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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:

  • unethical (medication without patient's informed consent)
  • unnecessary (kids get too much fluoride from many sources)
  • ineffective (at best, fluoridation saves less than one tooth surface out of 128 in a child's mouth)
  • unsafe (fluoride accumulation can make bones brittle and joints painful)
  • inequitable (the poor cannot afford to avoid it, if desired)
  • unscientifically defended (proponents cannot defend the practice in open debate)
  • 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.

  • www.orgsites.com/ny/nyscof
  • http://makeashorterlink.com/?D18721943
  • www.fluoridealert.org