Editor’s note: On May 27, the Cape Breton Post published a column by Sydney resident Marlene Kane which called for a ban on water fluoridation. On June 6, the Post published a letter from Juliet Guichon, an assistant professor at the University of Calgary, who called the ban fear mongering. This prompted a response from many parts of the country and beyond.
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Letter from David Donohue
Prof. Guichon dismissed “misleading statements” opposing water fluoridation, but offered absolutely no argument in favor of the practice aside from her “just trust us” assertion.
Here are some facts. Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) drinking water is treated with a substance called fluorosilicic acid. One does not require the “five year post medical school training” quoted by Guichon to discover that fluorosilicic acid is toxic. It is a waste by-product of the phosphate fertilizer manufacturing industry, and it is not regarded as a pharmaceutical grade substance.
I’ll say that one more time: the fluoride in our drinking water is NOT regarded as a pharmaceutical grade substance.
A University of Liverpool study noted that any fluorosilicic acid produced but not utilized for water fluoridation must be disposed of as a hazardous toxic waste.
In a 2001 review of toxicological literature, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services determined that inhalation of the fumes causes “burning of the eyes and numbness around the lips.” The report noted that, when swallowed, severe irritation of the lungs, nose and throat can occur, as well as severe damage to the throat and stomach.
Sounds delicious, doesn’t it? The same report noted that a spill incident of the chemical on a highway in Florida resulted in more than 50 people exposed to the chemical being sent to hospital suffering from headaches, skin and respiratory irritation, and burning in the throat.
I challenge anyone with or without Guichon’s “five-year post medical school training” to convince us that such a substance could be 100 per cent safe to drink at any dosage.
By David Donohue
Sydney
*See also the letters from
– Bill Osmunson, DDS, MPH, http://fluoridealert.org/news/criticism-of-fluoridation-ban-call-has-provoked-reaction/
– Christine Massey, M.Sc., http://fluoridealert.org/news/massey-letter-criticism-of-fluoridation-ban-call-has-provoked-reaction-2/
– David Green – http://fluoridealert.org/news/david-green-letter-criticism-of-fluoridation-ban-call-has-provoked-reaction/
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