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Water Fluoridation Issue Draws
Action
Opposition to the mass fluoridation of drinking water
continues to grow. A March 16, 2003 article in the Environmental News
Network reports on a story from the town of Canton New York which has
stopped mass Fluoridation of the water system.
According
to the story, one hundred and thirty faculty and staff members of Canton's
St. Lawrence University and 300 students petitioned the village trustees to
ban fluoride from its water supply. As a result village trustees voted, on
February 18, 2003, to halt fluoridation in Canton, New York.
Trustee Stephen Putnam, who voted against fluoridation,
said he spent much of December and January reading articles about fluoride
and was concerned that fluoride accumulates in the bones, particularly for
menopausal women who drink fluoridated water over many years.
According to the article, Paul Connett, PhD, led the
campaign to rid fluoride from Canton's tap water. Dr. Connett, is a
Chemistry Professor at St. Lawrence University and is also the co-founder of
the, Fluoride Action Network, an International Coalition to End Water
Fluoridation. He stated, "An independent review of the literature finds that
fluoridation is:
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unethical (medication without patient's informed
consent)
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unnecessary (kids get too much fluoride from many
sources)
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ineffective (at best, fluoridation saves less than one
tooth surface out of 128 in a child's mouth)
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unsafe (fluoride accumulation can make bones brittle
and joints painful)
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inequitable (the poor cannot afford to avoid it, if
desired)
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unscientifically defended (proponents cannot defend the
practice in open debate)
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wasteful, literally pouring taxpayer money down the
drain."
Paul Beeber,
President, New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation
concluded the article by saying, "New York City has temporarily halted
fluoridation. We hope City residents take the lead from the people of
Canton, New York, and demand their water remain fluoride-free." The article
offered the following websites for more information.
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