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Checking the numbers

FAN Bulletin 883

November 1, 2007

Dear All,

Hello again. Just back from my trip to China and Australia with an overnight stay in South Korea, where I met up with JC Kim FAN’s Korean representative and editor of the Green Review. There is a lot to write about, especially the ISFR conference in Beijing, China where I picked up another 20 signers to the Professionals’ statement, including some of the leading fluoride researchers in the world, and Australia, where battles are raging against fluoridation proposals in several towns in New South Wales and Victoria. More about this later, but while I get my breath back here are some important numbers on three of our efforts: 1) the professionals’ statement; 2) the hits on the fluoride videos available on Google video, and 3) the state totals for the Online Message to Congress.

While the number of professionals calling for an end to fluoridation worldwide is magnificent with over 1100 signers (that is nearly double the number from our total at launch date – August 9), and the number of hits we are getting on the videos is truly exciting, the number signing the Online Message to Congress is disappointing. It is hard to believe that more than half the US states have yielded less than 100 signers each, especially when some of the states have had local battles where hundreds, or even thousands, of people have voted against fluoridation in referenda. Can we not reach more of these people?

Quite frankly, I don’t want to spend the rest of my life fighting this battle on the local level, without feeling that all these local efforts are adding up to some meaningful clout on the national level. The Online Message to the US Congress is a great chance to do just that. So please check your state total and see if you can rally up some more signers. Signing on is easy: it is the top item on our home page http://www.FluorideAction.net

While it is exciting that California has produced nearly one fifth of the 5000 signers to date, we shouldn’t forget that a few days ago the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) in Southern California started fluoridating the water supply of another 18 million people (see the latest news section on our home page)! As people there wake up and find out what is being done to them by a handful of faceless bureaucrats - with very little opportunity for citizens’ input - hopefully many more of them will add their voices to the Online message. They might also try to get the LA Times to do the kind of investigative journalism on this issue that they did on scientific corruption at the NIH. There are plenty of stones to be turned over at the CDC, the EPA and the FDA. For example: Who is overseeing the Oral Health Division at the CDC to counterbalance this division’s gung-ho promotion of this practice with an objective analysis of the NRC (2006) report of fluoride’s dangers? Why has the EPA water office dragged its feet for 18 months and not determined a new MCLG as recommended by the NRC? Why has the FDA not regulated a drug which has been delivered to more Americans (on a daily basis) than any other drug in US history?

Democracy can only thrive if it is supported with honest and in-depth journalism. Sadly, the vast majority of major newspapers in this country have done a very poor job of informing the American public on this issue.

Paul Connett
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1) PROFESSIONALS’ STATEMENT - Accessible via our home page http://www.FluorideAction.net (second item)

As of 10-31-07, 1109 professionals have signed. While several signers have multiple degrees, they are listed below only
once according to their highest degree (often a difficult call to make):

    • 171 Dentists (BDS, DDS and DMD)
    • 166 PhD’s (includes DSc, Doctor of Science)
    • 155 MD’s
    • 117 DC’s (Doctor of Chiropractic)
    • 72 Nurses (RN and BSN)
    • 71 ND’s (Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine)
    • 23 Lawyers (JD and LLB)
    • 22 RDHs (Registered Dental Hygienist)
    • 13 DO’s (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine)

And environmental leaders from over 40 countries.

2) VIDEO HITS (on Google) - Accessible via our home page http://www.FluorideAction.net (ninth item)

The Fluoride Deception – 62,800
Fluoride Dangers (Australia, Channel 7) - 8,342
Don’t Swallow Your Toothpaste (UK, Channel 4) - 7,743
Harvard Professor Hiding a Link? (Fox TV, Boston) - 6,311
Fluoride Warning for Infants (TN TV) - 5,873
EPA Union Calls for Moratorium on Water Fluoridation (FAN) - 4,611
Forum on Water Fluoridation (Health Discovery Channel, Canada) - 1,716
Fluoride Debate in Ireland (Irish TV) - 941

3. The ONLINE MESSAGE to Congress - Accessible via our home page http://www.FluorideAction.net (first item)

As of 6:00 am today, 5165 people have signed. The state tallies as of October 30 (thanks to Jason Krueger, our FAN representative in Minnesota). The number in parenthesis is the state total as of September 26.

(733) 985 CALIFORNIA

238) 335 NEW YORK
(283) 334 FLORIDA

(228) 263 TEXAS
(182) 202 ILLINOIS
(186) 201 WASHINGTON

(157) 171 OHIO
(132) 142 MICHIGAN
(121) 138 PENNSYLVANIA
(122) 129 MINNESOTA
(115) 123 OREGON
(107) 121 COLORADO
(107) 112 GEORGIA
(100) 108 ARIZONA
(91)   104 NORTH CAROLINA
(94)   102 MISSOURI

(72)     98 UTAH
(91)     97 MASSACHUSETTS
(86)     91 VIRGINIA
(83)     90 TENNESSEE

(75)    81 WISCONSIN
(68)    80 NEW JERSEY
(68)    72 INDIANA
(58)    66 MARYLAND
(53)    53 ARKANSAS
(46)    49 KANSAS
(45)    49 OKLAHOMA
(40)    47 CONNECTICUT
(46)    47 KENTUCKY
(45)    46 SOUTH CAROLINA
(39)    43 IOWA
(39)    43 NEVADA
(31)    32 ALABAMA
(30)    31 HAWAII
(29)    31 LOUISIANA
(24)    30 ALASKA
(27)    29 MONTANA
(28)    29 NEW HAMPSHIRE
(23)    28 MAINE
(22)    24 IDAHO
(22)    22 NEW MEXICO
(19)    20 MISSISSIPPI
(17)    20 WEST VIRGINIA
(16)    16 NEBRASKA
(16)    16 SOUTH DAKOTA
(16)    15 WYOMING
(13)    13 DELAWARE
(10)    11 NORTH DAKOTA
(10)    11 RHODE ISLAND
(8)       9 VERMONT
(2)       4 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA