FAN Bulletin 860

August 9, 2007

Dear All,

It is done. Today, the Fluoride Action Network publicly released the result of 40 days hard work from a magnificent team from across North America and around the world. They helped to persuade over 600 professionals to sign a statement calling for an end to fluoridation worldwide. Mark your calendars, August 9, 2007 changed the fluoridation debate.

It is the top item on our home page: http://www.FluorideAction.net

There you will find the links to:

Our press release: http://www.fluorideaction.org/statement.press.release.html

Please copy this and send it to your local media outlets.

The statement with the list of signers:

in html format: http://www.fluorideaction.org/statement.press.release.html
as a pdf file for printing: http://www.fluoridealert.org/professionals.statement.2007.pdf

The compilation of short statements from many of the professionals signing the statement:

http://www.fluorideaction.org/statement.quotes.aug.2007.pdf

In a few days we hope to have an ONLINE MESSAGE system where citizens can support the Professionals’ Statement and call for new Congressional hearings, so that those who zealously promote fluoridation, testify UNDER OATH as to why they continue to do so, oblivious to its dangers and ineffectiveness. Keep checking the home page – please be patient with us.

Meanwhile, let’s celebrate this historic moment in the battle against water fluoridation

An historic moment in the battle against water fluoridation

On August 9, 2007, FAN released a statement signed by over 600 professionals calling for an end to fluoridation and a call to legislators in fluoridating countries to hold hearings to determine why, after the release of the National Research Council report in 2006, aggressive promotion to fluoridate continues.

The signers include:

— Arvid Carlson, Nobel laureate for medicine , 2000
— Doug Everingham, former Federal Health Minister (1972-75), Australia
— Two advisory board members of the UK government sponsored “York Review”
— Dr. Theo Colborn, co-author, “Our Stolen Future”
— Chris Bryson, author, “The Fluoride Deception”
— The Board of Directors, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine
— Two officers in the union representing EPA professionals in DC
— The current President and six Past Presidents of the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology
— leading officials in Quebec’s Academy of Biological Dentistry
— Two Goldman Prize winners
— Dr. Lynn Margulis, a recipient of the National Medal of Science
— Ken Cook and Richard Wiles, President and Executive Director, Environmental Working Group (EWG)
— Dr. Vyvyan Howard, newly elected President, International Society of Doctors for the Environment (ISDE)
— Dr. Peter Montague, Director of Environmental Health Foundation
— Dr. Ted Schettler, Science director, Science and Environmental Health Network
— Stephen Lester, Science Director, Center for Health, Environment, and Justice (CHEJ),
— Pat Costner, retired Senior Scientist, Greenpeace International
— Ron Cummins, Director, Organic Consumers Association
— Sandra Duffy, Board President, Consumers for Dental Choice
— Leo Cashman, Executive Director of DAMS (Dental Amalgam Mercury Syndrome)
— Dr. Sam Epstein, author, “Politics of Cancer” and Chairman, Cancer Prevention Coalition
— Jay Feldman, Executive Director, Beyond Pesticides
— Prominent members of the Collegios Medicos, Puerto Rico
— Gary Liss and other leaders in the Zero Waste movement
— Over 100 medical doctors
— Over 100 dentists
— Over 100 PhDs
— Environmental and public health leaders from over 30 countries, and
— Legendary folksinger, songwriter and activist, Pete Seeger

The 600 signers represent a remarkable coming together of those concerned about fluoride and those concerned about mercury issues; doctors practicing conventional medicine and those pursuing alternative treatments and the public health and the environmental health communities, worldwide. All believe that public health policy should be determined honestly with full attention paid to sound science and to ethical principles.

What we are seeing here is the judgment of professionals across the world, not trapped by a ‘fluoridation belief system,’ that the information on the health effects contained in the National Research Council report of 2006, together with a growing number of peer reviewed studies that fluoridation has insignificant or no benefits, leads to one only conclusion: the meager benefits do not outweigh the serious risks and fluoridation must be stopped.

Now our task is to get health officials, regulators, and the media to exercise due diligence in this matter and seriously examine the information presented in the Professionals’ Statement. Fluoridation will only end in the US when officials in the Oral Health Division of the CDC are forced to defend UNDER OATH their zealous promotion of this practice, which continues oblivious of its ineffectiveness and the dangers to the American people – and people in the handful of other fluoridated countries.

August 9, 2007 is a historic day for this movement because it marks the day when those who promote fluoridation can no longer claim that they represent a single “authority” on this matter. At least 600 professionals have seen through their hollow rhetoric and demand an end to this outdated practice. August 9, 2007 marks the beginning of the end of fluoridation worldwide.

Fluoridation was never sound ethically, now it is clear that it is not sound scientifically. The Professionals’ Statement is the rock on which we will build the rest of our campaign.

Paul Connett

PS In the next bulletin I will break down the signers by occupation and/or qualification.