The fight to remove fluoride from public drinking water is gaining momentum in Dallas, Texas, where activists are working hard to boost awareness of the issue ahead of a major City Council vote.
One campaign in particular aims to educate the citizens of Dallas to the dangers of fluoride through an informative and well-produced public service announcement which they hope to broadcast on several major networks.
The ad, featuring actor Ed Begley Jr., highlights the prevalence of dental fluorosis in children, its dangerously toxic nature and the results of a Harvard University medical study which found that “children in high fluoride areas had significantly lower IQ than those who lived in low fluoride areas.”
“So if people have to wear hazmat suits to handle this stuff because it’s so corrosive it eats through concrete, and you’re warned to call poison control if you swallow your toothpaste, then why is it still added to the water we drink, cook and shower with?” the ad asks.
One of the campaign’s sponsors, Ivan Estevez, spoke to Infowars last month about their Indiegogo effort to raise money to purchase air time on major networks, and explained that Dallas is merely the first city in their larger fight against the dangerous substance.
“The campaign is basically… to raise money to actually buy the airtime to air the PSA on television to create mass awareness about what fluoride is doing to people,” Estevez said. “And we want to do it first in Dallas because Dallas is right on the fence in terms of having a victory, and having a lot of people sign petitions and come down to City Council right before the vote in mid-January could have a major impact on pushing Dallas towards not renewing that contract.”
“If we can get a victory in Dallas, that’ll create a tidal wave or a domino effect, if you will, for other cities as many cities are in the fight now to get fluoride out of the water. So basically after the Dallas campaign the idea is to run the campaign in other cities, Austin, Houston, San Francisco, etc… all the big cities that are having a big push to get fluoride out of the water so that we can boost the awareness in those cities and get a higher turnout for the people that actually show up at the City Councils to help get it out at the city level, because that’s where it takes place.”
In recent months, Dallas has wrestled with the notion of ceasing the force medication of their residents’ water supply, an activity which the city claims “helps prevent tooth decay.”
Last August three out of 14 Dallas City Council members sided with fluoride opponents, who argued that the city could save roughly $1 million if they were to forgo the practice.
“We don’t need it and we’d just save a million dollars that we can use for something else,” City Councilman Sheffie Kadane said. “We’re looking into seeing what we can do immediately so we can get those funds up front now.”
For years, various research journals and studies have documented the negative health effects of fluoride on the human body.
The results of the aforementioned Harvard research study, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, for example, concluded with “the possibility of an adverse effect of high fluoride exposure on children’s neurodevelopment.”
Another Harvard study, covered by the London Guardian in 2005, also found that “Fluoride in tap water can cause bone cancer in boys,” and that “boys exposed to fluoride between the ages of five and 10 will suffer an increased rate of osteosarcoma – bone cancer – between the ages of 10 and 19.”
A recent study published by General Dentistry researchers also found that “Excessive fluoride consumption during the first 2 years of life is associated with an increased risk of dental fluorosis.” Researchers tested 360 baby food samples and found that “All foods tested had detectable amounts of fluoride.”
“All infant formula, infant juices and virtually all beverages and foods contain fluoride,” reported Fluoride Alert.org regarding the study. “Most US public water supplies are fluoridated,” and alarmingly, “Some fluoridated bottled waters are marketed specifically for babies’ consumption.”
A 2006 Chinese study also found fluoride in drinking water “can cause damage to liver and kidney functions in children.”
The US Environmental Protection Agency also lists fluoride as a “Chemical with Substantial Evidence of Developmental Neurotoxicity.”
With fluoride being added to drinking water in nearly every major US city, it’s more urgent than ever to support grassroots campaigns such as “Get the F Out” and others fighting in the interest of public health.