Most of us would be incredulous if we were told that scientific papers on some sensitive subjects are being routinely rejected by journals for political reasons. The more informed among the readership might suggest that papers are sometimes rejected because of national security considerations, but almost never for purely political reasons. Unfortunately, our confidence in […]
News Archive
Welcome to the Fluoride Action Network News Archive. The FAN News Archive serves as an historical repository for fluoride news stories, positive or negative. Since FAN catalogs all news stories on fluoride, our news section remains a reliable database of all published fluoride news.
Our news database is categorized by country, state/province, and industry. This collection of articles is constantly being updated with the most recent global news on fluoride-related issues and events.
Councilman’s Initiative Targets Mobil’s Use of Hydrofluoric Acid
Los Angeles County election officials formally certified Wednesday that Torrance City Councilman Dan Walker’s initiative to curb the use of hydrofluoric acid at the Mobil Oil refinery has qualified for the ballot. Torrance City Clerk John Bramhall said he was notified by the county registrar-recorder’s office that a random sample of 500 signatures on Walker’s […]
New data rekindle debate over fluoridation: Largest US study raises new questions about effectiveness
The debate over fluoridating public water supplies, a measure long credited with producing a dramatic drop in tooth decay in the United States, is being rekindled by new studies suggesting the decline may have more to do with other causes, including other sources of fluoride. The most exhaustive study ever conducted on the dental health […]
New Studies Cast Doubt on Fluoridation Benefits
An analysis of national survey data collected by the National Institute of Dental Research (NIDR) concludes that children who live in areas of the U.S. where the water supplies are fluoridated have tooth decay rates nearly identical with those who live in nonfluoridated areas. The analysis was done by John A. Yiamouyiannis, a biochemist and […]
Refineries Lack Means to Handle Hydrofluoric Acid, Report Says
Powerine Oil Co.’s refinery in Santa Fe Springs does not have special equipment to handle a leak of highly corrosive hydrofluoric acid, according to a report presented Friday to the board of the South Coast Air Quality Management District. And, based on information contained in the report, the special water spray safety systems at another […]
Acid Peril: No Clear Answer in Mobil Study
Safety officials say the most troubling issue at Mobil’s Torrance refinery is the use of hydrofluoric acid. It’s a chemical so toxic that the federal government labels it “acutely hazardous.” It is so dangerous that exposure to concentrations as low as 50 parts per million for 30 minutes can be fatal. A safety study on […]
Experts Warn of Lethal Risk Posed by Acid in L.A. Refineries
An environmentalist and a research scientist told a legislative hearing Wednesday that use of acutely toxic hydrofluoric acid at Los Angeles-area oil refineries poses a potentially deadly threat to nearby residents. “Most of us live in blissful ignorance of the kind of hazards we are exposed to,” said Fred Millar of the Environmental Policy Institute, […]
Local fight led to metal-smelting controls
All Christy Carton wanted to do was prevent her town’s ground water from being contaminated with cyanide. (and fluoride) She ended up doing a bit more than that. The Frederick County mother and environmental champion won a court battle that will change how dozens of U.S. companies dispose of the wastes from smelting metals. The […]
Fluoridation politics makes bad science
NEARLY four decades after the battle erupted over fluoridating the water to combat tooth decay, the issue rarely makes news. But it continues to simmer. A recent special report in the American Chemical Society’s weekly Chemical and Engineering News documents growing concern about the health risks of fluoridation. There is also continuing debate about the […]
Mobil Refinery Study Fails to Address Key Risk Issue
Torrance City Council members expressed surprise Tuesday that an $88,000 study on safety of the Mobil Oil refinery will not answer their key question: What is the risk of the plant continuing to use hydrofluoric acid — an acutely toxic chemical — in the refining process. “That was the most important aspect of the whole […]