Apologize for Fluoridation; Don't Celebrate It, Say Experts
NYSCOF
that won't stop Michigan dentists from rejoicing with a special
fluoridation celebration on May 12, 2005 in Grand Rapids, Michigan,
home to the first municipality that enrolled its residents, 60 years
ago, in a cavity-prevention human experiment, without their informed
consent. (1)
In 1945, fluoride was added to Grand Rapids' drinking water to see
what would happen to children's teeth. But the methodologies used would
embarrass any self-respecting statistician or epidemiologist today,
according to a review in the journal Nature (2).
Also in 1945, Newburgh, New York, was the first city to use the entire
city's population to study fluoride's bad side effects to the rest of
the body. And the results were dismal.
After ten years, bone defects, and earlier female menstruation occurred
more often in Newburgh's children dosed with sodium fluoride-laced
drinking water when compared to the control city of Kingston, NY. (3)
According to Professor Paul Connett, PhD, who teaches environmental
chemistry and toxicology at St. Lawrence University in NY, "These
results were ignored at the time, but are now being seen as valuable
clues to far more serious problems, like accumulation of fluoride in
the human pineal gland with a possible lowering of melatonin levels
(Luke, 1997, 2001); increased bone fractures in children
(Alarcon-Herrera et al., 2001) and possibly increased osteosarcoma (a
bone cancer which is frequently fatal) rates in young men (NAS, 1977;
NTP, 1990; Hoover, 1991; Cohn 1992; and Mihashi 1996)."
Meanwhile, after over 50 years of water fluoridation, many children in
Newburgh, New York have more cavities and more fluoride-caused
discolored teeth (dental fluorosis) than children in never-fluoridated
Kingston, New York, according to a NYS Department of Health study
published in the NYS Dental Journal (February 1998, Figure 1, Page 41)
The hype expected at the May 12 "60 year fluoridation celebration" is
in sharp contrast to a more sober assessment of fluoridation's lack of
impact on dental caries made at a May 2, 2005 meeting of dental
specialists. Dr. Dushanka Kleinman, the chief dental health officer
for the U.S. Public Health Service, told about 600 people at the
National Oral Health Conference in Pittsburgh, "When U.S. Army reserves
get called to duty in Iraq, the most common reason they don't ship out
right away is poor oral health - and it's been that way since World War
II."
Kleinman summed it up this way: "the nation's oral health hasn't gotten
worse in the last 60 years or so. But it's also not getting better,
unlike many other medical conditions" reported the Associated Press
(4).
"Caries experience may be associated with income," reports the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Recently-released statistics posted
on the CDC's website shows low income, not fluoridation deficiency,
predicts more cavities (5).
"I don't blame the average dentist for going along with fluoridation,
I blame organized dentistry for not being honest about the benefits
which they have exaggerated and the serious health problems which they
ignore," says Connett, who is also Executive Director of the Fluoride
Action Network.
"The latest study from Australia, shows no benefit to the permanent
teeth from fluoridation (Armfield & Spencer, 2004)," Connett says.
"Other studies indicate an increase in hip fracture, an increase in
bone cancer, and damage to the brain at levels approximating what many
Americans now receive," says Connett.
"If fluoridation proponents could scientifically explain their
dismissal of these studies, they would be willing to publicly debate
the issue with scientists opposed to fluoridation. But they would not
debate even when invited to do so by the US Environmental Protection
Agency," Connett says.
"I would like to be an invited speaker at dentistry's next fluoridation
celebration July 13 -16, 2005, in Chicago; but I'm afraid fluoridation
supporters don't welcome any dissenting opinion," says Connett.
For more information, contact:
Dr. Paul Connett, Executive Director, Fluoride Action Network,
http://www.fluoridealert.org pa...@fluoridealert.org
Or
References:
(1) Michigan Dental Association Press Release 5/6/05 "60th
Anniversary of Water Fluoridation to Be Celebrated During Michigan
Dental Association Meeting in Grand Rapids"
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050506/def024.html?.v=2
(2) "The Mystery of Declining Tooth Decay," by Mark Diesendorf,
Nature July 10, 1986 (Volume 322; Pages 125-129)
http://www.fluorideaction.org/health/teeth/caries/diesendorf.html
(3) Schlesinger, E.R., et al (1956) "Newburgh-Kingston Caries-Fluorine
Study XIII. Pediatric Findings After Ten Years" Journal of the American
Dental Association
(4) "Nation's oral health not improving, dental group says,"
Associated Press Posted on May 03, 2005
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/11554694.htm
(5) "Fluoridation No Aid to Poor," News Release by NYS Coalition
Opposed to Fluoridation http://snipurl.com/eq9l
SOURCE: Fluoride Action Network http://www.fluoridealert.org
PO Box 5111
Burlington, Vermont 05402