I was interviewed on Sunday for the Skepticism Today podcast about fluoridation. Skepticism Today is an hour-long monthly skeptical podcast talk about recent news and events of interest to skeptics – both NZ based and international. Episode 3 has been released today. My interview is at 16:04. Have a listen here. Also for those who [...]
There is a new society in NZ called "Society for Science Based Healthcare" (SBH). It is a New Zealand based advocacy group that aims to promote a scientific basis for healthcare in New Zealand and oppose non-science based areas of healthcare. Recently you might have heard of them from their latest win. MSoF and SBH [...]
I wrote an article "Fluoridation: surfing the misinformation wave" for the NZ Skeptics Journal a while back for issue 111.
Dr Broadbent recently finished his study into I.Q loss in children to fluoride. This found no link and this has upset the Fluoride Action Network (FAN) no end. They have been dining out on the "Harvard" papers for years and even regurgitated them last year to start all over again. The fact articles like this have [...]
I don't usually worry about opinion pieces, but the “Fluoridation is false security” piece (on page 2) by Lois Titchener had spread around the anti-fluoride groups as fact. My reply (on page 2): "Your newspaper published a letter entitled ‘fluoridation is false security’ which I believe is misleading. Hydrofluorosilicic acid (HFA) is no more toxic than [...]
Over the past week, the Advertising Complaints Authority (ASA) has upheld three complaints made against the anti-fluoride group (Fluoride Action Network of NZ) FANNZ. The complaints involved several advertisements authorized by FANNZ and placed in the Kapiti News earlier this year. The Kapiti News stated that it had received many phone calls from agitated members [...]
We had a meeting with FANNZ, after a 3-hour discussion we have finally convinced them that fluoridated water just has fluoride ions and not fluorine (an extremely reactive gas) and fluoride ions are safe to drink at 0.7-1.0ppm. These fluoride ions are the same, natural or otherwise. They apologised for the confusion and have decided [...]
I recently wrote a letter to the editor in the NZ Dental Journal (NZDJ) about Stan Litras. The fun part was when he ventured the opinion to the editor that the letter might be computer-generated, and I might be an algorithm. I had to phone to confirm that I exist. Misinformation of Fluoridation Dear [...]
Here is a meme posted in anti-fluoridation groups following the publication by Grandjean and Landrigan (2014), Neurobehavioural effects of developmental toxicity, in the Lancet. There are so many things wrong with this meme. Firstly, this is a review, with no original research showing "fluoride" at the concentrations in drinking water acts as a neurotoxin. The [...]
The online advocacy group, Making Sense of Fluoride are welcoming the recent High Court decision to dismiss an attempt by New Health New Zealand to find the fluoridation of water unlawful. The decision will remove any legal or judicial questions that may have concerned councils, allowing them to go ahead with water fluoridation. However, New [...]