Feb. 7, 2011 NEWS RELEASE Tenn. House Speaker, Other Legislators Call for Halt to State Promotion of Fluoridation
A bipartisan group of Republican and Democrat legislators in the Tennessee House of Representatives sent a letter today to State Health Commissioner Susan Cooper, asking that she direct State Health Department employees to halt activities that promote the practice of water fluoridation.
The legislators’ letter points out that the Gerber baby products company is now selling an unfluoridated water so that parents of young babies will not use fluoridated water when mixing milk formula. Noting that fluorides can cause a permanent disfiguring staining of teeth called “dental fluorosis,” the group expressed concern that “many Tennessee families are unaware” about Gerber’s water, and that citizens may not be able to afford unfluoridated water for their babies’ milk, nor have funds to repair fluorosis stains on their or their children’s teeth.
The group also noted growing calls for “Fluoridegate” investigations, inquiries that would look into questions now surfacing about why the Centers for Disease Control and other groups have not openly communicated important science that contradicts years of assurances that fluoridation has been exhaustively researched and poses no health risks. The letter states, “There is real reason to be concerned that the whole story about fluorides was not previously shared with us. The legal community is now looking att pursuing cases related to harm from fluorides. This may have implications for our state’s water utilities.”
Daniel G. Stockin of The Lillie Center Inc., a firm working to end the practice of fluoridation, states,
“Every water district and organization supporting fluoridation across the country needs to pay attention to the cascading developments. There is an absolute tsunami of media glare, Fluoridegate investigations, and fluoride court cases heading ashore, and fluoride promoters can either reject fluoridation now and ride the wave in, or risk being churned under by it.”
Disquieting news about fluorides is increasing from a number of organizations. In January the Environmental Protection Agency proposed phasing out use of a fluoride-containing pesticide used in food storage and processing facilities. The action followed an earlier announcement by the U.S. Health and Human Services Department that it recommended lowering previously-sanctioned amounts of fluoride in drinking water. The Tennessee legislators’ letter refers to news that may surprise many consumers -- that the National Research Council acknowledges kidney patients, diabetics, seniors and babies to be “susceptible subpopulations” that are particularly vulnerable to harm from ingested fluorides.
In a statement that appears to contradict assurances by the Centers for Disease Control that extensive research proves fluoridation is safe, the chairman of the National Research Council fluoride committee stated in a January 2008 Scientific American article, “…when we looked at the studies that have been done, we found that many of these questions are unsettled and we have much less information than we should, considering how long this
