By Donna Westfall – January 1, 2020

On November 6, 2012, Crecent City voted to ban fluoride from the public drinking water after 44 years. Much of that vote was due to the dedication of residents fed up with the non-action of the City Council who’s inaction allowed this neurotoxin to remain in our water.  Residents took it upon themselves to educate the local doctors, Board of Supervisors, City Council members, the public by knocking on doors, giving out handouts, standing outside schools, picketing outside the School Board, and attending meetings of the Republican and Democratic central committees.

According to Fluoride Action Network (FAN), 246 communities have rejected fluoride since 2010.  Most developed nations,  including the vast majority of western Europe (97%), do not fluoridate their drinking water.

But, in America, it has been impossible for any citizen group to get the case against fluoride into federal court to stop this ineffective, unsafe and unethical practice until recent years. Our life-sustaining drinking water, should never be used as a delivery system for a medicine of any alleged “drug”.

BACKGROUND ON LAWSUIT

In 1976 the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) was enacted. Regulated by the EPA and supposedly to watch out for injury to health or environment due to new or existing chemicals.  This Act authorizes the EPA to prohibit the “particular use” of a chemical that presents an unreasonable risk to the general public or susceptible subpopulations. TSCA also gives EPA the authority to prohibit drinking water additives.

No citizen group has ever been able to get this to trial until now even though they’ve tried:

November 22, 2016, EPA petitioned by Moms Against Fluoridation to prohibit the addition of fluoridation chemicals (200 million Americans exposed) based on volumes of peer-reviewed research linking fluoride exposure to neurotoxicity.

February 27, 2017, EPA denied the Petition

April 18, 2017, Case 3:17-cv-02162-JSC filed in US District Court for the Northern District of California at San Francisco.  

Plaintiff’s in the case:

• Food and Water Watch
• American Academy of Environmental Medicine
• Fluoride Action Network
• International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology
• Moms Against Fluoridation
• And a number of individuals

Attorney’s in the case: 

Michael Connett and Chris Nidel. Michael is the son of Paul Connett, Executive Director of Fluoride Action Network (FAN). Incidentially, Paul Connett also helped the residents battle to get fluoride out of the Crescent City drinking water.

December 30, 2019 – With Judge Edward Chen throwing out the cross motions to dismiss by both the Plaintiff’s and Defendant’s (EPA’s) Summary Judgment, the case is now scheduled to go to trial on April 20, 2020.

Some of the symptoms of neurotoxicity due to fluoride ingestion including but not limited to:  fatigue (general, debilitating and overwhelming fatigue), underactive thyroid problems, skin rashes, gastrointestinal problems, hives, arthritis, pain, seizures, exacerbation to kidney disease, lower IQ, diziness and fluorosis now in 58% of the adolescents in our country. In 2011, the percent was 41% and the Crescent City, City Council voted to reduce the amount of fluoride in our public water which was a good start in the right direction.

It’s really very simple. Since the 1940’s, the addition of fluoride to the drinking water was  based on the theory that ingesting this poison would help stop tooth decay.  Since the ’40’s, scientific evidence has proven that topical treatment and not ingestion works more effectively. Besides which, there is no one monitoring the dose or side effects.  NO ONE! Actually, because there is so much fluoride in the products we eat and drink, 58% of the adolescents in American now suffer from fluorosis, the first sign of fluoride poisoning which mottles the teeth and calcifies the ligaments.

Six chemical substances receive special attention under TSCA: PCBs, asbestos, radon, lead, mercury, and formaldehyde. Interesting to note that some fluoridating agents contain concentrations of arsenic, mercury, lead and cadmium.

The best possible outcome of this lawsuit anticipated by the plaintiffs against the EPA  is the cessation of the addition of artificial fluoridation to the drinking water supplies across the nation.

Watch for April 20, 2020………