FAN Bulletin #579
April 20, 2006
Dear All,
In today’s Poughkeepsie Journal (see below) there is a report that the Dutchess County Board of Health today will consider a proposal to expand fluoridation of public drinking water. This has all the hall marks of a rubber stamp approval. We may not be able to influence these board members because Health Commissioner Dr. Michael Caldwell may simply be obeying orders from the NY State Department of Health, but we may be able to force the County legislature to hear both sides of this issue.
The ever watchful New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation has sent the following letter to the Dutchess County Executive and Legislators (see email addresses below the letter) and I hope some of our readers can also write short letters urging them to hear both sides before they are rushed into supporting this measure, especially if you have any connection to Dutchess County, or live in NY.
Dear Dutchess County Executive and Legislators:
Today the Health Board is considering fluoridation. However, it’s our understanding that, in New York State, the final decision is left up to the governing bodies. If you ever vote on fluoridation, please invite a scientist familiar with fluoride’s physiological effects, other than to teeth, to speak at a Dutchess County legislative meeting before any decision is made that will affect the lives of everyone in your county - some for the worse. You are probably already hearing from pro-fluoridationists about fluoridation’s benefits to teeth; but they don’t learn about or study fluoride’s effects to the rest of the body.
It’s imperative you hear both sides. We suggest New York’s Paul Connett, PhD, University professor and Executive Director of the Fluoride Action Network (315-379-9200) and retired Environmental Protection Agency scientist, Bob Carton, PhD (518-275-1731) or current EPA scientist William Hirzy, PhD (202-285-0498). I would hope that Dr. Caldwell does the same at his meeting today or holds off until he invites one of the above, or someone else familiar with the new and emerging fluoride science.
Paste these emails into the TO: section
countyexec@co.dutchess.ny.us, nesbitt107@verizon.net,
cedarcrest@prodigy.net, MSears2941@aol.com, Dee83en@aol.com,
Rkellercoffey@aol.com, fpbunnell@msn.com, Repcon35@aol.com,
Roli213@aol.com, countylegislature@co.dutchess.ny.us,
jeterb@hvc.rr.com, joeltyner@earthlink.net, wmc1226@frontiernet.net,
SAJGOLD@aol.com, rogerhig@optonline.net, j_amaca@hotmail.com,
slafrance@rapportmeyers.com, VZE3JGMC@VERIZON.NET,
garycooper@taconic.net, spirit@marcmolinaro.com,
MargeHortonDCLeg@aol.com, hutchi@att.net, DULEG1423@aol.com,
bradkendall@optonline.net
Paste these emails into the Cc: section
healthinfo@co.dutchess.ny.us, dshapley@poughkeepsiejournal.com,jferro@poughkee.gannett.com
Paste these emails into the BCc: section
NYSCOF@aol.com, paul@fluoridealert.org
Many thanks.
Paul Connett
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Thursday, April 20, 2006
County weighs increased use of fluoridation
By Dan Shapley
Poughkeepsie Journal
The Dutchess County Board of Health today will consider a proposal to expand fluoridation of public drinking water.
Health Commissioner Dr. Michael Caldwell wants the health department to encourage more of Dutchess’ public water systems to deliver 1 milligram of fluoride per liter of water to prevent cavities. The board of health is a volunteer body appointed by the county Legislature to set policy for the health department.
The Poughkeepsie water system, which serves about 80,000 people and is the county’s largest system, is the only fluoridated system in Dutchess. Caldwell, who did not return a call Wednesday, has said he would like to see more follow suit.
Fluoridation of water is considered one of the top 10 public health achievements of the 20th century, and is endorsed by many major federal health agencies and organizations, such as the American Dental Association. It has long roots in the Hudson Valley, as Kingston and Newburgh were among the first cities to participate in early studies that established the benefits of fluoridation for reducing cavities among children.
Fluoridation has been controversial from the start and remains so today. Two recent high-profile studies have highlighted the risks of overexposure to fluoride.
Some experts say fluoride is so widely available from toothpaste, dental supplements and even some bottled beverages, that adding it to drinking water is no longer advisable. In general, most agree the benefits of fluoride in drinking water today are associated primarily with low-income children who do not get regular dental treatment or use prescribed fluoride supplements.
Review: Reduce limit
A National Academy of Sciences review of scientific findings related to fluoride concluded last month the Environmental Protection Agency needs to lower the acceptable limit of fluoride in drinking water, set at 4 mg/l.
That 4 mg/l standard applies to drinking water supplies with naturally occurring fluoride. Poughkeepsie adds 1 mg/l to water, and that is the standard level when adding it to promote dental health.
The National Academy of Sciences made no recommendations related to the relative benefits or risks of adding 1 mg/l liter to water.
At concentrations at about 4 mg/l, the academy found, about 10 percent of children will develop severe fluorosis, characterized by tooth discoloration, enamel loss and pitting. People who drink water with 4 mg/l of fluoride over a lifetime also may face a greater risk of fracturing bones.
Cancer links ‘tentative’
The National Academy of Sciences panel called links of fluoride to cancer, at the 4 mg/l concentration, “tentative and mixed.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention renewed its recommendation to add about 1 mg/l of fluoride to drinking water following the National Academy of Sciences report.
“Similar to many vitamins and minerals we consume for our health, fluoride should be taken in the proper amount,” a CDC statement read, in part.
Opponents of fluoridation - which include several grassroots and national groups - cite a Harvard School of Dental Medicine “exploratory analysis” in the current issue of the journal Cancer Causes and Control. Researchers found a correlation between osteosarcoma, a bone cancer, and boys who drank fluoridated public drinking water.
The Harvard study’s authors stated “further research is required to confirm or refute this observation.”
Harry Lynch, chairman of the Dutchess County Board of Health, encouraged residents to contact the board or attend today’s meeting.
“If people have an interest in fluoride,” he said, “they should bring that to the attention of the board.”
in FAN
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