6
(2) State and Territory reports of the AIHW National Adult Oral Health Survey 2004- 2006 (Australia )
Merilyn Haines on behalf of FAN-Australia and Queenslanders For Safe Water, Air and Food Inc., Email info@qawf.org
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