FAN Bulletin #979
 
June 29, 2008

Dear Supporter,

Today, we launched our 3rd video in the ongoing “Professional Perspectives” series on water fluoridation. In the video, Brent Foster — an environmental attorney and State Conservation Chair of the Oregon Sierra Club - explains why he came to oppose water fluoridation. His story is a very engaging and convincing one, and should prove helpful in opening people’s minds about the toxicity of fluoride. The full video can be watched on our homepage (beneath the conference item) or on YouTube. For people with faster internet connections, a higher quality version can be watched on Vimeo.

In addition to the new video, we are also excited to announce the release of a new flyer. The flyer contains the full text of our Professionals’ Statement to End Water Fluoridation, and should come in very handy as an educational tool. Not only does the flyer present key science-based arguments against water fluoridation, but it also conveys the growing number of medical, scientific, and environmental professionals publicly voicing their opposition to fluoridation. The flyer can be downloaded online at: http://www.fluoridealert.org/prof-statement.pdf

In addition to educating citizens and city councilors, one of our hopes with these 2 new materials is that they will help increase the recruitment of more professionals to sign the Statement calling for an end to fluoridation worldwide.

To date, 1746 professionals have signed the Statement and over 12,000 citizens have signed an ONLINE message to the US Congress supporting these professionals as well as calling for Congressional hearings.

The video featuring Brent Foster, a professional environmentalist, should encourage more people holding positions in local state or national environmental organizations to sign the Professionals’ Statement. Many leading environmental and public health activists have already done so, including:
 Ken Cook and Richard Wiles, President and Executive Director, Environmental Working Group (EWG); Peter Montague, PhD, Director of Environmental Health Foundation; Ted Schettler, MD, Science Director, Science and Environmental Health Network; Lois Gibbs and Stephen Lester, Center for Health, Environment, and Justice; Ron Cummins, Director, Organic Consumers Association; Theo Colborn, PhD, author of “Our Stolen Future”; Sam Epstein, MD, author, “Politics of Cancer” and Chairman, Cancer Prevention Coalition; Pat Costner, retired Senior Scientist, Greenpeace International; Jay Feldman, Executive Director, Beyond Pesticides; Mike Ewall (ActionPA); Alan Muller (Green Delaware); 5 Goldman prize winners and, of course, Brent Foster. The list also includes many environmental leaders from over 40 countries too numerous to list.
We would dearly love to get our total number of professionals signing the statement up to 2,000 in time for our conferences in Toronto in August. This may be a tall order but please do what ever you can to get any friend or colleague who fits into one of the categories below to sign on. (People can add their name to the Statement at: http://professional.fluoridealert.org). In addition, please get all and sundry to sign the ONLINE message to Congress at http://congress.fluoridealert.org. Every signer counts in this long battle for justice and environmental and public health.

Paul Connett
Professionals signing the Statement include:

252 PhD’s (includes DSc, Doctor of Science)
227 Dentists (DDS, DMD, BDS)
222 MD’s (includes MBBS)
211 DC’s (Doctor of Chiropractic)
206 Nurses (RN, BSN, ARNP, APRN, LNC)
97 ND’s (Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine)
49 Lawyers (JD and LLB)
33 RDHs (Registered Dental Hygienist and RDHAP)
31 Acupuncturists (LAc - Licensed Acupuncturist, and, MAc -Master Acupuncturist)
28 Pharmacists (Pharm.D, B. Pharm, DPh, RPH)
18 DO’s (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine)
10 Veterinarians (DMV, VMD, BVMS)
Many environmental leaders and water department employees