FAN Bulletin 999
 
August 28, 2008
 
Dear

I am still anxious to get feedback on the last two bulletins, FAN Bulletin 997: New Video: Vyvyan Howard’s Toronto presentation and FAN Bulletin 998: New Video: Fluoride Poisoning: East meets West.

I am anxious on two fronts: 1) we are not sure that the bulletins are reaching the whole list (we didn’t receive ours!) and 2) I really don’t want to spend any more time editing conference presentations if no one is watching them.  

Dr. Vyvyan Howard: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4072416559052593081&hl=en

Dr. Bruce Spittle and Dr. A.K. Susheela http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8799106191313858267&hl=en

Yesterday, FAN’s media officer and campaign director Carol Kopf sent out a media release entitled “Both Parties Need Planks to Restore Scientific Integrity at the CDC” (see text below ) using the PRnewswire service. This has already been picked up by many news outlets.

Please forward this news release to your local outlets. Also, if you are supporting one of the Presidential candidates please forward to anyone you know in their campaigns. Even if they are not willing to go the whole way and call for an end to water fluoridation (that would take real leadership qualities) then at least they could make it clear that they will insist that scientific integrity be restored to the Federal agencies we pay to protect our health.

As we eagerly await the final version of the 30 minute videotape “Professionals present the case against fluoridation” previewed at the FAN conference in Toronto, news of our two blockbusters. 73,000 people have now watched the Bill Osmunson vignette and another 11,000 have watched Vyvyan Howard’s short statement on fluoride and the brain. The latter can be accessed at the very top of our home page.

All of this is slowly adding to our total of professionals signing the Professionals’ Statement calling for an end to fluoridation worldwide. Our current total stands at 1,814. See http://www.FluorideAlert.org/professionals.statement.html

Paul Connett

PS:  If you agree with what we are trying to do you can support FAN’s work by making a donation via our home page at https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=5061
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Fluoride Action Network Media Release
August 27, 2008

Both Parties Need Planks to Restore Scientific Integrity at the CDC
(http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/both-parties-need-planks-restore/story.aspx?guid=%7B4984F605-D5EA-4531-B55B-B67D105D0A23%7D&dist=hppr)

NEW YORK, Aug. 27  – According to the Fluoride Action Network (FAN), there is a crucial need for both parties to restore scientific integrity to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on several policies. The most egregious is their continued unscientific support for water fluoridation.

“The simplest and quickest way to restore public trust in the CDC is for both Democrats and Republicans to put a commitment to end fluoridation into their party platforms,” says Paul Connett, Ph.D., FAN’s Executive Director.  

According to Connett, “Fluoridated water contains 250 times more fluoride than in mothers’ milk. In 1950, when the Public Health Service first endorsed fluoridation, no studies had investigated possible adverse health effects.  Today, many published studies show fluoride is harmful, but the CDC is ignoring these studies and continues its relentless promotion and funding of this outdated practice.”

The only risk that the CDC acknowledges is dental fluorosis ? a tooth discoloration ? which impacts 32% of American children (1). Both the ADA and the CDC now advise that fluoridated water not be used to prepare infant formula (2,3).

According to Connett, “This marking of the enamel indicates a child has been over-exposed to fluoride. We are concerned about how fluoride may be affecting the rest of the child’s body. Over 20 studies show that fluoride can lower IQ (4,5).”

A 2006 National Research Council fluoride report revealed many health risks, including potential damage to the bones, brain and thyroid gland. The panel concluded that drinking fluoridated water would pose risks to those with thyroid or kidney disorders, diabetics, high water drinkers and infants and recommended that the US EPA lower their safe drinking water standard (6).

This new research has prompted over 1,800 professionals to call for an end to fluoridation worldwide (7).

Meanwhile, researchers reporting in the British Medical Journal (Oct 2007) showed that tooth decay was coming down as fast in non-fluoridated countries as fluoridated ones (8).

“It is clear that the CDC’s Oral Health Division, is misleading the public about the safety and effectiveness of water fluoridation,” says Connett.

“They must be held accountable for this. We need both political parties to resist the well-heeled dental lobby.  Our children’s health and the public’s trust in government health agencies is at stake,” says Connett.

CONTACT: Paul Connett, Ph.D., Fluoride Action Network, paul@fluoridealert.org

References:

1) CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). 2008. Enamel fluorosis among persons aged 6-39 years, by selected characteristics ? United States, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999-2002 (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/figures/s403a1t23.gif). Table 23 from MMWR Weekly, Populations Receiving Optimally Fluoridated Public Drinking Water — United States, 1992–2006 (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5727a1.htm), 57(27): 737-741. July 11, 2008.

2) ADA (American Dental Association). 2006. Interim guidance on reconstituted infant formula. E-gram. November 9.
http://www.ada.org/prof/resources/pubs/epubs/egram/egram_061109.pdf

3) CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). 2007. Background: infant formula and the risk for enamel fluorosis. August 9.
http://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/safety/infant_formula.htm
 
4)  Tang QQ, Du J, Ma HH, Jiang SJ, Zhou XJ. 2008. Fluoride and children’s intelligence: a meta-analysis. Biological Trace Element Research. August 10. [Epub ahead of print].
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18695947?dopt=AbstractPlus
 
5) Fluoride, Quarterly Journal of the International Society for Fluoride Research, April-June 2008,
http://fluoridealert.org/fluoride.v41.2.2008.pdf. See also http://www.Fluoridealert.org/brain

6)  National Research Council. 2006. Fluoride in drinking water: a scientific review of EPA’s standards. Committee on Fluoride in Drinking Water, Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology, Division on Earth and Life Studies, National Research Council of the National Academies. March.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11571.html?onpi_newsdoc03222006
 
7)  Fluoride Action Network. 2007-2008. Professionals’ statement calling for an end to fluoridation and Congressional hearings.
http://www.fluorideaction.org/statement.august.2007.html
 
8)  Cheng KK, Chalmers I, Sheldon TA. 2007. Adding fluoride to water supplies. British Medical Journal 335(7622): 699?702. October 6.
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/335/7622/699