The Case Against Fluoride

by Paul Connett

  33. S. C. Freni, “Exposure to High Fluoride Concentrations in Drinking Water Is Associated with Decreased Birth Rates, ” Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health 42, no. 1 (1994): 109–21.

  34. American Dental Association, Fluoridation Facts (n. 31 above). Reference 271 refers to Freni’s paper (n. 33 above).

  35. P. Connett, personal communication with Stan Freni, 2004.

  36. National Research Council, Fluoride in Drinking Water (n. 12 above).

  37. American Dental Association, “Statement on Fluoride in Drinking Water: A Scientific Review of EPA’s Standards [the NRC 2006 report], ” news release, March 22, 2006.

  38. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Statement on the 2006 National Research Council Report, Fluoride in Drinking Water: A Scientific Review of EPA’s Standards, ” Division of Oral Health. Posted originally on March 28, 2006. Date last updated: August 24, 2009, http://www.cdc.gov/FLUORIDATION/safety/nrc_report.htm.

  39. J. W. Knutson, “The Case for Water Fluoridation, ” New England Journal of Medicine 246, no. 19 (1952): 737–43.

  40. H. C. Hodge, “Safety Factors in Water Fluoridation Based on the Toxicology of Fluorides, ” The Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 22 (1963): 111–17, http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayFulltext?type=1&fid=784060&jid=PNS&volumeId=22&issueId=01&aid=784052.

  41. Video of the presentation by Dr. Peter Cooney, Chief Dental Officer of Canada, on the case for fluoridation of drinking water in Dryden, Ontario, Canada, April 1, 2008, http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4888471756915953833&hl=en.

  Chapter 23

  1. P. Connett, “50 Reasons to Oppose Fluoridation” (updated April 12, 2004). Reprinted in Medical Veritas 1:70–80, http://www.fluoridealert.org/50reasons.htm.

  2. American Dental Association, “Fluoridation Facts, ” an update commemorating the sixtieth anniversary of community water fluoridation, 2005, http://www.ada.org/sections/professionalResources/pdfs/fluoridation_facts.pdf.

  3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Ten Great Public Health Achievements: United States, 1900–1999, ” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 48, no. 12 (April 2, 1999): 241–43, http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00056796.htm.

  4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Achievements in Public Health, 1900–1999: Fluoridation of Drinking Water to Prevent Dental Caries, ” Mortality and Morbidity Weekly Review 48, no. 41 (October 22, 1999): 933–40, http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4841a1.htm. Note: The authors of this report were Scott Tomar and Susan Griffin, as cited in Tomar’s curriculum vitae, paper number 27 on page 27, http://fluoridealert.org/re/tomar.scott.cv.ref.27.pdf.

  5. P. Connett and M. Connett, “The Emperor Has No Clothes: A Critique of the CDC’s Promotion of Fluoridation, ” Waste Not, no. 468, September 2000 (revised October 3). Published by Work on Waste, USA, 82 Judson Street, Canton, NY 13617, http://www.fluoridealert.org/cdc.htm.

  6. National Research Council, Health Effects of Ingested Fluoride (Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1993), http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=030904975X.

  7. American Dental Association, “White Paper on Fluoridation, ” Council on Dental Health and Health Planning, 1979, http://fluoridealert.org/ada.white.paper.1979.html.

  8. Ibid. , 13–14.

  9. S. Barrett, “Fluoridation: Poison-mongers Delaying Health for Millions?” Journal of the American Dental Association 93, no. 5 (1976): 880, as cited in Scientific Knowledge in Controversy: The Social Dynamics of the Fluoridation Debate, by Brian Martin (State University of New York, 1991).

  10. M. W. Easley, “Community Fluoridation in America: The Unprincipled Opposition, ” 1999, posted on Dental Watch as of March 21, 2010, http://www.dentalwatch.org/fl/opposition.pdf.

  11. Ibid.

  12. P. Connett and E. Connett, “The Fluoridation of Drinking Water: A House of Cards Waiting to Fall. Part 1: The Science, ” Waste Not, no. 373, November 1996. Published by Work on Waste USA, 82 Judson Street, Canton, NY 13617.

  13. E-mail from Colleen Wulf of the Ohio Department of Health, Bureau of Oral Health Services, to Councilor Elahu Goselin, Athens, Ohio, October 9, 2009.

  14. Department of Human Services, “Water Fluoridation: Questions and Answers, ” pamphlet distributed by the Department of Human Services, Melbourne, Australia, February, 2009, http://fluoridealert.org/re/australia.2009.victoria.pamphlet.pdf.

  15. A. W. Burgstahler et al. , “Citizens Are Being Misled. Opinion, ” Sunraysia Daily (Australia), September 18, 2009.

  16. American Dental Association, “White Paper on Fluoridation, ” pages 10–11, Council on Dental Health and Health Planning, 1979, http://fluoridealert.org/ada.white.paper.1979.html.

  17. Video statement of Dr. Poul Erik Petersen, Chief, Oral Health Director for the World Health Organization’s Department of Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion, to the attendees of a meeting celebrating the sixtieth anniversary of fluoridation, hosted by the American Dental Association and the U. S. Centers for Disease Control in Chicago, Illinois, July 2005, http://terrance.who.int/mediacentre/videos/Dr_Petersen.mpg.

  18. M. Diesendorf, “The Mystery of Declining Tooth Decay, ” Nature 322, no. 6075 (1986): 125–29.

  19. B. Hileman, “Fluoridation of Water. Questions About Health Risks and Benefits Remain after More Than 40 years, ” Chemical & Engineering News, August 1, 1988.

  20. D. Fagin, “Second Thoughts on Fluoride, ” Scientific American 298, no. 1 (January 2008): 74–81; excerpts at http://www.fluoridealert.org/sc.am.jan.2008.html.

  21. The journal Fluoride is published by the International Society for Fluoride Research. Back issues available at http://www.fluorideresearch.org/backissues.pdf.

  22. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Toxicological Profile for Fluorides, Hydrogen Fluoride and Fluorine (Atlanta, GA: U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, September 2003), http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp11.pdf.

  23. National Research Council of the National Academies, Fluoride in Drinking Water: A Scientific Review of EPA’s Standards (Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2006), http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=11571.

  24. TOXNET is an online search site hosted by the U. S. Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/.

  25. National Research Council, Fluoride in Drinking Water (n. 23 above).

  26. Back copies of Dentistry Today can be viewed at http://www.dentistrytoday.com/ME2/Default.asp.

  27. J. Monahan, “Dental Health Remains Prime Goal, ” The Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, Massachusetts), November 7, 2001.

  28. M. Roosevelt, “Not in My Water Supply, ” Time Magazine, October 17, 2005,

  http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1118379-3,00.html.

  29. P. Forgey, “Pro-Fluoride Campaign Nets $151, 623, ” Juneau Empire (Alaska), September 30, 2007, http://juneauempire.com/stories/093007/loc_20070930051.shtml.

  30. W. Blackwell, “LDA Urges Louisiana to ‘Tap into a Healthier Smile!’” Louisiana Dental Association (LDA), undated (2007–2008). Note: Ward Blackwell is executive director of the LDA, http://www.ladental.org/cms/content/view/113/35/.

  31. See news items on fluoridation from Australia at Fluoride Action Network, http://www2.fluoridealert.org/Alert/Australia.

  32. W. Varney, Fluoride in Australia: A Case to Answer (Sydney: Hale and Iremonger, 1986).

  33. W. Varney, “Troubled Waters, Little Transparency: Fluoridation in Australia, ” April 2010, http://fluoridealert.org/varney.html.

  34. J. Meikle, “Fluoridation Scheme Could Go England-Wide, ” The Guardian (London), February 27, 2009, http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/feb/27/fluoridation-southampton-health.

  35. J. Reeve, “Daily Echo Backs Calls for a Referendum on Fluoride Issue, ” Daily Echo (UK), June 27, 2009, http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/4462636.Daily_Echo_backs_calls_for_a_referendum_on_fluoride_issue/.

  36. Bazian Ltd. , “
Critical Appraisal of ‘Fluoride in Drinking Water: A Scientific Review of EPA’s Standards. ’” A report for South Central Strategic Health Authority, UK, delivery date: February 11, 2009, http://fluoridealert.org/sha.basian.nrc.feb09.pdf.

  37. Bazian Ltd. , “Independent Critical Appraisal of Selected Studies Reporting an Association between Fluoride in Drinking Water and IQ. ” A report for South Central Strategic Health Authority, UK, delivery date: February 11, 2009, http://fluoridealert.org/iq.bazian.feb09.pdf.

  38. J. Reeve, “Southampton Civic Bosses Call for Fluoride Referendum, ” Daily Echo (UK), March 17, 2010, http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/5067065.Call_for_fluoride_referendum/.

  39. See news items on the fluoridation issue from England at Fluoride Action Network, http://www2.fluoridealert.org/Alert/United-Kingdom/England.

  40. R. Nadler-Olenick, “One for the Hall of Shame; Del Rio, Texas. Pt 1. Fluoride Follies, ” 2006, http://blog.fluoridefreeaustin.com/2009/03/22/del-rio-texas-pt-i---one-for-the-hall-of-shame.aspx.

  Chapter 24

  1. R. A. Freeze and J. A. Lehr, The Fluoride Wars: How a Modest Public Health Measure Became America’s Longest-Running Political Melodrama (Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley, 2009).

  2. U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Review of Fluoride: Benefits and Risks, Public Health Service, Washington, DC, February 1991, http://health.gov/environment/ReviewofFluoride/.

  3. Forum on Fluoridation (Dublin, Ireland: Stationery Office, 2002), http://fluoridealert.org/re/fluoridation.forum.2002.pdf.

  4. National Health and Medical Research Council, A Systematic Review of the Efficacy and Safety of Fluoridation, reference no. EH41, Australian Government, December 27, 2007, http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/publications/synopses/eh41syn.htm.

  5. Health Canada, “Findings and Recommendations of the Fluoride Expert Panel (January 2007), ” April 2008, http://fluoridealert.org/re/canada.fluoride.expert.panel.2007.pdf.

  6. Health Canada, Fluoride in Drinking Water. Document for public comment. Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality: Guideline Technical Document. Prepared by the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Committee on Drinking Water, September 2009, http://fluoridealert.org/canada.2009.report.pdf.

  7. Forum on Fluoridation (n. 3 above).

  8. P. Connett, “50 Reasons to Oppose Fluoridation” (updated April 12, 2004). Reprinted in Medical Veritas 1:70–80, http://www.fluoridealert.org/50reasons.htm.

  9. Y. Li, C. Liang, C. W. Slemenda, et al. , “Effect of Long-Term Exposure to Fluoride in Drinking Water on Risks of Bone Fractures, ” Journal of Bone and Mineral Research 16, no. 5 (2001): 932–39.

  10. A. Burgstahler, R. J. Carton, P. Connett, et al. , “A Scientific Critique of the Fluoridation Forum Report, Ireland, ” 2002, http://www.fluoridealert.org/irish.forum-critique.htm.

  11. Anonymous, “A critical appraisal of, and commentary on, ‘50 Reasons to Oppose Fluoridation, ’” posted May 5, 2005, on Ireland’s Department of Health Web site, http://www.dohc.ie/other_health_issues/dental_research/critical_fifty.pdf?direct=1.

  12. Letter from Paul Connett to John Moloney, TD, chairman, Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health & Children, Dublin, Ireland, in response to the critique of his “50 Reasons to Oppose Fluoridation” posted on Ireland’s Department of Health’s Web site, January 20, 2006, http://www.fluoridealert.org/50reasons.ireland.pdf.

  13. National Health and Medical Research Council, A Systematic Review of the Efficacy and Safety of Fluoridation (n. 4 above).

  14. M. McDonagh, P. Whiting, M. Bradley, et al. , “A Systematic Review of Water Fluoridation, ” NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, The University of York, Report 18 (this report is commonly known as the York Review), http://fluoridealert.org/re/york.review.2000.pdf.

  15. Open letter by Professor Trevor Sheldon, DSc, FMedSci, of the University of York, Department of Health Sciences, Heslington, York, UK, January 3, 2001, http://www.appgaf.org.uk/archive/archive_letter_shel/.

  16. National Research Council of the National Academies, Fluoride in Drinking Water: A Scientific Review of EPA’s Standards (Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2006), http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=11571.

  17. National Health and Medical Research Council, A Systematic Review of the Efficacy and Safety of Fluoridation, 15 (n. 4 above).

  18. National Research Council, Fluoride in Drinking Water (n. 16 above).

  19. C. W. Douglass and K. Joshipura, “Caution Needed in Fluoride and Osteosarcoma Study” (letter), Cancer Causes & Control 17, no. 4 (May 2006): 481–82.

  20. B. Bassin, D. Wypij, R. B. Davis, and M. A. Mittleman, “Age-Specific Fluoride Exposure in Drinking Water and Osteosarcoma (United States), ” Cancer Causes and Control 17, no. 4 (May 2006): 421–28.

  21. Letter from Anna Bligh, MP, Premier of Queensland (Australia), to constituent J Lewis, May 15, 2009, http://fluoridealert.org/au.bligh.may15.2009.letter.html.

  22. Health Canada, “Findings and Recommendations of the Fluoride Expert Panel (January 2007)” (n. 5 above).

  23. Health Canada, Fluoride in Drinking Water (n. 6 above).

  24. M. Levy and F. Corbeil, Water Fluoridation: An Analysis of the Health Benefits and Risks, Scientific Advisory, Dévelopment des Individues et des Communautés, Institut National de Santé Publique, Québec, Canada, June 2007, http://fluoridealert.org/re/levy-2007.canada.pdf.

  25. National Research Council, Fluoride in Drinking Water (n. 16 above).

  26. Health Canada, “Findings and Recommendations of the Fluoride Expert Panel (January 2007)” (n. 5 above).

  27. C. W. Douglass and K. Joshipura, “Caution Needed in Fluoride and Osteosarcoma Study” (n. 19 above).

  28. Health Canada, Fluoride in Drinking Water (n. 6 above).

  29. World Health Organization, Fluorides, Environmental Health Criteria 227, International Programme on Chemical Safety, Geneva, Switzerland, 2002, http://www.inchem.org/documents/ehc/ehc/ehc227.htm.

  30. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Toxicological Profile for Fluorides, Hydrogen Fluoride and Fluorine (Atlanta, GA: U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, September 2003), http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp11.pdf.

  31. National Research Council, Fluoride in Drinking Water (n. 16 above).

  32. “Dental Experts Defend Fluoride in Water; Activists Claim Link to Brain Damage, ” Canadian Press, August 8, 2008.

  33. “Experts Disagree on Fluoride in Drinking Water, ” CTV-News (Canadian Television), August 7, 2008, http://www2.fluoridealert.org/Alert/Canada/Ontario/Experts-disagree-on-fluoride-in-drinking-water.

  Chapter 25

  1. National Research Council of the National Academies, Fluoride in Drinking Water: A Scientific Review of EPA’s Standards (Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2006), 33, 36, 40, http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=11571.

  2. G. M. Whitford, “Fluoride in Dental Products: Safety Considerations, ” Journal of Dental Research 66, no. 5 (1987): 1056–60.

  3. Q. Xiang, Y. Liang, L. Chen, et al. , “Effect of Fluoride in Drinking Water on Children’s Intelligence, ” Fluoride 36, no. 2 (2003): 84–94, http://www.fluorideresearch.org/362/files/FJ2003_v36_n2_p84-94.pdf.

  4. Y. Li, C. Liang, C. W. Slemenda, et al. , “Effect of Long-Term Exposure to Fluoride in Drinking Water on Risks of Bone Fractures, ” Journal of Bone and Mineral Research 16, no. 5 (2001): 932–39.

  5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Ten Great Public Health Achievements: United States, 1900–1999, ” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 48, no. 12 (April 2, 1999): 241–43, http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00056796.htm.

  6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Achievements in Public Health, 1900–1999: Fluoridation of Drinking Water to Prevent Dental Caries, ” Mortality and Morbidity Weekly Review 48, no. 41 (October 22, 1999): 933–40, http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4841a1.htm. Note: The authors of this report were Scott Tomar and Susan Griffin, as cited in Tomar’s curricul
um vitae, paper number 27 on page 27, http://fluoridealert.org/re/tomar.scott.cv.ref.27.pdf.

  7. S. O. Griffin, K. Jones, and S. L. Tomar, “An Economic Evaluation of Community Water Fluoridation, ” Journal of Public Health Dentistry 61, no. 2 (2001): 78–86.

  8. M. S. McDonagh, P. F. Whiting, P. M. Wilson, et al. , “Systematic Review of Water Fluoridation, ” British Medical Journal 321, no. 7265 (2000): 855–59, http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/321/7265/855. Note: The full report that this paper summarizes is commonly known as the York Review and is accessible at http://fluoridealert.org/re/york.review.2000.pdf.

  9. Fluoride Action Network, “Professionals’ Statement Calling for an End to Fluoridation, ” http://fluoridealert.org/professionals.statement.html.