Massachusetts Fluoridation News Michael F. Dolan editor

Massachusetts Fluoridation News

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Vol. 1 No. 5                                               Belchertown, Massachusetts                                     December 28, 2015

A Merchant of Doubt

A good reason to suppress kids’ fluoridated toothpaste

            When I asked Myron Allukian if he would pay to repair children’s dental fluorosis at the recent Board of Health meeting in Westford, he could only say, “Tell them to stop eating toothpaste.”

            This response should be considered from two perspectives. On one level, he is trying to cast doubt on the cause of the moderate to severe dental fluorosis, no longer deniable, that affects over 3 percent of 13 to 15 year olds, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. The fluoride in the drinking water isn’t causing the fluorosis, he’s suggesting. Rather, the individual child’s ingestion of toothpaste, against recommendations, is responsible. If the kid can’t read the tube of toothpaste, and realize you’re not supposed to swallow the stuff, that’s his problem.

            Based on this analysis, the only reasonable public health policy is to ban fluoridated toothpaste for children, or perhaps require that the taste be made less palatable, or at least to make the paste available only by prescription, as recommended by the Toronto dentistry professor Hardy Limeback. Anything less, that leaves the dangerous toothpaste in the child’s hands, might be considered a kind of reckless endangerment on the parents’ part.

            On a deeper level, my exchange with Allukian is more disturbing. It reveals that the “Social Conscience of Dentistry”, who toils endlessly on behalf of dentally deprived children, really has contempt for children. It reveals, really, the moral depravity at the heart of fluoridation.

Canadian historian refers to International Society for

Fluoride Research as “a coalition of antifluoridationists”

In a paper published in the August issue of the American Journal of Public Health entitled “Debating water fluoridation before Dr. Strangelove”, University of Guelph historian Catherine Carstairs adopts the standard propagandistic description of the Fluoride journal and the International Society of Fluoride Research, referring to the later as “a coalition of antifluoridationists.”

Carstairs writes, “…fluoride opponents would establish their own journal, Fluoride, which exclusively published articles critical of fluoridation.” Her notation for this statement reads, “Fluoride is published by the International Society of Fluoride Research, a coalition of antifluoridationists.”

This represents the orthodox line on the dispute over fluoridation, and reflects a kind of “disciplined mind” over what can and cannot be acknowledged about fluoride in drinking water. All discussion is reduced to whether or not fluoride should be added to the drinking water.  Such disciples of fluoridation do not know, or cannot acknowledge, that fluoride chemicals are serious, naturally-occurring toxins that cause adverse health effects for hundreds of millions of people around the world. Studying these effects and investigating ways to minimize these adverse effects is the purpose of the International Society for Fluoride Research.

Claiming that the journal exclusively publishes articles critical of fluoridation (ie. artificial addition of fluoride to water), is not only untrue, but is nonsensical, like saying that the Journal of Parasitology only publishes articles critical of parasites.

We had hoped to give a complete commentary on this article here, but it is so packed with half-truths, and ignores so much relevant history that we will have to spread our commentary out over several issues.

Clarification

De facto mandate in MWRA towns

In our last issue we drew a comparison between Massachusetts and Connecticut in reference to that state’s mandate to fluoridate community water systems, noting that it is a local decision here. Of course, this does not apply to the cities and towns that obtain their water from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA), and live under a de facto state mandate, which can only be ended by a state law banning the practice. The municipalities that receive water from the MWRA include: Arlington, Bedford, Belmont, Boston, Brookline, Canton, Chelsea, Dedham, Everett, Framingham, Lexington, Lynnfield, Malden, Marblehead, Marlborough, Medford, Melrose, Milton, Nahant, Needham, Newton, Northborough, Norwood, Peabody, Quincy, Reading, Revere, Saugus, Somerville, Southborough, Stoneham, Swampscott, Wakefield, Waltham, Watertown, Wellesley, Weston, Westwood, Wilmington, Winchester, Winthrop and Woburn.

Of these, fifteen are listed as “partially supplied”, so it will take some research to find how many households in each of these towns are receiving the “optimal” concentration. As reported last week at least one town, Dartmouth, supplies a diluted, unrecorded concentration of fluoride in the drinking water as a result of mixing some of New Bedford’s fluoridated water with its own non-fluoridated water.

Informed Consent, Justice and Reality

            My old professor at Boston University, the late Howard Zinn, taught a course called Law and Justice in America, and introduced the topic by telling students that there is Law, Justice and Reality, and that these three things often don’t have much in common. If we lived in a society where justice prevailed, there would be no water fluoridation because it violates informed consent. If we lived in a society in which laws were enforced, there would be no water fluoridation because it violates the Safe Drinking Water Act. Instead we live in a society in which many exhibit what Robert Whitaker has called a “societal delusion” about fluoridation. While the Principle of Informed Consent is a powerful tool in our struggle, one that convinces many people of the need to end fluoridation, it is not recognized by the law at this point. Within our political system we are forced to attack fluoridation at the level of the law, which is why I wrote the neurotoxin resolution. It is not for everyone, but it is having some success.

Neurotoxin Resolution and its signers

            In our previous issues we introduced the “Neurotoxin Resolution” (reprinted below) that calls for an end to water fluoridation in Massachusetts. In this issue we continue publishing the names of signers of the resolution. As names are added we will begin to list them by town and legislative district. Anyone who would like an electronic version of the petition and a related flyer should contact Michael F. Dolan at 413-323-5327 or mdolan.ecsn@outlook.com or P.O. Box 797, Belchertown, MA 01007.

A Resolution to Prohibit the Addition of Fluoride to

 Community Water Systems in Massachusetts

Preamble. This resolution is written in honor of the scientists at the US Environmental Protection Agency and elsewhere for reporting the adverse effects of fluoridated water.

Whereas a liter of fluoridated tap water contains the same dose of fluoride as the prescription medicine, and

Whereas water fluoridation violates the fundamental medical ethical principle of informed consent, and

Whereas a National Research Council investigation concluded that the current regulation of fluoride in drinking water does not protect the population of the United States, and

Whereas dozens of studies have found that fluoride in drinking water is a neurotoxin that lowers children’s IQ, and a Harvard meta-analysis of these studies confirmed the neurotoxicity of fluoride in drinking water, and

Whereas the EPA’s Neurotoxicology Division labels fluoride as a chemical with “substantial evidence of developmental neurotoxicity,”

Now therefore be it resolved that the General Laws of Massachusetts shall be revised by the passage of a measure prohibiting the addition of fluoride to community water systems in Massachusetts.

please sign and return to: Public Notice on Water Fluoridation c/o Michael F. Dolan, P.O. Box 797, Belchertown, MA 01007

References:

Choi, A.L., Sun, G., Zhang, Y. and Grandjean, P. 2012. Developmental fluoride neurotoxicity: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Environmental Health Perspectives 120: 1362-1368.

Grandjean, P. and Landrigan, P.J. 2014. Neurobehavioural effects of developmental toxicity. Lancet Neurology 13: 330-338.

Signers of the Neurotoxin Resolution:

Godbless Asante of Southbridge, Luis Ayala of Southbridge, Jacalyn Balerine of Southbridge, Martin A. Barroll of Paxton, Mary Barroll of Paxton, Joan Bonner of Athol, Shirley Bullock of Athol, Meghan Burch of Orange, Marisa Caputo of Athol, Remy Cellera of Orange, Dael A. Chapman of Amherst, Michelle Chenier of Southbridge, Teresa L. Cierla of Southbridge, William Coady of Orange, Karla Collazo of Southbridge, Damany Corren of Southbridge, Sarah Cyhowski of Erving, Brad Daigle of Dudley, John Delisle of Sturbridge, G. John Di Bonaventura of Southbridge, Michael F. Dolan of Belchertown, Ayla Doubleday of Warwick, Irene Dzioba of Amherst, Majke Ellis of Southbridge, Dori Ehrlich of Amherst,

Also, Jeffrey Farr of Dudley, Margaret Farr of Dudley, Bella Finnell of Athol, Frank Franconeri of Southbridge, William Fregeau of Athol, Ellaine Garrepy of Dudley, Janice Gendreau of Southbridge, Kylii Godin of Southbridge, Susan Guerchon of Amherst, Natasha Hanna of Orange, E.C. Higgins of Orange, Elizabeth Horn of Sturbridge, Miranda Jefferson of Athol, Anthony Johnson of Southbridge, Brian C. Kopinto of Belchertown,

Also, Chris Lamira of Southbridge, Miguel Lebrón of Southbridge, Melissa Lemieux of Warwick, Xavier Omar Lopez of Southbridge, Rober Lorai of Southbridge, Brian P. Mallet of Orange, Edward Martini of Westboro, Larry Martowski of Athol, Mary Ellen Mathews of Southbridge, Peggy Matthews-Nilsen of Amherst, Cara McLoughlin of Athol, Nancy Murphy of Athol, Sarah Myntti of Athol, Dave Paul of Orange, Mellonie Pauley of Dudley, Lillian G. Peps of Orange, Edward Phillips of Southbridge, Dana Ploof of New Salem,

Also, Juan Rodriguez of Southbridge, Elizabeth St. Lawrence of Orange, Nicole Sava of Southbridge, Annabel Shaw of Athol, Fred Shaw of Athol, David Skosupa of Warwick, Bonnie Smith of Amherst, Juanita Smith of Athol, Paul Smith of Southbridge, Shawn L. Smith of Amherst, Jonathan Sapaugh of Southbridge, Lisa Soyer-Burk of Athol, William Sykes of Orange, Jeremy Tetlow of Southbridge,  Brendan Thideault of Southbridge, Matthew Tie of Athol, Joe Torzin of Orange, Carl Walker of Athol, Trevor Wilson of Southbridge, Debra Wirth of Amherst, Mark A. Wisniewski of Deerfield, Ellen Woodbury of Athol, Holly Young of Athol.

Fluoridated cities and towns in Massachusetts

            The following list of fluoridated cities and towns was obtained from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health website, dated January 2014. We have not included eighteen towns that are listed, but have only a few residents receiving fluoridated water, or where only institutional inmates are receiving fluoridated water.

Fluoridated cities and towns: Acton, Acushnet, Amherst, Andover, Arlington, Ashburnham, Athol, Attleboro, Bedford, Belmont, Beverly, Billerica, Boston, Brookline, Burlington, Cambridge, Canton, Chelsea, Cohasset, Concord, Danvers, Dartmouth [unspecified, diluted fluoride concentration between April and October], Dedham, Dracut, Duxbury, Essex, Everett, Fall River, Fitchburg, Framingham, Franklin, Gardner, Gloucester, Groveland, Hamilton, Haverhill, Hingham, Holden, Holliston, Holyoke, Hudson, Hull, Ipswich, Lawrence, Lexington, Lincoln, Longmeadow, Lowell, Lynn, Lynnfield, Malden, Manchester by the Sea, Mansfield, Marblehead, Marlborough, Medford, Medway, Melrose, Middleton, Millis, Milton, Nahant, Natick, New Bedford, Needham, Newburyport, Newton, North Andover, North Attleboro, Northborough, North Reading, Norwood, Oak Bluffs, Oxford, Peabody, Pembroke, Plainville, Quincy, Reading, Revere, Rockport, Rutland, Salem, Saugus, Scituate, Seekonk, Sharon, Shrewsbury, Somerset, Sommerville, Southboro, Southbridge, Stoughton, Stoneham, Sturbridge, Sudbury, Swampscott, Swansea, Taunton, Templeton, Tewksbury, Topsfield, Tyngsboro, Wakefield, Walpole, Waltham, Watertown, Wayland, Wenham, Wellesley, Westborough, Westford, Westminster, West Newbury, Weston, Westwood, Weymouth, Winchester, Winthrop, Woburn.

Non-fluoridated cities and towns: All of Berkshire County, all of Franklin County, all of Hampshire County except Amherst, all of Hampden County except for Holyoke and Longmeadow, all of Cape Cod. The individual non-fluoridated municipalities are: Abington, Adams, Agawam, Alford, Amesbury, Aquinnah, Ashby, Ashfield, Ashland, Avon, Ayer, Barnstable, Barre, Becket, Belchertown, Bellingham, Berkley, Berkshire, Berlin, Bernardston, Blackstone, Bolton, Blandford, Bourne,  Boxborough, Boylston, Braintree, Brewster, Bridgewater, Brimfield, Brockton, Brookfield, Buckland, Carlisle, Carver, Charlemont, Charlton, Chatham, Chelmsford, Cheshire, Chester, Chesterfield, Chicopee, Chilmark, Clarksburg, Clinton, Colrain, Conway, Cummington, Dalton, Deerfield, Dennis, Dighton, Douglas, Dover, Drury, Dudley, Dunstable,  East Bridgewater, East Brookfield, Eastham, Easthampton, East Longmeadow, Easton, Edgartown, Egremont, Erving, Fairhaven, Falmouth, Florida, Foxborough, Georgetown, Gill, Goshen, Grafton, Granby, Great Barrington, Greenfield, Groton, Hadley, Halifax, Hampden, Hancock, Hanover, Hanson, Hardwick, Harvard, Harwich, Hatfield, Hawley, Haydenville, Heath, Hinsdale, Holbrook, Holland, Holyoke, Hopedale, Hopkinton, Hubbardston, Huntington, Kingston, Lakeville, Lancaster, Lanesboro, Lee, Leicester, Lenox, Leominster, Leverett, Littleton, Ludlow, Lunenberg, Marion, Marshfield, Mashpee, Mattapoisett, Maynard, Medfield, Mendon, Merrimac, Methuen, Middleborough, Middlefield, Milford, Millbury, Millville, Monroe, Monson, Montague, Montgomery, Mount Washington, Nantucket, New Ashford, New Braintree, Newbury, New Marlborough, New Salem, North Adams, Norfolk, Northampton, Northbridge, North Brookfield, Northfield, Norton, Norwell, Oakham, Orange, Orleans, Otis, Palmer, Paxton, Pelham, Pepperell, Peru, Petersham, Phillipston, Pittsfield, Plainfield, Plymouth, Plympton, Princeton, Provincetown, Randolph, Raynham, Rehoboth, Richmond, Rochester, Rockland, Rowley, Rowe, Royalston, Russell, Salisbury, Sandisfield, Sandwich, Savoy, Sheffield, Shelburne, Sherborn, Shirley, Shutesbury, Southampton, Southfield, South Hadley, Southwick, Spencer, Springfield, Stockbridge, Stoughton, Stow, Sunderland, Tolland, Townsend, Truro, Tyringham, Upton, Uxbridge, Vineyard Haven, Wales, Ware, Wareham, Warren, Warwick, Washington, Webster, Wellfleet, Wendell, West Boylston, West Bridgewater, West Brookfield, Westfield, Westhampton, Westport, West Springfield, West Tisbury, Whately, Whitman, Wilbraham, Williamsburg, Williamstown, Wilmington, Winchendon, Windsor, Worcester, Worthington, Wrentham, Yarmouth.

           

Massachusetts Fluoridation News is published weekly at Belchertown, Massachusetts by East Coast Science News, P.O. Box 797, Belchertown, MA 01007. Michael F. Dolan, editor. Phone: 413-323-5327; Email: mdolan.ecsn@outlook.com. We request a nominal $3.00/year fee so that readers can indicate to the publisher that the newsletter is useful to them. Back issues are available for $1.00 each. Please make checks payable to East Coast Science News.