Over 100 people packed the Solent UniversityConference Centre on 11th September to hearProfessor Paul Connett present the scientificcase against fluoridation.

Professor Connett isEmeritus Professor of Chemistry at St LawrenceUniversity, New York State and Executive Direc-tor of the Fluoride Action Network. Togetherwith Professors Beck and Micklem he has justpublished a book examining the scientific evidenceon water fluoridation (see page 3 for more infor-mation).His wide ranging talk examined both the evidence

—

or rather lack of evidence

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on the effective-ness of water fluoridation and the evidence onhealth risks. Drawing on the material in the book he set out the history and beginnings of water fluorida-tion before demonstrating that modern studies have found little difference in dental decay betweenfluoridated and non-fluoridated areas. In an entertaining and hugely detailed analysis of the evidence, he

argued that ―

this alone should be enough to make any public health policy maker stop water fluoridation immediately

‖. He then set out the evidence of harm and presented in some detail the wealth of scientific

studies that raise questions about the safety of fluoridation and the dangers of excess fluoride ingestion.Pointing out the alarming increase in dental fluorosis in the USA, he particularly highlighted the effect offluoride on the endocrine system, bones, thyroid and pineal glands. Concerns that have been expressed inother scientific reviews of the evidence.His talk sparked many questions from the audienceand a lively discussion. Professor Connett also pre-sented the Fluoride Action Network Scientist of theYear Award to Dr Jennifer Luke, a UK dentist andresearcher, for her pioneering work on the impactof fluoride on the pineal gland.

A film of Professor Connett‘s talk is now available on

YouTube and the Hampshire Against Fluoridationblog spot.

Leading international scientist presents thecase against water fluoridation

Inside this issue:

Case for water fluoridation challenged by EU Scientific Committee ♦ New book published on the case againstwater fluoridation ♦ Campaign against SHA

.www.hampshireagainstfluoridation.org

October2010

Professor Connett promotes the Fluoride Action Net-

work ‘Professionals DVD’ during his talk

.www.hampshireagainstfluoridation.org

Safety of Water Fluoridation Questioned by EUScientific Committee on Health Risks

Water fluoridation has been described as ‗

a crude and rather ineffective form of systemic fluoride treatment to prevent dental caries without a detectable threshold for dental and bone damage

‘.

This is the opinion of the EU Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks (SCHER) con-tained in a recent report on the scientific evidence on water fluoridation. Their report also concludes

that ‗

There is no obvious advantage in favour of water fluoridation compared to topical application which is the most effective method for prevention of tooth decay

’

These and other aspects of water fluoridation‘s safety were discussed at a special hearing in Brussels

on 17

September. Hampshire Against Fluoridation‘s chairman, Stephen Peckham, was one of a number

of international scientists, health and environmental campaigners who presented detailed evidence ofthe adverse effects of adding fluoride to drinking water.

The Committee‘s findings directly challenge the SHA‘s claim that fluoridation is ―safe and effective.‖While the SHA continues to promote 1ppm as an ‗optimum level‘ of fluoride in water, the Scientific

Committee concluded that in areas where water contains fluoride at concentrations over 0.8ppm, chil-

dren under 12 years will exceed the upper limits for fluoride ingestion. Stephen Peckham said ―A

s Hampshire Against Fluoridation has always argued, the SHA have not properly considered the evidence

This timely scientific review demonstrates that water fluoridation will expose children to excess levels

of fluoride. It is shocking that the SHA are ignoring this evidence.‖

Over-exposure to fluoride in the UK andEire was a key concern. Despite the SHAand PCT brushing-off such concerns, theEU Scientific Committee took very seri-ously the problem of excess ingestion, argu-ing that there is an urgent need for furtherresearch. They were particularly worriedabout bone cancer in young boys

–

a concerndismissed by the SHA in their consultationdocument. At the hearing, ProfessorVyvyan Howard, a leading international re-searcher in molecular bioscience at the Uni-versity of Ulster, argued that if regulatoryapproval for fluoridation chemicals was be-ing sought today based on the data presented to the hearing by SCHER, the chances of obtaining itwere extremely remote.US based Ellen and Paul Connett from the Fluoride Action Network and Dr Ziegelbecker from Austria joined representatives from the National Pure Water Association, HAF, VOICE of Concern for theIrish Environment, Dr Jennifer Luke and Professor Vyvyan Howard. Also in attendance were a leadingsupplier of fluoride toothpastes in Europe and the Spanish company producing and supplying fluorosili-cates to Ireland. The only UK pro-fluoridation attendees were the chairman of the British FluoridationSociety and a representative of UK dental associations. No Department of Health or NHS representa-tive attended despite their strong support for water fluoridation!You can view acopy

of the Scientific Committee‘s Preliminary Opinion on water fluoridation here:

http://ec.europa.eu/health/scientific_committees/environmental_risks/docs/scher_o_122.pdf

,Stephen Peckham and John Graham.Campaigners relax after the hearing

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l-r Robert Pocock, AnnaPeckham, Ellen Connett, Rudolf Ziegelbecker, Vyvyan Howard, PaulConnett, Stephen Peckham, John Graham

The Case Against Fluoride

For the past 60 years, millions of people have unwittingly participated in a public health experiment us-ing water fluoridation to reduce dental disease. But in a recently published book, this experiment is de-clared a failure.

The Case Against Fluoride: how hazardous waste ended up in our drinking water and the bad science and powerful politics that keep it there ,

Professors Connett, Beck and Micklem sum-marise the historical, political, ethical, toxicological, and epidemiological scientific data behind waterfluoridation. The book concludes that, if proposed today, fluoridation of drinking water to preventtooth decay would stand virtually no chance of being adopted, given the current status of scientificknowledge.

The Case Against Fluoride

is an incisive, research-driven indictment of the government-sponsoredpractice of adding toxic chemicals to public drinking supplies. The authors examine mounting evidencethat fluoridated water is unsafe to drink, wreaking havoc on the human body

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affecting the brain, en-docrine system, bones and kidneys.The book re-examines the justifications for fluoride and finds a shocking lack of evidence that fluori-dated water has any proven dental or health benefits. After concluding that the risks far outweighthe benefits, the authors turn their attention to why this practice continues. Their investigation leadsthem

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not surprisingly

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to powerful corporate interests benefiting from these programs and profes-sional organisations unwilling to change past endorsements. The book is very readable and packed withdetailed information about the evidence on water fluoridation and the politics of fluoridation policy.While mainly focused on the USA, there are references to Southampton and the current fight locallyto keep fluoride out of our water.

The authors:

Dr Paul Connett

is the Director of the Fluoride Ac-tion Network. He holds a BS (Honours) degree fromthe University of Cambridge and a PhD in chemistryfrom Dartmouth College and is an Emeritus Profes-sor of Chemistry at St Lawrence University, Canton,NY, where his areas of expertise were environ-mental chemistry and toxicology.

Dr James S Beck

is a Professor Emeritus of Medi-cal Biophysics at the University of Calgary and holdsdoctorates in medicine from Washington UniversitySchool of Medicine and biophysics from the Univer-sity of California, Berkeley.

Dr H Spedding Micklem

is a Professor Emeritus inthe School of Biological Sciences at the Universityof Edinburgh. He holds a DPhil from the Universityof Oxford.

Order your copy from OCTOBER BOOKS243 Portswood Road,Southampton, SO17 2NGTelephone: 023 8058 1030

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www.octoberbooks.org

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