FAN Bulletin 847

July 25, 2007

Dear All,

Today, we passed the important milestone of 400 signers on the Professionals’ Statement calling for an end to fluoridation worldwide. We had never expected to reach 200 signers in 27 days; to reach 400 is fantastic. As optimistic as I am, I do not believe we can get to 500 by our official release date of August 1. However, if one in 15 of those who read these bulletins were to find one person with a PhD, MD, ND, DO, DC, DDS, DMD, BDS, RN, RDH, JD or equivalent, or an employee at a water utility or an officer in an environmental organization, we would do the impossible!

If you locate someone willing to sign please ask them to email me at
with these details:

Name: _______________________

Degree______________________

Title, or position__________________

Town__________________

State_______________

I am going to analyze these 400 names in four parts, but all sent out today. I am doing it this way so that you are not burdened with a very large bulletin.

In part 1, I am going to give an update on the next step in our campaign and an overview of what I think the significance is of this achievement,

In part 2, I will circulate the Statement and the list of signers. This way readers can read through this impressive list without the impediment of my specific analysis!

In part 3, I will present a specific analysis – number of PhDs, DDSs, MDs etc – number of countries, states represented – important persons and organizations.

In part 4, I will print out the list of short personal statements made by many of the signers. This has taken on a life of its own and will be used separately from the Professionals’ Statement. It will make splendid ammunition for citizens, especially if printed in booklet form.

The NEXT STEP.

On August 1 we will post the Professionals’ Statement (with the list of signers) on our home page and at the same time post an ONLINE ACTION-petition. This will allow everyone to add their support to this statement. Each US signer who does so will have his or her message of support sent automatically to his or her Members of Congress in an effort to get a Congressional hearing on Fluoridation, in which representatives of the CDC Oral Health Division will be forced to give testimony under oath.

As I have said several times already, this statement is the ROCK on which we will build the rest of our campaign to rid the world of fluoridation. It will never go away. It will continue to get bigger. We will continue to collect names after August 1.

The SIGNiFICANCE OF THIS PROFESSIONALS’ STATEMENT – and the fabulous response to date.

We know that our opponents can easily rustle up 1000 names even 10,000 names from their fee paying members, but they won’t be able to do is find a sizeable number of people who have read the National Research Council report or be able to give a scientific response to the points made in the Professionals’ Statement. Nor will they find a list of people who will support fluoridation which will match our list of 400 professionals for their dedication in fighting pollution, whether it be accidental, like dioxin, or deliberate like fluoridation.

Their list will be fixated on one aspect of human well being – dental health – ours addresses a much wider gamut – environmental health. Here there is a very simple and very important message: we should not be so fixed on addressing one tissue in the body, that we neglect the potential impacts on every other. This is what the US Public Health Service has allowed to happen for over 50 years. That attitude continues to this very day, with the CDC prepared to blow off the findings of adverse health effects painstakingly put together by the NRC panel over 3 years, because they want to get on with promoting fluoridation all over the country. However, I should add, that there is no dirth of people on our list concerned about dental health. There is a difference however; they don’t see this problem as one addressed with poison but one addressed with better diet and preventive dental care. The kind practiced in most medically advanced countries in the world. For example, we have the the former President of the Canadian Association for Dental Research, and the current President and FIVE former Presidents of the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology, signing onto the statement. These people know a lot about teeth!

More than anything else the Professionals’ Statement is about returning scientific integrity to public policy. 400 people are taking truth to power.

When we look at the first 400 signers, we see a remarkable convergence of interests. We see dentists and scientists concerned about mercury joining hands with those concerned about fluoride. We see those concerned about public health coming together with those concerned about environmental health. We have medial professionals involved with treating symptoms joining up with those doing their best to preventing disease with better nutrition. Most importantly we see the value of having environmental activists acting as honest brokers. We see the value of the scrutiny by honest and intelligent people who are concerned about public health, but who are not trapped by the paradigm of “fluoridation’s wonders” as taught one-sidedly at Medical and Dental schools.

For over 50 years the proponents of fluoridation have relied on several things to get this sorry practice accepted by decision makers:

A heavy reliance on endorsements - ”authority” - do this because x, y and z says its “safe and effective.”
A deliberate – and at times outrageous – systematic attempt to denigrate, ridicule and ostracize their opponents as people who are ill-informed, emotional, and practice and use “junk science.” In the early days they got a lot of help in both of these techniques from the father of propaganda himself, Edward Bernays.
Relying on the fact that most doctors and dentists are too busy to read the scientific literature on this matter for themselves and the choose the “easy life” of following the dictates of their professional bodies.
Working behind closed doors to nobble newspaper editors and civic groups, before the public knows anything is going on.
An intimidated media which finds it difficult to get its investigative journalists to take this issue seriously. Lip service to both sides only serves the mighty status quo.
A largely indifferent public. We live in an “Age of Distraction” and in an age where even the most outrageous events are absorbed as normal. What chance do concerns over fluoridation have to be heard over Iraq, Global warming, violence, terrorism etc etc.

This Professionals’ Statement goes a long way in dealing with 1), 2), and possibly 3) and it will be up to people like our readers to use this ammunition to make sure it helps with 4) through 6). As far as rising above the huge background noise of other issues, there are two things going for us:

1) Fluoridation is something we are deliberately doing to ourselves. It as easy to end as turning off a tap. No other environmental health issue is so easy to end, once there is the political will to do so.

2) For the US government – besieged by story after story about a lack of integrity in the agencies which are supposed to be protecting our health and the environment – the rejection of fluoridation would be a simple and dramatic way of reclaiming a little bit of the public trust which has been so badly eroded. But in this respect we should be incredibly encouraged by the success the folks concerned about mercury amalgam fillings have had in forcing the FDA to abandon its rubber stamping of the ADA’s policy on this matter. I’ve said it before, mercury amalgams today, fluoridation tomorrow!

If there is one signer of this petition who for me symbolizes the pursuit of integrity it is the legendary folksinger and songwriter, Pete Seeger. Whether you agree with all his political positions, you have to admit that for well over 60 years he has never wavered and followed his conscience wherever it would take him – and that that has meant occasionally going to jail. He has never hesitated to speak out against injustice, local or distant, and in the process he has brought joy and inspiration to millions. In addition to his stage performances he has used his sloop the Clearwater to help inspire people to clean up the Hudson River. Now he is helping us to clean up another water supply. Thank you Pete and all the other signers of the Professionals’ Statement. We will overcome!

Paul Connett