August 14, 2013
Before we discuss the latest two victories we would like to make a correction to the bulletin we sent out on August 9 announcing the High Court ruling on fluoridation in Israel. In the bulletin we said that Israel mandated fluoridation throughout the country in 1974, but that was actually the year regulations were first passed allowing voluntary fluoridation. The practice wasn’t mandated for all communities with 5,000 or more inhabitants until 1998. We apologize for the confusion.
Two Victories Down Under
Less then two months after the huge victory in Hamilton, New Zealand we have more great news to report from our friends Down Under. This week, two more Australian communities rejected fluoridation despite mounting opposition from the dental community and pro-fluoride media.
On August 10, the City Councilors of Mont Isa, Australia, voted unanimously to scrap plans to fluoridate the public drinking water for nearly 25,000 residents. The decision was made after councilors held a referendum on fluoridation in June that resulted in 102 votes in favor of fluoridation, and 866 in opposition (89%). The Mount Isa Council is now the 17th council in the state of Queensland that has rejected fluoridation since the Queensland Government ended mandatory fluoridation and gave local councils control over the practice.
Also in Australia this week, the city council in Lismore, New South Wales voted to end their plans to fluoridate the drinking water for approximately 30,000 residents. The 6 to 4 council vote was taken on August 13, and reverses their 2006 decision to fluoridate. According to one councilor, the decision was made because there was “strong opposition in the community to mass medication…and the scientific evidence for the benefits of fluoride was inconclusive.” The decision in Lismore appears to have influenced councilors in Ballina Shire, who are now expected to follow Lismore in their opposition to fluoridation.
Hamilton Pro-Fluoride Hysteria
On June 5, the city council in Hamilton, New Zealand voted 7-1 to remove fluoride from the drinking water after going through a lengthy tribunal process where public submissions, expert testimony, and the latest research on fluoridation were all considered. Immediately, the pro-fluoride lobby and a highly bias media attacked Hamilton councilors and fluoride-free campaigners, and introduced a proposal to mandate fluoridation at the national level. Less then a month after the council vote, the dental community gathered enough petition signatures to get a fluoridation referendum question on the October ballot that will ultimately determine the fluoride content of Hamilton’s water.
The pro-fluoride lobby didn’t stop there. This week, dentists attacked the Hamilton City Council for distributing an informational flyer on fluoridation that they claim is, “misleading, wrong, and unscientific.” They have demanded that it be corrected by the council and disregarded by citizens.
From their reaction to this flyer, one would expect that the claims made in it must be extreme, bias, exaggerated, or completely false. However, dentists said the leaflet was incorrect for three reasons: “it was wrong to indicate that low-fluoride toothpaste was best for children's teeth; that a "pea-sized" amount of toothpaste should be used for all ages; and that directly applying fluoride to teeth was more effective than fluoridation.”
Clearly, the dentists are grasping at straws with their criticism of the leaflet, especially when it’s well known that fluoride’s benefits come only from topical use, and that young children and toddlers should not be exposed to high levels of fluoride in their toothpaste, if any. Hamilton councilors responded to the attack, saying: “The information in the flyer was primarily sourced from Ministry of Health ‘Guidelines for the use of Fluorides.’” They also pointed out that a draft of the leaflet was approved by the Board of Health without any objections.
Professional’s Statement Surpasses 4,500 Signers
FAN's Professionals Statement to End Water Fluoridation has reached another milestone. We had 4,396 Professional Signers on March 30, and since then we received 105 new signers for a total of 4,503 medical, dental, scientific, and environmental professionals. The signers represent a remarkable coming together of those concerned about fluoride; doctors practicing conventional medicine, those pursuing alternative treatments, and the public health and the environmental health communities. All believe that public health policy should be determined honestly with full attention paid to sound science, to the latest research, and to ethical principles.
The Professional Signers Include (as of August 13, 2013):
793 Nurses (RN, MSN, BSN, ARNP, APRN, LNC, RGON)
602 DC’s (Doctor of Chiropractic, includes M Chiro)
555 MD’s (includes MBBS)
517 PhD’s – includes DSc, Doctor of Science; EdD (Doctor of Education); DrPH (Doctor of Public Health)
360 Dentists (DDS, DMD, BDS)
172 ND’s (Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine)
103 Lawyers (JD, LLB, Avvocato)
98 Pharmacists (Pharm.D, B. Pharm, DPh, RPH)
114 RDHs (Registered Dental Hygienist); also DH, RDHAP, EFDA, RDAEF, and RDN
70 Acupuncturists (LAc – Licensed Acupuncturist, and, MAc -Master Acupuncturist)
46 DO’s (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine)
28 Veterinarians (DMV, VMD, BVMS)
20 OD (Doctor of Optometry)
20 PA-C (Physician Assistant – Certified); also MPAS and RPA-C
Professionals can add their name to this statement quickly and easily, so please take a moment to add your name to the list, share it with colleagues, and post it to your fluoride-free group’s website and social media profiles. You can also view the list of professionals from your state who oppose fluoridation.
Help FAN Get 2,000 More Petition Signatures
Over 8,000 people have already signed the AVAAZ.org petition to end fluoridation. Please help FAN keep the momentum going by signing the petition, sharing it on Twitter and Facebook, and emailing it to friends and neighbors who oppose fluoridation. Our goal is to get over 10,000 signers by the end of September. Please take a moment to show your support for fluoride-free water and to help us make 10,000 signers a reality:
HELP US GET OVER 10,000 SIGNATURES – SIGN TODAY
Sincerely,
Stuart Cooper
FAN, Campaign Manager
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