FAN Bulletin 902
December 17, 2007
Dear All,
Before we get to Australia’s doublespeak a quick word on our fundraising efforts.
After three days of our fundraising effort to continue our important work in 2008, we have raised $1,860 (with at least three unnamed amounts in the mail) towards our first mini-goal of $12,000 by Christmas eve. With a $5000 matching grant in place, that brings our current total up to $3,720.
A very big thank you to 31 people who have made donations to date. Thanks also to those who have been sending us regular monthly contributions since the beginning of the year. We are notified each time these monthly contributions are recorded and it is constant and pleasant reminder to us that there are people out there who care a lot about this issue and are so supportive of the contribution the Fluoride Action Network is making to this battle.
To make your donation please go to
Alternatively, you may simply write out a check to AEHSP and send it to AEHSP, 82 Judson Street, Canton, NY 13617. If you choose this way of donating please let us know with an email so that we can keep an accurate running total.
Australia’s doublespeak on fluoridation
Yesterday, I raised a toast to the water utility that will not be bullied. Today, I raise a toast to the fluoridation fighters in the stainless triangle of Ballart, Geelong and Warrnambool who will not be bullied by the state of Victoria.
Some faceless wonders in Victoria want very badly to fluoridate every last remaining unfluoridated town and village in their state (and the rest of Australia). It is not obvious why this is the case. The unmanipulated science does not support their claims of safety or effectiveness. Nor are they confident enough in their position to entertain an open public debate. Nevertheless, in order to push the measure through they are prepared to lie, distort, bully, and remove the last remnants of democracy from the people there. This bullying is not helped by toady medical organizations too lazy to do any of their own research on this matter. Nor is it helped by the press like the Melbourne Age or the Geelong Advertiser which seem totally incapable of giving a decent and objective analysis of the issues.
See the latest piece of genuflection to official mantra in today’s Geelong Advertiser, “Geelong doctors back fluoride in water” ( http://www.fluoridealert.org/news/3271.html ) printed out below.
Do they indeed? Then why would not one single one of them debate the issue with me in my FOUR visits to Geelong (2002, 2003, 2004 and 2007) when challenged to do so? See other news from Australia on our “Latest News” section – on the left hand side of our home page: http://www.FluorideAction.net.
So with the NRC (2006) report in hand and now the acknowledgement of the importance of the same by the Scientific American (January, 2008), it becomes increasingly schizophrenic to witness both our scientific victories and our political losses in Australia, when they are dealt up by people with power and influence, but with little apparent integrity. Some examples:
The NHMRC report which claims no harm while dismissing the health concerns in the NRC (2006) report in one sentence.
The failure of the Australian health authorities to have done a single health study on any tissue (other than teeth) in over 40 years of fluoridation. But still have the gall to state that if there were any health problems they would have seen them by now!
Australian Dental Association’s dismissal of the significance of the American Dental Association’s (Nov 9, 2006) recommendation that parents not use fluoridated water to make up baby formula. Doesn’t apply to Australia they say!
Spencer and Armfield’s following up of their 2004 finding of no significant difference in tooth decay in the permanent teeth of children in South Australia, whether they drank fluoridated water or non-fluoridated water (i.e. rain water or bottled water), by recommending that Australia fluoridate its bottled water!
Armfield’s “Michael Easley-type” attack on opponents of fluoridation – some of whom have been researching this issue before he was born - in the journal Australia and New Zealand Health Policy (December 2007). This man hasn’t even got his graduate degree and yet he feels that he can throw his kindergarten knowledge around as if he was in direct contact with God almighty. The journal has yet to print my rapid response (made one week ago) to his scurrilous piece while claiming on its web site that “No comments have yet been made on this article.” See http://www.anzhealthpolicy.com/content/4/1/25/comments
Now Armfield has produced another report on tooth decay and he is being quoted by the Australian press as if he was an objective source on the matter. Below Carol Kopf of NYSCOF has given more details on Armfield’s and Australia’s doublespeak on tooth decay.
So I raise my glass and toast those in the state of Victoria (and throughout Australia) who have to put but with this rubbish nearly every day. It must be so difficult to keep sane when you own health department represents a daily threat to your health, and those who pull their strings represent a daily threat to your democracy. But may the stainless steel triangle of Ballarat, Geelong and Warrnambool prevail against this evil – as well as those in New South Wales and Queensland who are fighting off similar onslaughts on their sanity.
Paul Connett
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The Geelong Advertiser
Monday 17 December 2007
Geelong doctors back fluoride in water
By Danny Lannen
GEELONG general practitioners have backed fluoridation of the city’s water supply and expect benefits to reach far beyond improved oral health.
The GP Association of Geelong is one of a dozen health and welfare organisations to have endorsed fluoridation for the city as the State Government prepares to distribute education booklets to residents.
GPs believe fluoridation will help improve general health and will particularly benefit lower socio-economic areas.
Barwon Health, Bethany Community Support, Committee for Geelong, Glastonbury Child and Family Services and Corio-Norlane Neighbourhood Renewal group have also flagged support for fluoride.
Victoria’s chief health officer Dr John Carnie said the booklets would provide balanced, factual information.
“The decision to begin this process in Geelong follows support from the local health sector,'’ Dr Carnie said.
State Government plans to link Geelong to Melbourne water supply would introduce fluoridated water to the city.
Dr Carnie said the fluoride content needed to be one part per million to be beneficial.
GP Association spokesman Dr Mark Kennedy said benefits were more than cosmetic.
Problems like chronic mouth infections could cause difficulties in managing illnesses like diabetes and might lead to problems with heart valve infection.
“And we often see that patients who are unable to access regular dental services rely on their GPs for treating dental infections rather than having their teeth filled or removed,'’ Dr Kennedy said.
“That’s certainly a problem in poorer areas rather than areas where people will access dental services.'’
Dr Kennedy is also health and wellbeing spokesman for Corio-Norlane Neighbourhood Renewal group.
He said poorer socio-economic areas of the city stood to gain most from fluoridation.
“I’ve been working in the area for the past 20 years and certainly the state of oral health in areas where people can’t afford and have much less access to oral health treatment is more noticeable than in areas where people are able to access services,'’ Dr Kennedy said.
Dr Carnie said a National Health and Medical Research Council review had confirmed that fluoridation of drinking water remained the most effective and socially equal way of providing all community members with benefits.
“The benefits of fluoridation are illustrated by the fact that six-year-old children living in fluoridated areas of Victoria have up to 36 per cent less tooth decay than those in non-fluoridated areas,'’ Dr Carnie said.
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Armfield’s and Australia’s doublespeak on tooth decay
By Carol Kopf
Australia is 75% fluoridated:
This is the news release based on a “report” by Jason Armfield a PhD student and publications officer at the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (The AIHW is partially funded by Colgate). Armfield often slants his own research findings in my opinion. NYSCOF has done two news releases on his inaccuracies: This is the news release pertaining to the report putting a positive spin on the findings:
Fluoridated water puts Australia’s children in top 10 in world dental health
http://www.adelaide.edu.au/news/news23461.html
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Then in an interview with a radio broadcaster Armfield says, “It found there’s been a five per cent increase in tooth decay in young children, partly due to lack of access to public dental health care.”
“Since the mid 1990s amongst younger children we’ve seen a steady increase, year by year by year, and we’re also starting to see increases now amongst older children too which is a little bit of a concern. So child oral health in Australia is actually getting worse.”
http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2007/s2120594.htm
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This is how it was reported elsewhere:
Fluoride gives kids healthy teeth
Children in Australia have better oral health than children in most other countries, due largely to fluoridated water, according to new research conducted at the University of Adelaide.http://www.sciencealert.com.au/news/20071712-16731.html
This is where you can download the entire report: http://www.arcpoh.adelaide.edu.au/publications/report/statistics/html_files/cdhs2002.html
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Another media report:
Report justifies fluoride decision: Robertson
December 17, 2007 - 1:31PM
A report ranking Queenslanders’ teeth as the worst in the country justified a decision to fluoridate the state’s water supplies, Health Minister Stephen Robertson says
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/queensland/report-justifies-fluoride-decision-robertson/2007/12/17/1197740156586.html
This is what they didn’t tell you “The highest levels of permanent decay experience were found in Tasmania,” according to the report. Tasmania is fluoridated.
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More Doublespeak from another media report
Question: What about the reported decline in dental health in fluoridated areas such as Melbourne?
Dr Carnie says: There has been a slight upswing in dental caries. It could be related to the popularity of bottled water and an increased consumption of soft drinks and sweets which could also be related to the obesity epidemic.
http://ballarat.yourguide.com.au/news/local/general/finding-out-all-the-facts/1144545.html
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Even more Doublespeak
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report found local children’s oral health was better than in New Zealand, Greece, Norway and Germany, but worse than in The Netherlands, England, Sweden, Denmark - and Uganda.
The institute’s Jason Armfield said fluoridated water was a major reason why Australian children enjoyed better oral health than many other countries, but there was still room for improvement.
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