Editor’s note: On May 27, the Cape Breton Post published a column by Sydney resident Marlene Kane which called for a ban on water fluoridation. On June 6, the Post published a letter from Juliet Guichon, an assistant professor at the University of Calgary, who called the ban fear mongering. This prompted a response from many parts of the country and beyond.
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Letter from David Green, Co-owner, Rocky Ridge Drinking Water Limited

Juliet Guichon has more than a little nerve in questioning the credentials of those of us opposed to water fluoridation when she has acknowledged that she lacks expertise in the related science herself.

What is even more concerning is that she doesn’t seem interested in learning. I know this because she has never taken me up on my many offers to show her how infants fed dry formula mixed with fluoridated water are being over-exposed, according to limits set by the Canadian Dental Association.

As a lawyer, Guichon knows the value of an emotional appeal when her case is weak. Here, she begins by linking those questioning fluoridation with those opposed to vaccinations, which is a completely different topic. The column to which she is replying made no mention of vaccinations. I believe the legal term for her tactic is “guilt by association.”

Perhaps the most offensive part of Guichon’s letter is the suggestion that letter writers should be vetted by the media before they are allowed to express their opinion. The irony here is that Marlene Kane didn’t really express much of her personal opinion. Instead, she provided a summary of recent published research that is both peer-reviewed and relevant to Canadians.

Guichon is a lobbyist for the medical/public health people in Calgary. She wants us to trust her and them. Her problem is that recent evidence is showing that fluoridation is neither safe nor effective, and all her appeals to authority can’t outweigh the credible science. Of course, someone who hasn’t taken the time to study the evidence is unlikely to recognize that.

David Green

Co-owner, Rocky Ridge Drinking Water Limited

Peterborough, Ont.

*See also the letters from

– Bill Osmunson DDS, MPH, http://fluoridealert.org/news/criticism-of-fluoridation-ban-call-has-provoked-reaction/

– Christine Massey, M.Sc., http://fluoridealert.org/news/massey-letter-criticism-of-fluoridation-ban-call-has-provoked-reaction-2/

– David Donahue – http://fluoridealert.org/news/david-donahue-letter-criticism-of-fluoridation-ban-call-has-provoked-reaction/

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