Download More than 7,000 employees of seven unions of the Environment

September 2005
Great Smokies Medical Center asks you to join thousands of concerned scientists from eleven unions of
the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) who are petitioning Congress to act before the scheduled
results of an EPA-requested review of the safety of their own fluoridation standards for drinking water
that are due to be released in 2006.
A Brief History: American’s municipal drinking water has been fluoridated since the 1940s when the
EPA mandated fluoridation of drinking water to decrease dental cavities. The form of fluoride used is
hydrofluorosilicate, an unprocessed industrial waste byproduct of aluminum manufacturing. The Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) has never approved the ingestion of fluoride.
Is Fluoridation Effective? Ironically, fluoridation is ineffective in accomplishing its intended purpose:
reducing dental caries. Increased education and improved dental hygiene are responsible for a decrease of
dental caries worldwide, notably in Europe where fluoridation of water supplies is largely rejected.
Drinking fluoride to prevent caries is like drinking suntan lotion to prevent sunburn. It just doesn’t work.
Topical applications, though possibly effective, are also not recommended due to their systemic toxicity.
Adverse Health Effects: Harvard-based research (that has been hidden from the public and the EPA for
years) reveals that fluoridation of water is proved to cause osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer,
particularly in young boys.
There’s More: Fluoride is one of the most toxic compounds in nature. It is the active ingredient in
several pesticides and rodenticides. Fluoride’s many adverse health effects include:
 Enhancement of lead toxicity, even when water and environmental lead levels are low
 Discoloration of teeth
 Damage to bones called skeletal fluorosis, a weakening of bones similar to osteoporosis, causing
chronic bone pain and compression fractures
 Worsening of the impact of iodine deficiency, further contributing to serious health problems,
notably hypothyroidism
 Contribution to amyloid deposits (associated with Alzheimer’s disease) in brains
 Association with higher rates of violent crime, substance abuse, and learning disabilities
Effects of Naturally-Occurring Fluoride: Observations of people in a Chinese village that has naturally
high fluoride levels in their drinking water have brought to light several unfortunate lessons in the effects
of drinking fluoridated water. Residents had high incidence of brittle bones, bone pain, and cancer, in
addition to impaired intelligence, memory and learning in children. (When fluoride has removed from
their water supply, even though bone deformities persisted, bone pain was markedly reduced.)
What You Can Do: Support the eleven EPA Unions' initiative to call for a moratorium on the mandated
fluoridation of our nation’s drinking water by signing an e-petition at:
http://www.powalliance.org/petition/index.html
Thank you for your support! Please forward this email to your contacts who are also concerned about the
quality of drinking water and our nation’s health.