By Donna Westfall

On November 6, 2012, Crescent City voters voted in a moratorium to stop adding toxic industrial waste fluoride to the drinking water because our supplier would not provide three things:

1.) Toxicological report

2.) Listing of contaminants

3.) Proof that their product was safe for all water consumers, infants to seniors.

The actual chemicals added to our water for about four decades is called Hydrofluorosilicic Acid or HFSA for short.

The absurd practice of adding HFSA is based more on politics than science. Why should a water department be given the power to medicate anyone when they didn’t take a health history, they didn’t pass out a listing of side effects or monitor the dose.

Can you imagine what would happen if your medical doctor didn’t monitor the dose?

Our Environmental Protection Agency announced in early 2011 that 41% of our nations teenagers had fluorosis and recommended cutting the parts per million down to .7. Our city council reduced the ppm from 1.2 to .7. Ultimately, it didn’t matter that the HFSA was down to .7 parts per million.  The DOSE is just as important because an infant drinking reconstituted formula several times a day is getting overdosed.

New Hampshire Governor Lynch signed into law on Aug 4, 2012 infant warnings concerning mixing fluoridated water with formula because of the high prevalence of fluorosis. Fluorosis is the first visible sign of fluoride poisoning.

Back in October, 2012, we published an article, “Beware of ‘Prestigious’ Organizations that Endorse HFSA/Fluoride.”  In it was our email correspondence with the American Academy of Pediatrics, (AAP), Hollis Russinof.

Since then, the AAP has been very busy in promoting fluoride as we were recently furnished with the results of a public records request:

• Emails to Erin Knoerl re: the Rapid Response Team
• Obtained through Freedom of information Act

Who is Erin Knoerl?

Eric Knoerl, MPH is with the New York State Department of Health.  MPH stands for Masters Degree in Public Health.

Who is Heather P. Stob?

Heather Stob is the Division Coordinator, for the Division of Pediatric Practice for the American Academy of Pediatrics.

What is the Rapid Response Team?

That takes us to the Pew Charitable Trusts.  Pew formed a coalition called the Campaign for Dental Health (CDH). The CDH was created after Pew had lengthy discussions with four foundations—the Washington Dental Service Foundation (WDSF), the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund, The Health Trust and the Bower Foundation.

In 2009, Pew and these foundations sought an analysis of fluoridation by William Smith, a social marketing expert and the former executive vice president of the Academy for Educational Development. The following year, SalterMitchell Inc., a social marketing firm, conducted a communications scan to better understand how the topic was being framed in news stories and how it was being discussed online and in social media.  As a result, the Rapid Response Team was created.

• Creating a Rapid Response Team to alert public health activists who are willing to review online articles and, when appropriate, provide scientifically accurate comments about the benefits of water fluoridation.
• Getting back to the AAP – Hollis Russinof, a program manager for the Campaign for Dental Health at the American Academy of Pediatrics, said that Pew filled a gap. In particular, Russinof praised Pew for engaging experts in social marketing who had experience developing award-winning anti-smoking campaigns that could help inform strategies for promoting fluoridation.
• Since 2011, Pew has assisted more than 40 communities in defeating rollback attempts, effectively protecting water fluoridation for more than 5 million people.

Between February and May of this year, emails sent from AAP to Erin Knoerl and others would contain the names of States, the name of the articles, and the name of the newspaper along with this at the top: “Please post a pro-fluoridation comment to the following articles.” Then at the bottom; “A document containing sample comments is attached to assist you in your efforts.”

Makes you feel grateful to know that our town with 70% cavities in our children teeth (quote by local dentist, Dr. Susan Wellman) after four decades of a failed fluoridation program, decided to get rid of it.

Whew!