Say No to Mass Medication of NJ's Water Supplies

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N.J. Environmental Federation

May 18, 2005

ALERT: SAY NO TO MASS MEDICATION OF NJ'S WATER SUPPLIES

(Download pdf file of this alert)

Attend public hearing to oppose efforts to add fluoride to NJ's drinking water

Monday, June 6, 2005 (10 am -- 2 pm)
NJ Department of Health & Senior Services (NJDHSS)
Suburban Square Shopping Center
25 Scotch Road, Ewing Twp, NJ

The Public Health Council (PHC) of the NJDHSS is holding a public hearing on mandating mass medicating of NJ's public water supplies with fluoride on Monday, June 6, 2005 at 10 am.

NJEF, along with many New Jersey residents, scientific, technical and policy experts, parents, sewer authorities, drinking water suppliers and the NJPTA strongly oppose this mandate. Due to growing evidence that oral ingestion of fluoride may cause significant health & environmental complications, NJEF urges every resident in New Jersey to come to the hearing and submit written comments in opposition to the fluoride mandate. Tell the PHC to vote NO or delay the vote until

1. The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) study on fluoride is released this summer (sic, the NAS report has been delayed til February of '06);
2. The NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) evaluates the cumulative buildup and availability of fluoride in existing public drinking water supplies, with and without additional fluoride medication; and
3. NJDEP utilizes the expertise of the Drinking Water Quality Institute to evaluate this issue

Why Say NO to Mass Medication of our Water Supplies?

1. The World Health Organization (WHO) says that excessive ingestion of fluoride can cause fluorosis of the teeth and bones and that long-term ingestion of large amounts can lead to skeletal fluorosis, a bone and joint disease that mimics arthritis (WHO: Water-related Diseases)
2. The Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility in In Harms Way: Toxic Threats to Child Development, found that fluoride is a known hormone disruptor and might advance premature puberty and cause development problems.
3. A Dartmouth study has found evidence that silicofluorides enhance the body's ability to absorb lead. Fluoride is highly corrosive and is likely to unleash lead in pipes more readily and make lead problems worse.
4. While fluoride toothpaste is pharmaceutical grade and applied directly to the teeth, the kind used in water supplies is industrial grade fluoride (which contains arsenic, lead and mercury). These contaminants could bioaccumulate in our waterways over time thus exposing, fish, wildlife, and humans to toxic levels.
5. Children and adults are already receiving disturbing levels of fluoride that exceed ADA recommended levels (for example, Coca Cola has 0.98 mg/l, Gerber's White Grape Juice has 6.8 mg/l, black tea has 340 mg/kg, shrimp has 61.73 mg/kg, 13 mg/kg in sugar, gelatin has 160 mg/kg, and the list goes on).
6. The PHC is seeking a mandatory fluoride level of 1 ppm in drinking water when it seems apparant that the public is already receiving excessive levels of fluoride through a multitude of sources.

Ultimately, NJEF believes that adding substances to our drinking water amounts to mass medication of the public. No other preventative medication is delivered to our residents via an element essential to life without their informed written consent. It is worth noting that the relevant drinking water statute (or law) defines fluoride as a "contaminant" to our water, while the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers it a drug.

Adding fluoride to our bodies should be a consumer choice and not be forced upon us by the government.

TAKE ACTION!

It's important that the PHC and NJDEP hear strong opposition from the public on the fluoride mandate.

1. Attend the Public Hearing.
   Monday, June 6, 2005 from 10 am to 2 pm
   NJDHSS, Suburban Square Shopping Center
   25 Scotch Road, Ewing Township, NJ (Public comments accepted from 10 am to 2 pm. Oral comments are limited to 3 minutes per person. Presenters should submit 10 copies of testimony to the hearing officer. You must pre-register at {1} or at the address in bullet 2. Those who do not pre-register will be provided an opportunity to comment if time allows).
2. If you can't attend hearing, submit written comments until June 6, 2005 at 5 pm to DHSS, Office of Boards & Councils, Market & Warren Streets, PO Box 360, Trenton, NJ 08625.
3. Turn your testimony/action letter into a letter to the editor.
4. Get involved in this campaign. Contact Jenny Vickers of NJ Environmental Federation at 732-280-8988 or jvickers@cleanwater.org
5. Help spread the word. Send this to family, friends, and co- workers.

In the meantime, make your own personal choice about the use of fluoride toothpaste.

{1} http://www.state.nj.us/health/comiss/obc.htm

Submitted by Jennifer Vickers, jvickers@cleanwater.org

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