At 05:19 AM 5/16/2007, you wrote:

You may be interested in the following new pages:
    
http://www.rvi.net/~fluoride/000171.htm
Popular but false and/or misleading arguments
against water fluoridation and fluoride pesticides

One of the supposed false facts from this page:

"Most of Western Europe is not fluoridated, yet tooth decay
 rates are no higher than in fluoridated areas.  This shows
 that water fluoridation is not beneficial."

With the supposed real fact:
"FACT: There are no developed countries where fluoride is
 lacking in the diet.  People ingest fluoride in salt,
 dental products, soft drinks, tea, fruit juices, meats,
 fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and seeds.  In many
 cases they also get fluoride from air pollution,
 cigarette smoke, skin creams, mineral supplements, and
 prescription drugs."

Darlene, both points are correct -- except that your point
misleadingly implies that comparing dental decay rates in
areas of fluoridated water to those with non-fluoridated is
an invalid comparison because we get fluoride/fluorine from
so many other sources.

Let's consider both possibilities.

IF fluoridated water is a _minor_ factor in people's daily
consumption of fluoride, then we don't need it rammed down
our throats, increasing our water bill and delivering other
industrial chemicals to boot.

IF it is a _major_ factor (and I would say it is probably
the source of 50% or more of people's daily fluoride intake,
i.e. major) then the fact it doesn't help with tooth decay
rates DOES matter.

Summarizing: if fluoridated water is a minor part of our
overall consumption, then just stop it.  If it is a major
part, yet is ineffective, then just stop it.



Also, note that we can easily stop using or change our salt,
dental products, soft drinks, tea, fruit juices, meats,
fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and seeds.  And we can
quit smoking, not use or change our skin creams, mineral
supplements and prescription drugs.

But we can not easily remove 100% of the industrial waste
added to the water coming into our homes.  Only public
policy changes can do this.  Hence the axe we grind.

We don't want to be mass-medicated, got it?  If fluoride
is such great stuff, stick it in toothpaste.  Wait, they
already do this.  That should be the start and end of it.

Floyd
http://www.just-think-it.com