Fluoridegate is about officials being more concerned to protect water fluoridation at all costs than protecting the health of the people they serve.
– Dan Stockin
Ultimately, each of us is responsible to expose the lies and corruption that keeps fluoride in our water. Health and government officials don’t know, don’t care, and/or don’t want to know. It could cost them big time to admit they’re wrong.
Important Information
Daniel Stockin, MPH sent out this press release exposing health officials’ efforts to control the news of water fluoridation harm to African Americans.
From: Daniel G. Stockin, MPH The Lillie Center for Energy and Health Studies
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Black Pastors Group President, Erin Brockovich, Others Call for Fluoridegate Hearings
Ellijay, Georgia: May 20, 2015: Federal health officials, in close communication with dental industry representatives, worked feverishly to blunt spread of news that African Americans are disproportionately harmed by drinking fluoridated water, according to recently obtained Freedom of Information Act documents.
The documents show clearly-worried high level Health and Human Services (HHS) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) employees working with private sector officials after prominent civil rights leaders in Atlanta voiced opposition to water fluoridation.
The documents were released after a nearly four-year wait. Text on a large number of pages was concealed by federal employees prior to release, but the text that is not obscured contains explosive revelations.
A previously uncovered document had shown American Dental Association officials asking Assistant Secretary for Health Howard Koh for help because they felt the issue of fluoridation harm to minorities had “the potential to gain traction.” The new documents show what happened after this request….
Consumer and environmental advocate Erin Brockovich has called for Fluoridegate hearings, as has Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King Jr. The President of the Coalition of African American Pastors, Rev. William Owens, also recently called for hearings….
In a letter calling for hearings, Rev. Owens voiced alarm about fluorides. He stated, “There are more patients with kidney disease and diabetes in the black community, and this is all the more reason federal officials should have told us that kidney patients and diabetics are especially vulnerable to harm.”
“Fluoridegate is about officials being more concerned to protect water fluoridation at all costs than protecting the health of the people they serve,” Stockin says.
Dr. Paul Connett in the FAN Bulletin, May 20, 2015 had this comment about Daniel Stockin’s disclosure.
Fluoridegate: More Revelations
Dan Stockin does it again (see his media release below). Using the Freedom of Information Act he has obtained all the un-redacted correspondence among those individuals at the CDC, ADA and Pew who were involved in the attempt in May-June of 2011 to “put the lid on” concerns from Civil Rights leaders in Atlanta (former UN Ambassador Andrew Young; the Rev Durley and the niece and daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr) about the disproportionate harm fluoridation is causing Black and Hispanic communities in the US and the failure of the CDC to warn these communities of their extra vulnerabilities to fluoride (“FluorideGate”).
These statements from Civil Rights leaders were of huge concern to fluoridation promoters. According to Dr. Leon Stanislav (who was sent by the ADA to the meeting discussed below), “This is becoming a very large picture (issue, PC) with a movement through the black ministries and, possibly, even as high as the administration.” (p.260)
Having read through the 320 pages of documentation provided by FOIA, it is clear that much of the information has been redacted – 80 pages were blanked out and another 45 pages were partially blanked out. It is puzzling that so much of the discussion on this public health practice is deemed so confidential that it has to be kept hidden from the public. Usually, there are very serious reasons (e.g. national security) why FOIA pages are redacted. However, in this case national security would not apply. So when it comes to the defense of a public health practice the redaction of so much material would seem to fly in the face of the spirit of the Freedom of Information Act.
The key event at the heart of the “fluoridation fortress (CDC, ADA, Pew)” response to the Civil Rights’ leaders was a meeting held at Morehouse College in Atlanta on June 1, 2011. The meeting was organized behind the scenes by the PEW Charitable Trusts, but they had no representative at the meeting. (p.259) Those attending were:
Ambassador Andrew Young
Rev. Gerald Durley
Dr. David Satcher (former US Surgeon General)
Dr. John Maupin, Morehouse School of MedicineEPA
Dr. Gwen Keyes Fleming, Administrator Region IV
HHS/ CDC
Dr. Ursula Bauer, Director of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and health promotion
Dr. Scott Presson – CDC program services
Dr. Gina Thornton-Evans – CDC oral health epidemiologist
Dr. Desmond Williams – lead, Chronic Kidney Disease InitiativeHHS/Office of Minority Health
Dr. Garth Graham –Deputy Assistant Director for Minority Health
Dr. Rochelle Rollins –Director, Division of Policy and Data
Dr. Arlene Lester – Regional Minority Health ConsultantGeorgia State
Dr. Elizabeth Lense –State Dental Director
National Dental Association (NDA)
Dr. Sheila Brown, President, NDA
Dr. Roy Irons P-E
Dr. Kim Perry, Chairman of the Board, NDA
Mr. Robert Johns, EDAmerican Dental Association (ADA)
Dr. Bill Cainon, Pres-Elect, ADA
Dr. Leon Stanislav, former Chairman NFAC
Judy Sherman, Washington DC office, ADA
A noticeable absentee from this list was Dan Stockin, who was invited to attend by Rev. Durley, but was dis-invited en route to the meeting!
Clearly, this meeting was designed to provide only one side of the fluoridation debate to the Civil Rights leaders….
Of Interest
By: Dr. James S. Beck (Letter to the Editor), Sherwood Park News, Calgary, Alberta 25-May-2015
The article on dental health which appeared on April 21, submitted by the Alberta Dental Association and College (ADA) was misleading on the matters of safety and effectiveness of water fluoridation (“Use fluoride to prevent cavities”).
Science is not a popularity contest, but the number of supporting organizations has diminished in recent years and there are the many unmentioned organizations that oppose fluoridation.
The high prevalence of cavities in Canada and the United States exists in areas with fluoridation as well as those without. And often it is higher where the water is fluoridated — for example higher in Ontario than in Quebec and British Columbia. According to Statistics Canada, in 2010 there were no substantial differences in prevalences between Quebec (6.4 per cent fluoridated) and Ontario (76 per cent).
There has been no credible published study showing that fluoridation is safe. In fact, many competently done studies have revealed adverse effects to be associated with fluoridation. Some of these effects are more certainly due to fluoride exposure than others. The more certain ones include hypothyroidism, early onset of menstruation, dental fluorosis, hip fracture and depressed cognitive functions in children. Two convincing reports have appeared this year on associations of fluoridation with hypothyroidism and with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Perhaps because fluoridation has been assumed to be safe and effective for so long, very little research on these questions has been done in countries where fluoridation is extensive even though effects have been identified and little or no evidence of effectiveness exists. In fact, few nations have fluoridation. European nations stopped it in the 1970s for three reasons, according to statements obtained from officials in those countries. The reasons were that it is not ethical, not safe and not effective. In Canada and the United States there have been steady declines in the numbers of fluoridated cities and towns.
The Health Canada has admitted that it can’t find the research to justify its promotion of fluoridation.
The CDA neglects to mention that hydrofluorosilicic acid, which is used to introduce fluoride ion into the body, is a drug as applied in fluoridation, and it is not approved for such use. Also unmentioned is that fluoride is not a nutrient for humans, as often claimed by promoters. It is administered without consent of the people dosed and without control of dose and even without knowledge of its being administered.
Other measures such as good diet, accessible dental care and brushing and flossing, in contrast to fluoridation, are known to be effective.
Dr. James S. Beck
Calgary, Alberta
Other Communities
The Pas, MB
Great News! The Town of The Pas, Manitoba voted to remove fluoride from its drinking water Tuesday, May 19. The vote was 5 – 2 in favour. Jim Scott, Crystal Morrish, Andrew Forward, Chad Zolinski and Margaret Commodore all voted in favour while Brian Roque and Alan Gibb voted against.
Snow Lake, Cranberry Portage and Flin Flon stopped fluoridating their drinking water in the late 90’s; Churchill stopped in 2012; Thompson never fluoridated its drinking water and now we can add The Pas to the growing list of communities who are fluoridation free.
East Brunswick, NJ
Watch this East Brunswick Fluoridation Debate featuring FAN’s Director and environmental chemist, Paul Connett, PhD debating periodontist and former President of the New Jersey Dental Association, Richard Kahn, DDS on the safety, ethics, and effectiveness of fluoridation. The video also features legal expert David Lonsky, Esq, who reviews the legal issues stemming from the practice.
Should East Brunswick remove fluoride in its tap water? Mayor says ‘yes’ – March 07, 2015
The township may stop adding fluoride to drinking water after the mayor came out against it in his State of the Township address.
“The township will end its mass medication of the public by ending the use of fluoride in our water system,” Mayor David Stahl said in a speech last month that was first reported by MyCentralJersey.com. “When fluoride was first introduced, it was not easy for individuals to receive fluoride any other way. Today, there’s many other options.”
The Waterford City and County Council in Ireland, representing over 113,000 residents, has passed a resolution calling for an end to fluoridation in Ireland. Waterford is the 13th Council since the beginning of 2014–collectively representing over 2.5 million Irish citizens–to formally adopt this resolution.
City Commissioners in Palatka, Florida (pop. 10,500) voted unanimously to reject a fluoridation proposal despite intense lobbying by radical pro-fluoride advocate Johnny Johnson. The city discontinued water fluoridation in 2011 at the Water Plant Superintendent’s request, as he said the chemical was corrosive and continuously broke down water plant equipment.
In March the Missouri Department of Health offered Sullivan City Councilors up to $25,000 to fund their fluoridation program for 2015, but the council turned it down and instead rejected the practice altogether. Councilors voted last week to end fluoridation after adding fluoride to the water supply for over 20 years.
Mayor Dennis Watz called for the removal of fluoride after researching the issue and finding recent studies showing potential harms and a lack of effectiveness. A local doctor as well as the Water and Sewer Commissioner also opposed fluoridation.
Our Community
Great news from these other communities…our turn is coming!
Coming Soon
Watch for it! Our new Fluoride Free Lethbridge Website will be ready for you to peruse soon. Much thanks to the many hours Jade at humble bee Design & Marketing gave as a gift to us.
Take Action
You may not see much happening here in Lethbridge concerning the battle to end fluoridation, but there are rumblings of discontent about being “medicated” without our consent.
Write City Council. That’s easy to do by clicking on the link and writing your disapproval to having fluoride in your water.
Speak out with your Lawn signs. Call Sean at 403-329-9157 to order yours.
Wear your FFL T-shirts (go to photos to see the design). It’s T-shirt weather.
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