TAKE ACTION!

It has recently been announced that 11 EPA Unions have called on Congress to initiate a full investigation into the policy of water fluoridation. Until such an investigation begins, the EPA Unions have requested that Congress enact a nationwide moratorium on fluoridation. (See letter from EPA Unions)

The Unions' request for a moratorium is based on an accumulation of health concerns related to fluoride ingestion, including bone cancer in children, hip fracture in the elderly, and damage to the developing brain.

To help support the Unions' call for a Congressional investigation, please consider mailing, faxing, or emailing your Congressional representatives. To access the contact information for your Congressional representatives, click here.

In addition to sending a letter to Congress (see sample letters below), please also take a moment and sign the online petition calling for a congressional investigation on fluoridation. To access the petition, click here.

Thank you for your help and support!
- FAN Web Team

SAMPLE LETTER (long version)

Date:

Dear Representative (or Senator) __________________:

I am your constituent and one of countless Americans alarmed by a widely publicized Harvard University study linking water fluoridation to increased risk of a frequently fatal bone cancer (osteosarcoma) in young males - and the ongoing suppression of these serious findings by the professor overseeing the research. See the Washington Post (July 13) and Wall Street Journal (July 22) articles on this at http://www.fluoridealert.org/news/2313.html and http://fluorideaction.net/news/2323.html

I am writing to request that you support the eleven EPA unions, representing thousands of scientists and other EPA professionals, that are now calling for an immediate moratorium on water fluoridation until a new Congressional investigation of this controversial procedure has been instigated and completed. The unions' position is elaborated in a letter to Senator Inouye by their spokesperson, EPA Senior Scientist, Dr. William Hirzy <http://nteu280.org/Issues/Fluoride/fluroride%20.unions.congress.htm>. Dr. Hirzy can be reached at: 202-885-1780 or by email at: whirzy@american.edu.

Sixty years of fluoridation has caused widespread and unavoidable exposure to toxic fluorides through our food and beverage chain - with no freedom of choice for anyone. The primary chemicals used are largely untested silicofluorides, which are waste products of the phosphate fertilizer industry. While most medically advanced nations have rejected or banned this risky practice long ago due to ethical, health and environmental concerns, our own population remains at risk. The fluoridation-osteosarcoma link is of immediate concern because it is life threatening, but there are many other documented health issues, including damage to bone, serious fluoride overexposure in infants (newborn babies who are fed formula made with fluoridated tap water are getting 100-200 times higher doses of fluoride than a breast fed baby), lowering of IQ in children, accumulation in the pineal gland and lowering of thyroid function (see documentation at http://www.fluorideaction.net/health.)

Although the vast majority of European countries do not fluoridate their water, tooth decay in European 12 year-olds has declined as fast, if not faster, than in the US (see http://www.fluorideaction.net/who-dmft.htm.) This is strong proof that there is no need to use the water supply to force fluoride on whole populations. Moreover, numerous reports of a dental crisis in major US cities that have long practiced fluoridation indicate that the procedure has failed to achieve its stated goals while subjecting over 170 million US citizens to the risks and harmful effects of chronic fluoride exposure.

In 1999, the American Dental Association (ADA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) conceded that any dental benefit from fluoride comes primarily from topical exposure to the surfaces of the teeth. This fact means ingestion through the water supply is useless and risky. Since 80% of childhood tooth decay occurs in only 25% of the child population (primarily children from low socio-economic backgrounds lacking access to dental care [CDC, 2001]), the many millions spent on fluoridation promotion, equipment and chemicals would be better spent on direct dental care for children with the greatest need and by increasing preventive measures such as improved nutrition and better oral hygiene education.

Over 60 years of aggressive endorsement and promotion of this practice by the US Public Health Service, the CDC and the ADA has resulted in the virtual halt of rational scientific debate on fluoridation in the US. Using taxpayer dollars and ignoring all recent scientific evidence of harm, efforts by these agencies to expand fluoridation through statewide mandates are now accelerating. This should be halted and Congress should begin examining all scientific evidence on the risks and benefits of fluoridation through a new investigation - along with an immediate national moratorium on fluoridation until the investigation is completed. I urge you to join with the 11 EPA unions calling for this to begin at the earliest possible date.

Respectfully yours,

SAMPLE LETTER (shorter - this fits on one side of 8 x 11)

Date:

Dear Representative (or Senator) __________________:

I am one of your constituents and one of many Americans alarmed by a recently publicized Harvard University study linking water fluoridation to increased risk of a frequently fatal bone cancer (osteosarcoma) in young males - and the ongoing suppression of these serious findings by the professor overseeing the research. See the Washington Post (July 13) and Wall Street Journal (July 22) articles on this at http://www.fluoridealert.org/news/2313.html and http://fluorideaction.net/news/2323.html.

Because of these life-threatening consequences, eleven Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unions have taken an unprecedented action which I am now requesting that you support. These 11 EPA unions, representing thousands of members, including many scientists and other professionals, are now calling for an immediate moratorium on water fluoridation until a new Congressional investigation has been commenced and completed. The unions' position is elaborated in a letter to key Congressional committees.. The Unions' spokesperson is Dr. William Hirzy, Ph.D, who can be reached at: 202-885-1780 or by e-mail at:whirzy@american.edu.

The practice of fluoridation has caused widespread and unavoidable exposure to toxic fluorides through our food and beverage chain - with no freedom of choice for anyone. While most medically advanced nations have rejected or banned this risk-laden practice long ago, our own heavily fluoridated population remains at risk. There are many documented health issues, including damage to bone, serious fluoride overexposure in infants (newborn babies who are fed formula made with fluoridated tap water are getting 100-200 times higher doses of fluoride than a breast fed baby), lowering of IQ in children, lowering of thyroid function (http://www.fluorideaction.net/health.)

Numerous reports of a dental crisis in major long-fluoridated U.S. cities indicate that the procedure has failed to achieve its stated goals. In 1999, and subsequently, the American Dental Association (ADA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) conceded that any dental benefit from fluoride comes primarily from topical exposure to the surfaces of the teeth. This fact means fluoride ingestion through the water supply is useless, costly and risky. Efforts would be better directed to dental care for children in need, improved nutrition and oral hygiene education.

Our population has been subjected to over 60 years of aggressive endorsement and promotion of fluoridation by the U.S. Public Health Service, the CDC and the ADA. Using taxpayer dollars and ignoring scientific evidence of harm, efforts by these agencies to expand fluoridation through statewide and local mandates are now accelerating. This should be halted and Congress should begin examining all scientific evidence on the risks and benefits of fluoridation through a new investigation - along with an immediate national moratorium on fluoridation.

I urge you to join with the 11 EPA unions calling for a national fluoridation moratorium and a full, impartial Congressional hearing to begin at the earliest possible date. May we hear from you soon.

Respectfully yours,