An historic moment in the battle against water fluoridation

It took about forty days for a dedicated team working with the Fluoride Action Network (FAN) in several countries and across North America to achieve an historic moment in the battle against water fluoridation.

On August 9, 2007, FAN released a Statement signed by over 600 professionals calling for an end to fluoridation and a call to legislators in fluoridating countries to hold hearings to determine why, after the release of the landmark National Research Council report in 2006, aggressive promotion of fluoridation continues.

As of May 20, 2008:
Signers by-degree: Listed only once according to their highest degree (often a difficult call to make).

• 246 PhD's (includes DSc, Doctor of Science)
• 226 Dentists (DDS, DMD, BDS)
• 215 MD's (includes MBBS)
• 208 DC's (Doctor of Chiropractic)
• 202 Nurses (RN, BSN, ARNP, APRN, LNC)
• 96 ND's (Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine)
• 45 Lawyers (JD and LLB)
• 32 RDHs (Registered Dental Hygienist and RDHAP)
• 29 Acupuncturists (LAc - Licensed Acupuncturist, and, MAc -Master Acupuncturist)
• 28 Pharmacists (Pharm.D, B. Pharm, DPh, RPH)
• 18 DO's (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine)

Signers include:
• Arvid Carlsson, Nobel Laureate for Physiology or Medicine, 2000
• Raul Montenegro, PhD, Right Livelihood Award 2004 (known as the Alternative Nobel Prize), President of FUNAM, Professor of Evolutionary Biology, National University of Cordoba, Argentina
• The current President and six past Presidents of the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology
• The Board of Directors, American Academy of Environmental Medicine
• Three members of the National Research Council committee who wrote the landmark 2006 report: Fluoride in Drinking Water: A Scientific Review of EPA's Standards (Hardy Limeback, PhD, DDS; Robert L. Isaacson, PhD; Kathleen M. Thiessen, PhD)
• Two advisory board members of the UK government sponsored “York Review”
• Theo Colborn, PhD, co-author, Our Stolen Future
• Chris Bryson, author, The Fluoride Deception
• Three officers in the union representing EPA professionals in DC
• Ken Cook and Richard Wiles, President and Executive Director, Environmental Working Group (EWG)
• Vyvyan Howard, MD, PhD, newly elected President, International Society of Doctors for the Environment (ISDE)
• Magda Aelvoet, MD, Former Minister of Public Health, Leuven, BELGIUM
• Peter Montague, PhD, Director of Environmental Health Foundation
• Ted Schettler, MD, Science Director, Science and Environmental Health Network
• Stephen Lester, Science Director, Center for Health, Environment, and Justice
• Lois Gibbs, Executive Director, Center for Health, Environment, and Justice, Goldman Prize Winner (1990), Falls Church, VA
• Pat Costner, retired Senior Scientist, Greenpeace International
• Ron Cummins, Director, Organic Consumers Association
• Sandra Duffy, Board President, Consumers for Dental Choice
• Joseph Mercola, Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, http://www.mercola.com, Chicago, IL
• Leo Cashman, Executive Director of DAMS (Dental Amalgam Mercury Syndrome)
• Sam Epstein, MD, author, “Politics of Cancer” and Chairman, Cancer Prevention Coalition
• Jay Feldman, Executive Director, Beyond Pesticides
• Prominent members of the Collegios Medicos, Puerto Rico
• FIVE Goldman Prize winners (2006, 2003, 1997, 1995, 1990)
• Gary Liss and other leaders in the Zero Waste movement
• Lynn Margulis, PhD, a recipient of the National Medal of Science
• Environmental leaders from over 30 countries, and
• Legendary folksinger, songwriter and activist, Pete Seeger
• Doug Everingham, former Federal Health Minister (1972-75), Australia

The over 1,000 signers represent a remarkable coming together of those concerned about fluoride and those concerned about mercury issues; doctors practicing conventional medicine and those pursuing alternative treatments and the public health and the environmental health communities. All believe that public health policy should be determined honestly with full attention paid to sound science and to ethical principles.

According to Dr. Paul Connett, the Executive Director of FAN, “What we are seeing here is the judgment of professionals across the world, not trapped by a ‘fluoridation belief system,’ that the information on the health effects contained in the National Research Council report of 2006, together with a growing number of peer reviewed studies showing that fluoridation has only weak or no benefits, leads to one conclusion: the meager benefits do not outweigh the serious risks and fluoridation must be stopped.”

Connett adds, “Now our task is to get health officials, regulators, and the media to exercise due diligence in this matter and seriously examine the information presented in the Professionals’ Statement. Fluoridation will only end in the US when officials in the Oral Health Division of the CDC are forced to defend, under oath, their zealous promotion of this practice. They appear to be oblivious to its ineffectiveness and the dangers it poses to the American people – and people in the handful of other fluoridated countries.”

To this end, FAN has organized an ONLINE ACTION PETITION to Congress allowing citizens to add their support to the Professionals’ Statement and the call for new Congressional Hearings.

August 9, 2007, was an historic day for this movement because it marks the day when those who promote fluoridation can no longer claim that they represent a single “authority” on this matter. Over 1,000 professionals have seen through their hollow rhetoric and are demanding an end to this outdated practice. August 9, 2007 marked the beginning of the end of fluoridation worldwide.

Connett concludes, "The Professionals’ Statement is the rock on which we will build the rest of our campaign."