3M to stop making many Scotchgard products

CHICAGO, May 17 (Reuters) – Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co. (3M) said on Tuesday it would stop making many of its well-known Scotchgard products after tests revealed the chemical compounds involved linger in the environment and in the human body for years. Medical monitoring of employees at plants that make the chemicals have shown the […]

CDC Engineer Touts Fluoride’s Benefits

WOODS CROSS — The national debate about fluoridated water — like the one shaping up in Utah this year — is purely political and emotional, a federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention engineer said Tuesday. One thing it’s not, said David Apanian, is scientific. “Scientifically, [fluoridation] is absolutely safe. It is effective. There are […]

National Water Week Marked by Congressional Probe on Fluoridation

In the week set aside by President Bush in 1990 for observance May 7 – 13, 2000 as National Drinking Water Week, the House of Representatives Committee on Science expanded their field of inquiry on fluoridation of public water systems to include other agencies that play a part in the decisions and actions surrounding the […]

Wound Up About Fluoride

A little bit of poison can be good for you. It’s a pretty fundamental tenet of medicine and of life. Just the right amount of aspirin, even wine or beer, can extend your life; too much and you’re on your way to detox. The old axiom of excess and moderation is also the basis of […]

Recycling company added to EPA “significant violators list”

LYON TOWNSHIP, Mich – An Oakland County recycling company under scrutiny for allegedly releasing toxic smoke has been placed on a federal pollution list. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency named Continental Aluminum Inc. to its “significant violators list,” which can lead to daily fines of up to $27,500 and criminal charges for deliberate pollution, The […]

West Maryland Cities Revisit Fluoride Issue

CUMBERLAND – Crime, taxes and schools are the usual campaign fodder in municipal elections, but in two Western Maryland cities the burning topic this spring is one long ago settled in most communities without debate: fluoride. Barring a last-minute court ruling, Cumberland voters are to decide May 16 whether to repeal a decade-old ban on […]

Gerber Introduces Non-Fluoride Toothpaste for Babies

Opponents of water fluoridation have brandished a new weapon: a fluoride-free baby tooth cleaner that the Gerber Products Co. markets as safe and gentle. Nashua resident Paul Harrington, president of New Hampshire Citizens for Health and Freedom, said Gerber was obviously concerned about a baby’s overexposure to fluoride. But a Manchester city health official said […]

Fluoride: A debate you can sink your teeth into

First, the dread. Then, you’re on your back in a big, padded chair, which would almost be cozy if not for the fact that there’s a hot light burning your face, your cheeks are stuffed with cotton, and a latex-gloved hand is poking around inside of your mouth. Most likely, anyone who has been to […]

Golding seeking fluoride approval in San Diego

San Diego Mayor Susan Golding will ask the City Council on Tuesday to approve a plan to add fluoride to the city’s drinking water to reduce tooth decay. “It’s a health issue,” Golding said in a telephone interview yesterday. “San Diego is the largest city in the country without community fluoridation.” Money to pay for […]