Hidden amidst the excitement of last weeks' Historic Presidential Election in the USA was some other excellent news, much of it from the State of Nebraska. Up to 53 Towns and Cities there voted to discontinue or abandon the prospect of water fluoridation and at the time of writing, additional "NO" votes in other states are still coming in. We on the anti-fluoridation campaigns applaud these results as victories for common sense, democracy and long overdue. They are certainly a strong indication of the growth of opposition to fluoride.
Of course there are many who stand to lose from the abandonment of fluoridation but few can be so vociferous and jingoistic as D.J. Gongol and Associates, Inc. of Des Moines, Iowa, USA, who write what follows in their publication Water and Waste water News, under the headline "Fluoride defeats are unfortunate news" ..."Voters in Grand Island, Hastings, North Platte and Sutherland rejected measures to introduce fluoride to their drinking water supplies on Election Day last week. Unfortunately, the anti-fluoride movement is bolstered by anecdotes that make dubious and misleading claims about the safety of fluoride which has been shown repeatedly by scientific study to be safe and overwhelmingly effective at dramatically reducing the incidence of tooth decay. "
"Fluoride occurs naturally in many water supplies, so whether its naturally present or added at the water treatment plant, we recommend the use of fluoride monitors to ensure that fluoride levels are maintained in the safest range."
The use of terms such as safe or effective enables us to easily carbon-date the original text from which this was plucked, to around the end of World War 2. But, the addition of adjectival hyperbole such as overwhelmingly effective (sic) and better yet, “dramatically reducing the incidence of tooth decay” elevate this otherwise merely inaccurate and repetitive tosh, to truly epic proportions worthy of Cecil B DeMille.
Consequently I have no hesitation in awarding them the Say No To Fluoride Flat Earth Award for Uninformed Nonsense. Additional marks were awarded for scarcity of facts and a total absense of science. (If you wish to make other nominations for this prestigious award please let us know.)
At the end of the piece, we are encouraged by ... “feel free to contact us with your questions” but fortunately, after a great deal of effort, I was able to resist this temptation. However, should anyone out there feel unable to resist, there is little I can do to prevent it. Those of you who find any of the above difficult to believe can read the original text at this address. http://gongol.net/newsletter/2008/11/11/ When we are confronted by such Titans of Spin, our eventual victory over the Fluoridistas seems assured.
