UPDATE: SECOND CALL FOR INFORMATION. Deadline: June 26, 2009
The four documents to read:
• 2nd Call for Information (html)
• Final Working Mandate on fluoride/fluoridation chemicals (pdf)
• Explanation of the changes made from the first Working Mandate (pdf)
• May 12, 2009, Minutes of the 1st Working Group on fluoridation of drinking water (pdf)
The European Commission Health and Consumer Protection Directorate General requested the Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks (SCHER) to "critically review any information that has become available in the public domain on the hazard profile and epidemiological evidence of adverse and/or beneficial health effects of fluoride and to assess the health risks that may be associated with the use of the most common drinking water fluoridation agents (e.g. silicofluorides)."
The deadline for the FIRST Call for Information was April 26. In response to 97 comments received in the first round, the "Working Mandate on Fluoridation" has been revised and a new call for information has been issued.
In line with the modified final mandate, interested parties are invited to submit by June 26, 2009:
1) In particular the submissions should focus on evidence made available after 2004 and on evidence that was made available before 2004 but which was not considered in the previous evaluations by the European Union scientific Bodies (Scientific Committee on Consumer Products, 20.09.05, European Food Safety Authority Scientific Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies, NDA 22.02.05, and Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain, CONTAM 22.06.09)
2) Scientific peer reviewed research papers, reviews and reports on the hazard profile, health effects (positive and negative), and human exposure (direct or indirect via drinking water and the environment) to most common drinking water fluoridating agents e.g. silicofluorides like ((hydro)fluorosilicic acid, sodium silicofluoride, disodium hexafluorosilicate or hexafluorosilicic acid) used in drinking water fluoridation.
3) Other credible scientific information that may not be easily available and which is directly relevant to this issue.
• OF CONCERN: The following appeared in the May 12 minutes of the SCHER Working Group
Some members of the WG [Working Group] declared a possible conflict of interest in view of their affiliations and/or previous research work.
Taking into account the nature of the declarations, the members of the WG agreed that these did not constitute a conflict of interest and that all experts could participate in the WG.
In accordance with the Rules of Procedure, all declarations will be published after the completion of the work and the publication of the opinion.
Email your comments to
Sanco-Sc8-Secretariat@ec.europa.eu
SUBJECT: SCHER: Fluoridation - Call for Information
FIRST Solicitation for Public Comments
Working mandate on fluoride and chemicals used in the fluoridation of drinking water:
The European Commission Health and Consumer Protection Directorate General have requested the Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks (SCHER) to critically review any information that has become available in the public domain since 2005 on the hazard profile and epidemiological evidence of adverse and/or beneficial health effects of fluoride and to assess the health risks that may be associated with the use of silicofluorides acid in drinking water fluoridation.
Comments due April 8, 2009 on the Working mandate on the hazard profile, health effects, and human exposure to fluoride and assessment of the drinking water fluoridation agents.
Submission:
• Paul Connett, PhD, Executive Director, Fluoride Action Network, Working Mandate on Fluoridation, March 30, 2009.
• Rudolf Ziegelbecker jr., Mag.rer.nat., Dipl.-Ing., Dr.techn., Comments on the "working mandate," April 8, 2009
"Call for Information" due April 26, 2009:
1) Scientific peer reviewed research papers, reviews and reports (later than 2004) on hazard profile, health effects, and human exposure to fluoride and hydrofluorosilicic acid used in drinking water fluoridation.
2) Scientific peer reviewed research papers, reviews and reports on hazard profile, health effects, and human exposure to silicofluorides e.g. ((hydro)fluorosilicic acid, sodium silicofluoride, disodium hexafluorosilicate or hexafluorosilicic acid) used in drinking water fluoridation.
3) Other credible scientific information that may not be easily available and which is directly relevant to this issue.
Submission by the Fluoride Action Network:
• FAN's May 4, 2009 Letter to the SCHER Committee
• PART 1: Categorization of the submitted studies by subject
• PART 2: List of studies by author
Other Submissions:
Douglass Cross BSc. CBiol. MIBiol. EurProBiol., April
7, 2009
• Submission
Some attachments:
-- Revelant comments from the "Dental epidemiological survey of 5-year-old children in Wales in 2003/2004."
-- 2004/27/EC on Medicines for Human Use
-- 2006/118/EC on the Protection of Groundwater Against Pollution
