Since March, 2012; 700,000 more people are now free of fluoridation in the US and the Island of Curacao in the Caribbean. Watching the New Hampshire House of Representatives in a vote of 253-23 to include infant warnings on the water bills and annual water quality report just got one step closer to reality as the Senate passed it unanimously. Governor John Lynch is expected to sign this into law and will be the first state in the union to mandate infant fluoride warnings.
Dear Donna,
This spring has brought a slew of fluoride-free victories throughout North America and the Caribbean! Just yesterday the New Hampshire State Senate voted unanimously to pass HB-1416, requiring that water companies provide infant fluoride warnings to customers in all fluoridated communities. This bill already passed out of the NH House by a vote of 253-23, and the Governor’s signature is expected.
New Hampshire isn’t the only place that has seen fluoride-free victories recently:
Okotoks, Alberta (Canada) — On April 23, the seven member city council voted 6 to 1 to stop fluoridating the drinking water for the town’s 25,000 or so residents.
Curacao — Last week the Caribbean island of Curacao banned fluoride
in drinking water due to the health risks associated with the additive. The government cited the significant risk to kidney patients as a major reason for lowing the fluoride level from 1.5 parts per million (ppm) to the natural 0.5 ppm. This decision will free more than 140,000 people from fluoridated water.
Albuquerque, New Mexico — On April 11, the use of fluoride was officially stopped for the city of approximately 500,000 after city officials said it was no longer necessary.
West Manheim, Pennsylvania — During the first week in April, city supervisors in this township of 8,000 voted 4 to 1 to discontinue the use of fluoride in their drinking water. Supervisors cited the health risks and the waste of money associated with the practice as reasons for their vote.
Bourbon, Indiana — On March 20th, city councilors voted unanimously to end fluoridation for it’s 2000 citizens.
Amherstburg, Ontario — In early March, the town council passed a moratorium on fluoridation until Canadian government could show that the use of inorganic fluorides was safe for citizens to drink and for water company employees to handle. Amherstburg supplies water to approximately 20,000 residents.
For those of you who are counting, that’s almost another 700,000 people freed from fluoridation since March. I’d say we are off to a great start in 2012, and if you read on you’ll find that things are only going to get better.
New York City Rally & Resolution
New York City Councilman Peter Vallone, Jr. will be hosting a fluoride-free rally on the stairs of City Hall on Tuesday, May 15th. The rally will start at 11a.m.
We need as many supporters to attend as possible. A fluoride fight in NYC will gain international media attention, will show dentists and decision-makers across the fluoridated world that opposition to fluoridation is serious, and if successful this would likely be the tipping point that leads to the end of fluoridation in North America.
This past fall, Peter Vallone introduced a resolution to prohibit fluoridation in New York City and published an op-ed explaining why he introduced the prohibition. Much of the local media attacked him for his opposition to fluoridation, so it’s paramount that we lend Councilman Vallone our support by attending this important rally, and show the NY media that we mean business.
If you are able to attend, please contact FAN’s New York state coordinator as early as possible.
What: NYC Fluoride-free Rally
Where: New York City Hall
When: Tuesday, May 15th at 11a.m.
Legislative Update
NEW HAMPSHIRE
It looks like New Hampshire will be the first state to require infant fluoride warnings in all fluoridated communities. On April 25th, the NH State Senate pass HB-1416 by a unanimous voice vote after the Municipal and Public Affairs committee recommended it for passage by a 4-0 vote last week ( listen to testimony).
Originally the bill would have required an infant warning on quarterly water bills, but the Senate committee amended the bill so that the warnings would appear in annual water quality reports instead. Committee members argued that quarterly water bills would not go to the 30% of residents who rent apartments, while water quality reports go to all residents in a community whether they rent or own, and are also posted on water company websites year-round. FAN urged legislators to place the warning on both water bills and water quality reports, but the NH Dental Association, Oral Health Coalition, NH Water Works Association, and the NH Municipal Association opposed it.
In March, HB-1416 passed out of the House Resources, Recreation and Development committee by a 13-2 vote before steamrolling the opposition on the House floor with a 253-23 vote. The bill will now go back to the House where they must decide either to concur with the Senate’s amendment, or call for a committee of conference and ask Senators to amend the bill back to it’s original form. Once it has been approved by the House, it will go to Governor John Lynch’s office, where he is expected to sign it into law, making NH the first state to mandate infant fluoride warnings.
NEW JERSEY
The New Jersey mandatory fluoridation legislation (A1811 / S959) has stalled before reaching the floor of either the NJ General Assembly or the Senate. Both bills were introduced in January and passed quickly out of Health committees by chairmen who were both co-sponsors of the mandate.
In the past, this bill has had to go before the Assembly Appropriations committee before going for a full vote on the Assembly floor. This year the sponsors were able to get the Assembly leadership to waive this legislative rule, and send the bills directly to the full bodies. Fortunately, the opposition to a fluoride mandate is strong, dedicated, and continuing to grow. This strong fluoride-free opposition has caused leadership in both bodies to keep the bills from being voted on. While this could mean the end to this year’s battle in NJ, it could also being a stalling tactic since either bill could still be voted on in May.
Clearly, we need to keep the momentum building in opposition to this unethical, unhealthy, and ineffective mandate. If you live in or near New Jersey please consider getting involved, writing letters, making phone calls to legislative leaders, and urging your town council to pass a resolution opposing the mandate.
- Contact FAN’s NJ State Coordinator
- Join No Fluoride New Jersey on Facebook
- Visit New Jersey Citizens Opposing Forced Fluoridation
- Send an email to NJ’s Legislative leaders
VERMONT
This January a Vermont legislator had introduced a provision in an oral health bill that would mandate fluoridation for the entire state ( H.615 text). Fortunately, local fluoride-free campaigners and FAN reached out to the House leadership and to the Health committee chair to share our opposition. The bill was never brought up by the Health committee, and because it missed the deadline for House action this legislative session, the bill appears to be dead.
We Need Your Nominations
Great news! We’ve received a generous donation of $1000 for the express purpose of getting our book “The Case Against Fluoride” into the hands of decision-makers — local, state, or federal — plus those having influence over those decisions, including the media. Please send nominations for recipients (please, only one per person). Include their name, title, address, and a line or two why you are nominating him or her for this gift, and if you like, who thoughtfully nominated them.
Sincerely,
Stuart Cooper
Campaign Manager
Fluoride Action Network
