FAN Bulletin 777

March 12, 2007

Dear All,

First, please forgive the number of bulletins coming to you in just a few days – the reason is that I will be on the road again this week. On Thursday I leave for Tucson, Arizona where I will be giving a presentation to the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT), entitled “Fluoridation: The Arrogance of Power” and after that I will be traveling to Israel to support citizens’ efforts there (including the late George Waldbott’s daughter Betsey Ramsey) to convert the government’s temporary hold on mandatory fluoridation to a permanent one. I will be back on March 26.

Citizens in Sammamish a city near Seattle, Washington, alarmed that the ADA warnings to parents not to use fluoridated water to make up baby formula, were not getting out to the public, wrote to their Water Commissioners asking that this important information be supplied to each water user in their bill (see 1, below). The Water Commissioners were not interested (see 2, below). The citizens wrote again (see 3, below). Meanwhile, the local newspaper heard about their efforts and wrote up the story (see 4, below). Thus the public (or at least some of them) have got to hear this important news. Hopefully, the Water Commissioners will now do what they were asked to do and put the warning in the water bill so that everyone in Sammamish can be informed.

The attractive (for some) feature of fluoridation is that it delivers fluoride to every citizen without their having to think about it (and often not knowing about it), is a two edged sword. If for some reason one needs to tell a subset of the population that they should not be drinking the fluoridated water, it becomes awfully difficult a) to let them know and b) to provide those on low income with an alternative water supply. One way out of the dilemma is to keep the matter as quiet as possible (this has been the response of the ADA heirarchy, the CDC and many water districts) - ignorance is bliss, but the dental fluorosis figures will continue to rise (along with other possible health problems), which they have been doing for 60 years. The other way out is for citizens to force warnings from their fluoridation promoting officials. Better still would be to encourage them to stop this foolish practice altogether.

According to a press release issued today, that is what the Green Party of Ireland will be announcing tomorrow. Ireland is the only country in Europe which has statewide mandatory fluoridation (since 1963). Sensibly, the vast majority of European countries don’t even allow voluntary community water fluoridation (although some allow fluoride in salt)!

For John Gormley, a Green MP (TD in Ireland), the ADA warning that parents should not use fluoridated water to make up baby formula was the last straw. The fact that the Green party is taking this visible position at this moment, promises to make this an issue in the upcoming elections.

In tomorrow’s press conference Gormley (former Lord Mayor of Dublin) will be explaining why he believes that fluoridation should now be halted in Ireland. Almost certainly John Gormley will be drawing upon the evidence of potential harm from the over-exposure to fluoride which has been thoroughly documented in the 500 page report from the National Research Council, (NRC 2006).

Paul Connett
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1) Citizens’ opening letter to Water Commissioners:

February 14, 2007

Dear Sammamish Water District Commissioners and Staff,

As you may know, the American Dental Association (ADA) released an advisory on November 6, 2006, stating that fluoridated water should not be given to infants. In light of this important announcement, we are inquiring how the Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District is planning to alert its customers about this critical information. In particular, parents need to be advised to avoid using fluoridated tap water when making infant formula (1).

The ADA suggests that fluoride-free bottled water be used to reconstitute powdered formula in order to prevent fluoride-discolored or damaged permanent teeth (dental fluorosis). Dental fluorosis has become a growing problem: according to the Centers for Disease Control, 32% of American children are now afflicted with this condition, a significant increase from 23% in the 1980s (2).

The Academy of General Dentistry has cautioned parents to avoid fluoridated water when making infant foods (3). The American Academy of Pediatrics has advised that fluoride not be given to infants 6 months and younger (4). And a recent review from the National Research Council (NRC) reports that babies under one year are at risk of moderate dental fluorosis (white, yellow or brown stains affecting 100% of the tooth surface) from water fluoride concentrations of 0.7 - 1.2 mg/L. The NRC report is the basis for the ADA’s new advisory (5).

Local media have done very little to publicize the ADA’s important advisory. Moreover, many people – especially new mothers with little free time - don’t read newspapers or watch TV news. Many busy parents don’t even see physicians or dentists on a regular basis. This new ADA recommendation must be passed on to caregivers and parents in every way possible to minimize the number of infants unnecessarily affected. In addition, parents need to be notified that most household water filters do not remove fluoride; they also should be made aware that when water is boiled, chlorine steams off, but fluoride becomes more concentrated.

As our fluoridating agency, the Sammamish Water District has a responsibility to inform its customers of this advisory by including warnings with each water bill. This still raises a critical question, however: how can the District ensure that every parent who needs this information will receive it? What about the parent who rents and doesn’t receive a water bill? A failure to notify all customers of this information exposes the District to possible litigation in the future by parents whose children develop dental fluorosis.

We look forward to your reply regarding this important matter.

Sincerely,

Linda Joy, Sammamish
Binka Popov, Sammamish
Bob George, Sammamish
Coleen George, Sammamish
Juliana Thompson, Issaquah
Janet Loder, Redmond
Rollie Kiefel, Sammamish
Sherry Kiefel, Sammamish
Maureen Finn, Sammamish
Nancy Vernon, Sammamish
Jerry Vernon, Sammamish

References:

1) ADA e-gram, “Interim Guidance on Reconstituted Infant Formula”, November 9, 2006.
http://www.ada.org/prof/resources/pubs/epubs/egram/egram_061109.pdf

2) Centers for Disease Control, August 25, 2005. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/figures/s403a1t23.gif

3) Academy of General Dentistry News Release “Monitor Infant’s Fluoride Intake”.
http://www.agd.org/consumer/topics/baby/fluoride.asp

4) American Academy of Pediatrics (2005) “Policy Statement”. http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/pediatrics;115/2/496

5) National Research Council. (2006). Fluoride in Drinking Water: A Scientific Review of EPA’s Standards. National Academies Press, Washington D.C. http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11571.html?onpi_newsdoc03222006

2) Reply from the water district manager, Feb. 21, 2007:

The Board of Commissioners wanted me to let you know of their commitment
to have the District supply high quality water which meets or exceeds
the quality requirements established by State and Federal regulations.
On or website, under water quality, we have links to relevant sites for
people who seek further information about water quality. We also
encourage all customers to seek the advice of their medical
professionals, especially when major events occur in their life.

3) Citizens’ response to the water district manager:

February 23, 2007

Commissioners,

The actions you have proposed are fairly token gestures that will accomplish little in regard to notifying your customers of this fluoride advisory for infants. Is it really likely that new parents will go to the District website to see what new information the District has posted? Is it logical for you to assume that dentists will provide this information, when new parents might not even see their dentist in the first year of their infants’ life?

Dental and medical professionals, as well as the media, do need to make efforts to give this information to new parents. But this does not remove the District from responsibility to also provide the information in a way that will effectively reach the people who need it. Your refusal to put the information in a newsletter or water bill seems perplexing when it would be such a simple, effective public service to perform. The only plausible explanation for this is a reluctance on the part of the District to highlight any warnings regarding fluoride because of the possible complaints or concerns it might elicit from customers. What is more likely is that several years from now you will receive complaints from citizens who feel they should have been properly informed of this warning by the agency that fluoridates their water.

We urge the Commissioners to take more comprehensive actions in order to protect the District’s most vulnerable customers.
Sincerely,

Linda Joy, Sammamish
Binka Popov, Sammamish
Bob George, Sammamish
Coleen George, Sammamish
Juliana Thompson, Issaquah
Janet Loder, Redmond
Rollie Kiefel, Sammamish
Sherry Kiefel, Sammamish
Maureen Finn, Sammamish
Nancy Vernon, Sammamish
Jerry Vernon, Sammamish

4) SAMMAMISH REVIEW

MARCH 7, 2007 · 9

Citizens group criticizes lack of action on fluoride warning

By John Parker

Controversy over the fluoridation of Sammamish’s municipal water began two years ago in public hearings. Health concerns were aired, benefits touted - and the water has been fluoridated ever since. Science, however, never rests. Armed with new findings by a prominent research group, a group of concerned Sammamish residents recently asked Sammamish Plateau Water & Sewer District commissioners to warn residents about fluoride’s potentially adverse health effects on infants. New findings late last year by the National Research Council, part of the congressionally chartered National Academies, suggest that infants could get higher-than-recommended amounts of fluoride when fluoridated water is used to mix formula from liquid concentrate or powder. Overexposure could lead to enamel fluorosis, which can dis­color and damage teeth.

The American Dental Association issued an “interim guidance” Nov. 8 on what parents should do while more research is conducted. The group advised parents to use ready-to-feed formula for infants in the first year, and to use non-fluoridated water with powders or concentrates. Occasional use of fluoridated water in infant food “should not appreciably increase a child’s risk for fluorosis,” the recommendation said. The new findings, however, prompted Sammamish resident Linda Joy and 10 other local citizens, including from Issaquah and Redmond, to ask the water district to warn its customers about using its water to make infant formula.

(photo)

Review photo by John Parker The wavy warning on this tube label is fairly new for fluoride tooth­pastes. They did not warn about a poison hazard or keeping tooth­paste out of reach from children under six until the Food and Drug Administration mandated it in 1997. The American Dental Association, which supports municipal fluoridation, has said the warning ‘unnecessarily frightens parents and children.’

Joy, a member of the fledgling Washington Action for Safe Water, believes a warning on water bills or a newsletter to the district’s water customers would have been appropriate. District officials responded last month that fluoride information is on its Web site and that dental professionals should advise patients on fluoride use. General Manager Ron Little, responding to e-mail inquiries by Sammamish Council Don Gerend, said district commissioners are committed to supplying high-quality water that meets or exceeds state and federal regulations. Little noted in an e-mail that the district’s Web site, http://www.sammplat.wa.org, includes relevant links for further information about water quality. He also encouraged customers to seek advice from medical professionals. Little did not return a request for further comment from the Review before press time. Joy said that decision goes against the district’s mission statement to provide safe water and “customer service.”

“It seems like they’re making a decision not to notify the public,” she said. “If it’s not safe for infants, they need to let customers know so parents can use bottled water.”

The dental association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention support municipal water fluoridation. The CDC calls water fluoridation one of the Top 10 Great Public Health Achievements of the 20th century for preventing tooth decay . The Plateau District’s fluoridation level is within regulatory standards. Voters in the Northeast Sammamish Water & Sewer District rejected fluoridation about 15 years ago. Joy said she realizes the current concern over fluoride exposure in infants and small children involves fluorosis, which is described as a cosmetic problem, not a-disease. Her own research, however, indicates scientific concern about fluoride’s effects on people who are more sensitive to the chemical, those with kidney problems and other health issues. F1uoride is used as a medication in dental treatments and is a naturally occurring substance in some water sources. A study published in the May 2006 issue of “Cancer Causes and Control” linked exposure to fluoridated water to higher levels of bone cancer in boys, but the study’s scope was limited, not conclusive.

“When you put the substance in the water, there’s no way to control the dosage,” she said. “No one knows how much their children are getting because the exposure is so widespread now.” On the personal level, Joy said she watches fluoridation issues because the chemical’s long-term and chronic health effects have not been thoroughly researched. More study is needed, but there is enough research so far to cast doubt on its safety, she said. “Part of it is my own right to choose is being abused,” she said. “And I’m being medicated without my consent - because it is a medication.”

Brushing up on fluoride

. • American Dental Association - http://www.ada. Org • National Research Council report • Sammamish Plateau Water & Sewer District ­ http://www.sammplat.wa.org • Northeast Sammamish Water & Sewer District ­www.nesswd.org • Fluoride Action Network - http://fluoridealert.org ________________________

Sammamish Review Editor John Parker can be reached-at 392-6434, ext. 233, or samrev@isspress.com