By Stuart Cooper, Fluoride Action Network – May 7, 2019 –
An award-winning toxicologist and a Diplomat of the American Board of Toxicology, Steve Gilbert, PhD–and his non-profit organization, the Institute of Neurotoxicology & Neurological Disorders–have produced a must-read statement opposing artificial fluoridation on his website Toxipedia.
Dr. Gilbert is an Affiliate Professor at the University of Washington’s School of Public Health, in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences. He previosly spent 15 years with Health Canada, where his research focused on neurobehavioral effects of low-level exposure to environmental toxins. His free e-book, A Small Dose of Toxicology, was released in 2004 and has been translated into Spanish, German, Arabic and Chinese. In 2016, he was recognized by the Society of Toxicology with its public communications award. View Dr. Gilbert’s full background.
The Institute of Neurotoxicology & Neurological Disorders is a nonprofit focused on educating the public and policy makers about the health and environmental impacts of toxic chemicals.
The four-page statement opposing fluoridation concisely examines the science, ethics, and history of fluoridation, and calls for direct action: “Discontinue water fluoridation, which will greatly reduce fluoride ingestion.”
This comes just months after one of the world’s leading neuroscientists, Dr. David Bellinger, published a review article in the journal Pediatric Medicine where he included fluoride in a list of chemicals known or suspected to interfere with the neurodevelopment of children.
In both Bellinger and Gilberts’ reviews of fluoride’s neurotoxicity, they cite the meta-analysis of 27 IQ studies (Choi et al., 2012); a follow-up study he co-authored (Choi et al., 2015) and the more recent US-government funded mother-offspring studies from Mexico City (Bashash et al.,2017 and 2018). These latter studies, which controlled for many possible confounders, found a very strong association between fluoride levels in the pregnant mothers’ urine and lowered IQ in their offspring. These fluoride urine levels from the mothers in Mexico City correspond to the fluoride levels in pregnant women in fluoridated communities in Canada (Till et al., 2018).
There are now over 350 published studies on fluoride’s effect on the brain: 130 human studies, over 200 animal studies, and 33 cell studies.
Wyoming Town Becomes Latest to End Fluoridation
After over two years of public hearings, study, and debate–culmunating in a survey of 12,400 water customers–the entire City Council of Sheridan, Wyoming joined a majority of residents in voting for an end to artificial water fluoridation on Monday night. The city plans to turn off the fluoridation chemical injection equipment today.
Councilors approved fluoridation in 2010, despite vocal resident opposition, and implemented it in 2014 after upgrades were made at the water treatment plant. Local residents never let the issue die, as a dedicated group questioned the practice at regular council meetings. In July of 2018, the council voted 4-2 to end discussion of the issue completely, opposing a public vote or survey. But this didn’t stop locals from continuing to educate the council and call for a survey on water bills, which the council eventually approved over the Winter and sent out to customers in March.
Congratulations to the residents of Sheridan, and to the local campaigners of Clean Water Sheridan. They present a great example of what a determined group of residents can accomplish, despite facing well-financed opponents, a long process, and several setbacks from the council along the way.
