FAN in the News:
2007-2010
2011-2012

2006:

Health dept. issues fluoridation warning – Bratteboro Reformer (Vermont, USA), December 19, 2006

“But Michael Connett, an anti-fluoride activist who works for the Fluoride Action Network, said the health department warning is an important wake-up call and should not be taken lightly. For years, Connett said, both the ADA and the Vermont Health Department have been hesitant to do anything but fully endorse the use of fluoride.”

New Fluoride Warning for Infants – Mothering Magazine (USA), November 2006

“‘Water is supposed to be safe for everyone. Why add a chemical that makes it knowingly unfit for young children? The US should follow Europe’s lead and end fluoridation,’ says Michael Connett, Project Director of the Fluoride Action Network.”

Water Fluoridation: A Debate with Teeth – Bangor Daily News (Maine, USA), November 20, 2006

“With fluoride in the water supply, he said, ‘People don’t have to do anything’ to get the benefit of fluoride. But that passive consumption is just what bothers Michael Connett of the international Fluoride Action Network. The nonprofit group seeks to educate consumers about the dangers of exposure to fluoride in water supplies, foods, pesticides and other sources. Connett said in a recent phone interview from his home in Vermont that most people don’t have any idea whether their water contains added fluoride and don’t understand the risk of overexposure. ‘The fact that it’s been going on so long doesn’t mean it’s OK,’ he said.”

At the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, One Professor’s Flouride Scandal Stinks– The Harvard Crimson (USA), September 28, 2006

“The plot thickened like old toothpaste when another element surfaced. Douglass had served as editor-in-chief of the Colgate Oral Care Report since 1997, which according to its website “is supported by the Colgate-Palmolive Company for oral care professionals.” Colgate toothpaste, of course, contains fluoride, and it didn’t take long for the EWG and another group, the Fluoride Action Network (FAN), to cry conflict of interest.”

Fluoride Risks Are Still A Challenge – Chemical & Engineering News (USA), September 4, 2006

“The status of the long-running debate over fluoride use and exposure was the subject of a citizens’ conference held at St. Lawrence University, Canton, N.Y., on July 28-30. The meeting was organized by Paul Connett, emeritus professor of chemistry at St. Lawrence and executive director of the Fluoride Action Network. Three members of the National Research Council (NRC) committee that wrote a fluoride report released in March 2006 spoke at the meeting. In addition, J. William Hirzy, an Environmental Protection Agency scientist, and Donald R. Taves, a retired toxicologist who did extensive research on fluoride at the University of Rochester, as well as several other scientists, participated.”

The National Academy of Sciences reports on fluoride – PCC Sound Consumer (Seattle, Washington), August 2006

“‘We’re a stone’s throw away from ending fluoridation … if honest science prevails at the EPA. And that’s a huge if,’ says Paul Connett, executive director of Fluoride Action Network and professor emeritus of chemistry at St. Lawrence University.”

Fluoride Fixation – NOW Magazine (Toronto, Canada), July 27-August 2, 2006

“But scientists and concerned citizens are saying that’s not good enough. ‘It is far too high,’ says Paul Connett, environmental chemistry and toxicology prof at St. Lawrence University and exec director of the U.S.-based Fluoride Action Network. He says the health effects we’re seeing on the brain, thyroid gland, bones and teeth are occurring very close to if not at 1 part per million and even lower. Connett warns we’re not giving ourselves much of a margin of safety. ‘No honest toxicologist would for one moment entertain exposure to people where the beneficial dose and the toxic dose are so close in a situation where you cannot control who it’s going to. It’s going to the very young, the very old, the infirm, people with poor kidney function [who can’t clear fluoride from their system]. It’s totally non-discriminatory.'”

Scientist to speak in Canton about fluoride risks – Watertown Daily Times (New York, USA), July 25, 2006

“Paul H. Connett, professor emeritus of chemistry at St. Lawrence University, said the conference is a chance for scientists and the public to meet and discuss the effects of fluoride in terms anyone can understand. Mr. Connett is director of the Fluoride Action Network, which is sponsoring the conference.”

Take Action on Fluoride Pesticides in Foods– Organic Consumers Association (USA), July 21, 2006

“A coalition of health and environmental groups have filed a petition with the EPA, indicating the agency has violated federal laws for establishing allowable levels of fluoride pesticide residues in foods. Specifically, the petitioners (including Fluoride Action Network, Beyond Pesticides and Environmental Working Group) are asking the EPA to prohibit the use of sulfuryl fluoride in food production.”

Fluoride… Good for the teeth or bad to the bone? Times Daily (Alabama, USA), July 20, 2006

“Communities like Pagosa Springs aren’t alone in their choice to reject fluoridation. Michael Connett, with the Fluoride Action Network, said 70 communities nationwide have taken the same route since 2000. He contends that fluoride, which is also used as a pesticide and insecticide, has no benefits when consumed as a part of a water supply. ‘The benefits dentists are taking about are when fluoride is applied directly to teeth,’ he said. ‘The largest source of fluoride exposure for people is in their water because we have so much fluoridation in this country.'”

Activists Target Fluoride Pesticides To Tighten Drinking Water Limits – InsideEPA (USA), July 18, 2006

“Environmentalists are poised to challenge EPA’s decision to license a fluoride-based soil fumigant pesticide, which they say could draw attention to the broader issue of whether fluoride standards for drinking water adequately protect public health… Environmental Working Group (EWG), Fluoride Action Network (FAN) and Beyond Pesticides charge that allowing any use of the pesticide will increase fluoride-related human health risks. They argue EPA’s decision did not meet statutory requirements in the 1996 Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) amendments to the Federal Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), and threaten legal action if EPA does not open a public hearing on sulfuryl fluoride safety limits, known as tolerances.”

Water issue to city ballot – Colorado Daily News (Colorado, USA), July 13, 2006

“On the other hand, a report called “Tooth Decay Trends in Fluoridated vs. Unfluoridated Countries” posted on the Fluoride Action Network site at www.fluoridealert.org/WHO-dmft.htm suggested that tooth decay has also declined significantly over the past 30-40 years in many European nations that don’t fluoridate drinking water.”

Methyl bromide allocation declines as use of alternative rises – Greenwire (USA), July 12, 2006

“Last month, the Fluoride Action Network, Beyond Pesticides and the Environmental Working Group submitted a petition to the agency requesting a hearing on sulfuryl fluoride and seeking an immediate stay on its food use tolerances. The groups accused EPA of “proceeding superficially, inadequately, and thus in violation of the Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act and the Administrative Procedures Act” when the tolerances were first issued in 2004.”

Fighting Fluoride – St Cloud Times (Minnesota, USA), July 11, 2006

“Thirty-six years after fluoride was mandated to be added to all public water supplies in Minnesota, people continue to debate its safety. The chemical is said to strengthen teeth and prevent tooth decay. But a Sauk Rapids man has taken it upon himself, as the state representative of an anti-fluoride organization, to campaign to remove the chemical from municipal water. Jason Krueger has given speeches to organizations, spoken with legislators and had letters to the editor appear in publications around Minnesota, including the St. Cloud Times. Krueger is the Minnesota representative of the Fluoride Action Network – “an international coalition seeking to broaden public awareness about the toxicity of fluoride compounds and the health impacts of current fluoride exposures,” according to its Web site.”

BF residents get conflicting reports on fluoride – Brattleboro Reformer (Vermont, USA), May 11, 2006

“Along with Carton, the environmental scientist, Len Weldon, a dentist from Keene, N.H., and Michael Connett of the Fluoride Action Network told the crowd about the health risks of fluoride. They also said any supposed health benefits are overstated or just plain wrong. “It is a reckless form of treatment,” Connett said. “Putting it in everyone’s water takes away the right to choose. There are too many unanswered health questions.”

Fluoride 101: What are the arguments against fluoride? – The Standard-Times (Massachusetts, USA), May 5, 2006

“Dr. Paul Connett, a chemistry professor at St. Lawrence University and executive director of the Fluoride Action Network, says hydrofluorosilicic acid is more dangerous to human health because it contains traces of arsenic, a known carcinogen.”

Fluoride 101: What do other countries do? – The Standard-Times (Massachusetts, USA), May 3, 2006

“The Fluoride Action Network is an international coalition committed to broadening public awareness about the toxicity of fluoride compounds and the effects of fluoride exposure on health. FAN has an extensive Web site that shows that most Western European countries have rejected adding fluoride to drinking water. Even some cities that had been fluoridating water recently decided to stop ….”

In the spotlight: Paul Connett – Water Technology Online (USA), April 2006

“The American Dental Association (ADA) and other organizations support the addition of fluoride to municipal water sources and bottled water, backing their opinion with years of clinical research saying it helps reduce tooth decay. But the addition of fluoride has come under public scrutiny as controversial studies have linked fluoride to brain lesions, Alzheimer’s disease and even cancer. Paul Connett, Ph.D., professor of chemistry at St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY, is executive director of the Fluoride Action Network (FAN), a group that strongly questions the merits of drinking water fluoridation. He spoke with Water Technology® in mid-March about FAN and its views.”

Government Panel Raises Concern About Fluoride – Wall Street Journal (USA), March 23, 2006

“When one couples the risks with the lack of understanding on what the safe doses are for neurotoxic and other effects, it should cause a great deal of concern,” says Michael Connett of the Fluoride Action Network, a nonprofit group that opposes fluoridation.”

Activists worry a new pesticide will put toxic levels of fluoride in your food – San Antonio Current (Texas, USA), March 22, 2006:

“Last December, the Fluoride Action Network, Beyond Pesticides, and the Environmental Working Group issued a statement to the EPA opposing government approval of ProFume. They contend that fluoride’s cumulative effects can be harmful in places where children and adults drink highly fluoridated water and use toothpaste.”

Fluoride issue on Burlington ballot – Burlington Free Press (Vermont, USA), January 25, 2006

“Michael Connett, who also is project director for the Burlington-based Fluoride Action Network, said Tuesday that the vote March 7 will give Burlington residents a chance to express their opposition to an “ineffective and outdated form of mandatory medication.” He said a number of health risks have been associated with the ingestion of fluoride.”

Dispute over Methyl Bromide alternative prompts debate on fluoride – Inside EPA (USA), January 20, 2006

“environmentalists dispute the scientific basis of EPA’s 2004 approval of the pesticide sulfuryl fluoride, which is manufactured by Dow AgroSciences, LLC, claiming the agency used a flawed risk assessment that violates the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA). The groups Fluoride Action Network, Beyond Pesticides and Environmental Working Group (EWG) are now challenging the decision through administrative means, which an EWG source says eventually could lead to litigation. The activists allege that EPA ignored data on the risks of sulfuryl fluoride because the agency did not want to undermine its threshold limits on fluoridation of drinking water.”

2005:

The debate over community water fluoridation – Vermont Edition, Vermont Public Radio (USA), December 21, 2005

Several towns have taken up the debate over community water fluoridation. Dr. Steve Arthur of the Vermont Health Department explains why health professionals support fluoridation, and Michael Connett of the Fluoride Action Network discusses why his group wants fluoride reduced and eliminated from community water supplies.

Communities debate fluoride in tap water – The Associated Press (Vermont, USA), November 26, 2005

The debate has drawn both philosophical and scientific responses, with arguments over the success of fluoride in solving the public health problem of tooth decay to opposition as well from those who see as the government unfairly medicating their water. “On a very basic level it’s a medical ethics issue,” said Michael Connett of Burlington, project director for the Fluoride Action Network, which is driving much of the debate in Burlington. “Fluoride is defined as a medicine. … But they’re crossing the line when they say, ‘I want you to have it, I want you to have it, I want every person in this community to have it,'” he said.

Say no to fluoridation, say medics – The Wanganui Chronicle (New Zealand), November 21, 2005

Water fluoridation is wrong, according to a group of Wanganui medical professionals. They have been providing the Wanganui District Council with up-to-date scientific information explaining their position. Ear, nose and throat surgeon PJ Faumui, osteopath Nigel Brooke and registered nurse Anne Carlile are fronting the group and say their views are supported by the Fluoride Action Network.

Fluoridation Vote Still Uncertain in Bellingham, Wash – All Things Considered, National Public Radio (USA), November 14, 2005

Around the country fluoridation is back as a political issue and as NPR’s Martin Kaste reports fluoride opponents believe the tide is turning their way… Chemistry professor Paul Connett runs the internet-based Fluoride Action Network, a source of information for anti-fluoridation campaigns… Opponents call this forced medication and at the moment that argument seems to be winning over many Americans. In local elections last week at least three communities rejected fluoridation and in Bellingham, where the pro-fluoridation campaign vastly outspent the opposition, the vote tally is still far too close to call.

Not in My Water Supply – TIME Magazine (USA), October 24, 2005

The CDC recently announced that 32% of American children now have some form of dental fluorosis, a white or brown mottling of the teeth. U.S. health officials see it as a cosmetic issue, largely caused by ill-advised swallowing of toothpaste, while fluoride critics say it shows that children are accumulating too much fluoride overall. The World Health Organization sets a fluoride-safety standard of 1.5 p.p.m.–well below the EPA’s 4-p.p.m. rule–partly to prevent enamel fluorosis. And in Western Europe, where the drop in tooth decay in recent decades is as sharp as that in the U.S., 17 of 21 countries have either refused or discontinued fluoridation, contending that fluoride toothpastes offer adequate protection. (Only Ireland adds fluoride to most of its water systems, while Switzerland fluoridates its salt.) Those facts, recycled through Web-savvy organizations like the Fluoride Action Network, are stirring up activists.

Public health bodies slam new fluoride tolerance levels – Food Navigator (USA), October 3, 2005

Environmental organizations claim that new food tolerances for the fluoride-based pesticide sulfuryl fluoride could be potentially damaging to public health… [T]he Environmental Working Group, Beyond Pesticides and the Fluoride Action Network (FAN) said that the maximum legal limits for the fluoride-based pesticide in foods have been set at levels that dwarf the amount allowed in tap water.

Professor’s Research Reignites Fluoride-Cancer Correlation Debate – Harvard Crimson (Massachusetts, USA), September 28, 2005

Another group, the Fluoride Action Network, has accused Douglass of having a conflict of interest. Douglass edits the Colgate Oral Care Report, a newsletter subsidized by Colgate Palmolive, which looks at issues affecting oral health. Colgate uses fluoride in its popular toothpaste. Claiming “ties to a company that profits from Fluoride,” the network asked the National Institute of Health, which has funded Douglass’ work, to remove Douglass from the study, eliminate all other conflicts of interest, and publish his data along with his conclusions.

Council passes resolution urging reduction of fluoride – Burlington Free Press (Vermont, USA), September 20, 2005

To fluoridation supporters — dentists and the Vermont Department of Health — adding fluoride to the water is a proven and cost-effective way to deliver a mineral that reduces tooth decay. To those who oppose it — groups such as the Fluoride Action Network — it is mandated medication that carries with it significant health risks, particularly for children.

Support inquiry into fluoride as carcinogen– Joplin Independent (Missouri, USA), September 14, 2005

An online petition calling for a Congressional investigation into the safety of fluoridation has been posted on the Fluoride Action Network website.

Fluoride opponents’ argument gains teeth – Lawrence Journal-World (Kansas, USA), August 24, 2005

Burgstahler — editor of the scientific journal “Fluoride” and a founding member of the anti-fluoridation Fluoride Action Network — said the past 60 years largely have been a farce. He said there are studies suggesting fluoride doesn’t do much to prevent tooth decay. And studies that suggest a benefit don’t adequately consider other factors that would account for improved dental health, such as better diets. And Burgstahler said there are major studies that raise questions about the safety of fluoride — including some that suggest links to increased cancer rates, thyroid problems and skin conditions.

BF trustees weigh fluoridation issue – Rutland Herald (Vermont, USA), August 24, 2005

Michael Connett, program director for Burlington’s Fluoride Action Network… stressed that the benefits come from topical application, and not through ingestion. “This was sold to us on the notion that we have to ingest it,” he said. “But now we know that it is not the best way to provide it.”

Report of toxic spill at Phillips plant not needed – Poughkeepsie Journal (New York, USA), August 12, 2005

Ammonium fluorosilicate damage to vehicle surfaces “would be immediately noticeable,” said Paul Connett, a professor of chemistry at St. Lawrence University in Canton, St. Lawrence County, and executive director of the Fluoride Action Network. Health effects would be harder to gauge, Connett said. “The issue is, how much did people breath into their lungs?” he said. “How much hand-to-mouth activity would they have had?”

Trustees discuss fluoride removal – Eagle Times (Vermont, USA), August 11, 2005

“The fact that something naturally occurs in water is no guarantee that it will be safe,” Paul Connett, executive director of the Fluoride Action Network in New York, said Wednesday. “Lead naturally occurs in some water. Arsenic naturally occurs in some water.”… Connett said health officials simply don’t want to upset a “beautiful theory” they invented in 1945, in which a public ill like tooth decay could be cured by adding a magic potion to the water.

Bellows Falls considers fluoridating its water – The Brattleboro Reformer (Vermont, USA), August 11, 2005

But according to Michael Connett, program director for the Fluoride Action Network, the only safe level is zero. “The evidence is clear,” he said. “Even dentists say that the benefits of fluoride are topical. Putting fluoride in a public water supply is not a good way of delivering this.”

Speaker flails value of fluoride – Bellingham Herald (Washington, USA), August 5, 2005

The leader of a national anti-fluoridation group blasted a proposal to fluoridate Bellingham’s drinking water Thursday night. Paul Connett, executive director of Fluoride Action Network and a chemistry professor at St. Lawrence University in New York, told about 60 people gathered at Broadway Hall in Bellingham that the risks of putting small amounts of fluoride in the city’s drinking water were greater than the potential benefits to oral health.

Mandatory fluoridation battle not over – Lovely County Citizen (Arkansas, USA), August 4, 2005

Besides attracting public health officials and dentists, the gathering also attracted more than 20 anti-fluoridation protesters from a dozen states. Dr. Mouden’s comments, in which he mocked members of the Arkansas legislature, were recorded by one of the protesters who attended the session, transcribed, and distributed by the Fluoride Action Network (FAN).

Danger on Tap – Organic Style Magazine (USA), July/August 2005

At the local level, many towns are opting to just say no to fluoride in the water. Since 1990, at least 130 communities in 30 states have voted against it. “Often we’ll hear a city councillor say something like, ‘Look, I’m not a doctor or a scientist, but there are so many questions outstanding that I think we should err on the side of caution,'” says Michael Connett, project director for the Fluoride Action Network, a Vermont-based organization of activists, environmentalists, and scientists that aims to educate the public about the risks of fluoridation.

Taking a Closer Look at Fluoride – Alternet (USA), July 21, 2005

Though generations of dental students have been sold on the dental benefits of fluoride, studies over the last decade in particular have suggested a correlation with cancer. Studies conducted by the National Toxicology Program and the New Jersey Department of Health, have shown higher than normal incidents of cancer in male rats exposed to fluoridated water, for example. Such studies have helped spawn grassroots opposition to fluoridation, and, since 1999, 70 U.S. communities have rejected fluoridation schemes, according to Fluoride Action Network, a watchdog group.

Board wants city to reduce fluoridation – Burlington Free Press (Vermont, USA), June 30, 2005

Michael Connett, director of the anti-fluoridation Fluoride Action Network, said he was encouraged that two of the board members had become worried about fluoridation after studying the issue, and he called the final board recommendation “a step in the right direction.”

Harvard Fluoride Findings Misrepresented? – Environmental Working Group (USA), June 28, 2005

EWG obtained the NIEHS grant report via the Fluoride Action Network, which received it from the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences.

NGO unearths research linking fluoride to cancer– IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre (Netherlands), June 28, 2005

Fluoride Action Network has unearthed an unpublished Harvard thesis [1] linking fluoride exposure to an increased rate of osteosarcoma (bone cancer) in boys. The findings have prompted the Washington-based Environmental Working Group (EWG) to ask the government’s National Toxicology Program (NTP) to evaluate the cancer-causing potential of fluoride in tap water. Osteosarcoma is a rare, but dangerous form of childhood cancer with a mortality rate in the first five years of about 50 per cent.

Contradictory scientific studies raise questions about fluoride safety– Burlington Free Press (Vermont, USA), June 23, 2005

Michael Connett, project director of the anti-fluoride organization Fluoride Action Network, said that although Masters is correct about the lack of FDA testing on silicofluorides, “the more important point, in my view, is that the FDA has never approved any fluoride product, including sodium fluoride, when used for ingestion. The FDA has only approved topical fluorides, e.g. toothpaste.”

Does fluoridated water still make sense? – Burlington Free Press (Vermont, USA), June 15, 2005

The Fluoride Action Network, a Burlington group, argues that fluoridation has a demonstrated link to bone cancer in young boys. Michael Connett, the director of the 500-member international organization, says the risks of water fluoridation are real and amply documented.

Thyroid Discovery – First Magazine (USA), June 13, 2005

For more information on fluoride overload and hypothyroidism, visit www.fluoridealert.org

Fluoride water ’causes cancer’ – The London Observer (UK), June 12, 2005

Environmental organisations were repeatedly denied access to it, and even bodies such as the US National Academy of Sciences could not get hold of a copy. Eventually two researchers from the Fluoride Action Network were allowed to read it in the rare books and special collections room at Harvard medical library.

New Science on Fluoride & Bone Cancer in Boys – Environmental Working Group (USA), June 6, 2005

Environmental Working Group (EWG) has attached to this petition, key portions of a doctoral dissertation from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine that found a strong, statistically significant relationship between fluoride in tap water at levels commonly found in American water supplies, and the rare but often fatal form of bone cancer, osteosarcoma, in boys…. Environmental Working Group obtained a copy of the results section of the document from the Fluoride Action Network, who sent two researchers to the library, each of whom were allowed to copy 10 percent of the document.

Fluoride again: Legislature had better take another look – Albany Democrat Herald (Oregon, USA), May 29, 2005

The anti-fluoride folks are gaining ground. According to one, the Fluoride Action Network, more than 100 U.S. and Canadian cities have either rejected or discontinued adding fluoride to their drinking water since 1990 (as of 2003).

Trading tooth decay for cancer – The Australian (Australia), May 25, 2005

For those who believe there are no serious health concerns I recommend that they read Christopher Bryson’s The Fluoride Deception, published last year, and visit www.fluorideaction.net/health, where they will see an abundance of recent studies. To claim that you can’t trust anything on the internet is childish. An article that has appeared in a peer-reviewed journal does not suddenly become invalid because it is made available to a wider audience.

Burlington Bites into the Fluoride Question– Seven Days (Vermont, USA), May 18, 2005

…the Burlington-based Fluoride Action Network. FAN, an international coalition of activists, scientists and concerned citizens, has waged a number of effective campaigns to convince municipalities to stop fluoridating their water.

EPA To Answer Alleged Children’s Risk From Methyl Bromide Substitute – Inside EPA (USA), May 9, 2005

EPA will soon respond to objections by environmentalists over pesticide tolerances for an agricultural fumigant that could serve as an alternative to the ozone-depleting chemical methyl bromide. EPA’s response would be the agency’s first public statement on a potential substitute to the widely used substance which is being phased out under an international agreement. The Fluoride Action Network Pesticide Project reiterated its public health concerns last month, by asking EPA for a public hearing on the first-time use standards of sulfuryl fluoride, which the group says could lead to bone damage and neurological problems particularly in children.

From bag to bone– Hood River News (Oregon, USA), April 26, 2005

The Fluoride Action Network is a convincing page. It has graphs and photos and diagrams. Most of the people quoted there have “Dr.” just before their names or “Ph.D.” just after. And their perspective is obvious: No fluoride in water.

Fluoride program opposed – The Sarnia Observer (Ontario, Canada), April 4, 2005

A group called the Fluoride Action Network says fluoride is a “cumulative poison” that can interfere with hormonal and some neurochemical signals. That’s the information politicians in Lambton Shores reviewed before unanimously deciding to ask all members of the Lambton Area Water Supply System (LAWSS) to remove fluoride at the plant.

The Fluoride Factor – Whole Life Times (USA), April 2005

“It is now the consensus view of the dental research community that fluoride’s primary benefit to teeth comes from topical application to the exterior of teeth, not from ingestion through the water supply,” says Michael Connett, project director of the Fluoride Action Network, a Burlington, Vermont-based watchdog group. “Since … the risks are primarily from ingestion … adding fluoride to the nation’s water — and thereby to the bulk of the nation’s processed food — is not a good way of minimizing ingestion of fluoride.”

Stop fluoridation now: new research on fluoride’s brain and thyroid toxicity– Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients (USA), April 2005

The Fluoride Action Network (FAN) is an international coalition whose main goals are “to educate the public on the toxicity of fluoride compounds and to end the outdated/hazardous practice of water fluoridation.” In addition to providing links to scientific studies, the Web site has a news-tracking page with citations and links for more than 1,200 relevant articles published in the US and worldwide in recent years.

2004:

Residents debate need for fluoride– The Daily Times (Tennessee, USA), December 2, 2004

The Fluoride Action Network points to numerous studies underlining the hazards of fluoride use, as well as comments from a 2000 Nobel Laureate in Medicine and a top U.S. Environmental Protection Agency official advising against use of fluoride.

Health at heart of fluoride dispute – Knoxville News Sentinel (Tennessee, USA), November 1, 2004

Michael Connett of Burlington, Vt., project director of Fluoride Action Network, adds that fluoride is believed to contribute to arthritis and damage brain tissue, affecting cognitive capabilities and learning. It also may have adverse effects on the kidneys and thyroid, he said.

Commissioners discuss purchase of refinery– Cushing Daily Citizen (Oklahoma, USA), October 21, 2004

According to Fluoride Action Network‘s Web site the acid is clear and fumes when it comes in contact with oxygen. It is poisonous by ingestion, inhalation, absorption or contact. Although not immediately deadly, it can kill anywhere from eight hours to three days later according to the network.

Mandatory fluoridation of drinking water up for debate – The Associated Press (New Jersey, USA), October 18, 2004

But some European countries with nonfluoridated public water supplies have seen even steeper declines, according to the Fluoride Action Network, an advocacy group citing data from the World Health Organization.

N.J. to consider fluoride in water – Philadelphia Inquirer (Pennsylvania, USA), October 17, 2004

Groups including the Fluoride Action Network and its affiliate, the New Jersey Citizens Opposing Forced Fluoridation (NJCOFF), must square off against dental associations, medical societies, the CDC and the surgeon general. They often win.

Too much fluoride: Parts of State Don’t Meet Safe Drinking Water Standards –
The Daily Press (Virginia, USA), October 10, 2004

Paul Connett, a professor of environmental chemistry and toxicology at St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y., and founder of the Vermont-based Fluoride Action Network, calls [dental fluorosis] a red flag. “It’s a warning sign that the child is overexposed to fluoride,” said Connett, who studied the health effects for years. “There may be other toxic effects that are not visible. It would be a miracle if the child that has dental fluorosis does not have other effects.”

Groups line up on fluoride issue – Clarksdale Press Register (Mississippi, USA), October 2, 2004

Connett, the project director for the Fluoride Action Network, believes Clarksdale citizens should consider all the facts before allowing city leaders to possibly follow the Mississippi Health Department’s advice to add the chemical to help prevent tooth decay… “Go and learn about this for yourself,” Connett advises. “You are going to be ingesting this for the rest of your life so you better know what they are going to put in there,” he said.

Mohawk official moves group with fluoride gas horror tale – Watertown Daily Times (New York, USA), August 3, 2004

For Michael P. Connett, project director of the Fluoride Action Network, which organized the conference, the Mohawk experience with fluoride represents a problem for all citizens and not just for those living near fluoride-emitting factories. It’s a problem for anyone who regularly ingests fluoridated water or uses fluoridated toothpaste, allowing the chemical to build up in their system, he said.”

Fluoride Controversy – Better Nutrition (Canada), August 2004

Fluoride is added to most US drinking water — although worldwide, very few countries fluoridate their water. Yet dental health in nonfluoridated Europe is better than here. In parts of Turkey and China where fluoride occurs naturally in high concentrations, skeletal brittleness and crippling — osteofluorosis — is common. And with fluoride now in toothpaste, water, food and many beverages, Nobel scientists and groups such as the Fluoride Action Network (www.fluoridealert.org) are raising the alarm.

To Add Or Not To Add – The Register Guard (Oregon, USA), July 27, 2004

When such elections do take place, however, they most often swing against fluoridation, said Michael Connett, research director for the Fluoride Action Network, an anti-fluoridation nonprofit based in Burlington, Vt. He said 60 percent to 65 percent of such elections result in fluoride being removed or never added to the water supply.

Health dangers of fluoride to be conference topic – Watertown Daily Times (New York, USA), June 28, 2004

The Mohawks are working with the Fluoride Action Network, Canton, to bring in scientists, journalists and environmental policymakers who can educate people on why fluoride may be as bad for them as it is for cattle.

South Blount Utility Board Opts Against Fluoridation – The Daily Times (Tennessee, USA), June 27, 2004

Isom Lail, South Blount Utility District manager, said he and project coordinator Henry Durant recommended to utility district board members that fluoride not be used in the water… Lail cited as basis for the decision the Fluoride Action Network‘s list of reasons not to use fluoride.

Groups Challenge EPA’s Approval of Dow’s Sulfuryl Fluoride – Beyond Pesticides (USA), March 30, 2004

On March 22, 2004, the Fluoride Action Network (FAN) formally challenged US EPA’s approval of Sulfuryl fluoride for use as a fumigant on a wide variety of foods… The Washington, DC-based Beyond Pesticides joined FAN in submitting Written Objections and a Request for a Hearing, the process necessary to formally challenge EPA’s decision.

2003:

Coronet testing will not expand – Tampa Tribune (Florida, USA), December 2, 2003

Tribune research by Jody Habayeb and Frances Bekafigo; Sources: Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Fluoride Action Network

Is drinking water fluoridation nothing to smile about? – Toxic Times, October 2003

For more information about fluoride issues visit http://www.fluoridealert.org

Fluoridation Nation– Seven Days (Vermont, USA), September 10, 2003

The irony of conventional wisdom is how much of it eventually gets debunked. Not long ago, schoolchildren were routinely sprayed with DDT to repel mosquitoes, pregnant women were given thalidomide to treat morning sickness, and people suffering from mental illness were lobotomized to calm them down. Before such practices were revealed as more injurious than the problems they purportedly cured, those who challenged the medical establishment were often branded as quacks, frauds or madmen. Only time revealed whether their apostasy was preposterous or visionary. One can only wonder what time will tell about the Fluoride Action Network, a Burlington-based international coalition of activists, scientists and environmental groups founded in May 2000. FAN’s goal is to raise public awareness about the deleterious effects of water fluoridation and to convince municipalities they should discontinue the practice.

Fluoride Concerns Surface Once Again – Chemical & Engineering News (USA), August 25, 2003

Connett [Executive Director of FAN] said it is likely that many people who live in communities with moderate fluoride content in their water supplies (about 1 ppm, for example) experience preclinical skeletal fluorosis. Some individuals who have lived all their lives in areas with 1 ppm fluoride in the water supply have been found to have elevated levels of fluoride in their bone ash, he explained. There is evidence from both human and animal studies that cortical bone with excessive levels of fluoride is more brittle and prone to fracture, Connett said. With the exception of vertebrae, most bones in the body are primarily cortical, including the femoral neck in the hip. Consequently, people who accumulate excessive levels of fluoride in their bones are probably more likely to experience a hip fracture, he said.

Water fights – National Review (USA), June 30, 2003

The “anti-fluoridationists” are quite well organized, with a variety of websites, activist groups, and leaders. The main anti- fluoridation engine, it would seem, is F.A.N. (or the Fluoride Action Network). Its overarching goal is to “end fluoridation of public water supplies worldwide.”

2002:

Fluoride debate – Billings Gazette (Montana, USA), October 27, 2002

Although fluoridation is endorsed by an overwhelming majority of public health authorities, opponents have experts and advanced-degree holders in their corner as well. Among them is Paul Connett, Ph.D., a chemistry professor at St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y., who helped found the Fluoride Action Network, one of the best-known groups working to defeat fluoridation.

Fluoride link to children’s bone disease – The Sunday Herald (Scotland), October 6, 2002

Paul Connett, professor of chemistry at St Lawrence University in New York and a founding member of the Fluoride Action Network, said: “Far from dental fluorosis being an inconvenient cosmetic problem, it may be an indicator of bone damage. What we need to know is how much fluoride is being deposited in our bones. Sadly, there is a glaring absence of such data.

Nuclear plant to supply fluoride for water – The Sunday Tribune (South Africa), June 30, 2002

For more information on the fluoride issue… The international Fluoride Action Network has compiled a document entitled “50 reasons to oppose fluoride”, available on the web at http://www.fluoridealert.org/50-reasons.htm

Fluoride’s mark – Philadelphia Inquirer (Pennsylvania, USA), April 15, 2002

“It’s a red flag,” said Paul Connett, of Fluoride Action Network, an anti-fluoride coalition. “Fluorosis is saying ‘this kid has been overexposed to fluoride.'” ”
It tells us something else might be going on,” said Connett, a chemistry professor at St. Lawrence University in New York.

2001:

Coahoma County’s water fluoride-deficient, health officials say – Clarksdale Press Register (Mississippi, USA), November 10, 2001

One Internet web site maintained by the Fluoride Action Network lists “50 Reasons to Oppose Fluoridation.” The group contends that research showing fluoridation prevents cavities is flawed and that it is easy to receive an overdose of the chemical, resulting in a condition known as dental fluoridosis, which actually damages the teeth of growing children.

Chemist blasts fluoride – Bennington Banner (Vermont, USA), March 26, 2001

A graduate of Cambridge University, Connett holds a Ph.D. from Dartmouth College. He joined the faculty at St. Lawrence in 1983, and has received several awards for his work. Connett is a founder of the Fluoride Action Network, and contributes regularly to the organization’s web site at www.fluoridealert.org.

Fluoride fight bubbles up – The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Wisconsin, USA), January 29, 2001

For information about the potential pros and cons of fluoride, visit these Web sites: www.ada.org for the American Dental Association and www.fluoridealert.org for the Fluoride Action Network, which opposes fluoride in public water supplies.