When Thames Coromandel District Council began to review fluoridation back in 2012, I assumed it was prompted by new information. Yet when I examined the alarming claims, not a single one stacked up. I became quite annoyed with the avid misrepresentation of a such a significant public health programme, so similar to the anti-vaccine lobby.

Fast forward 2 years through local public hearings where continuing fluoridation (in the Thames water supply since 1971) was twice upheld, to the dismay of committed opponents. But with at least a couple of councillors on their side, they kept unrelenting pressure on the council and almost a year ago, the mayor in particular appeared to throw up his hands in exasperation. And so a referendum was ordered for 2015, a stand-alone single issue postal ballot, usually the perfect vehicle for passionate campaigners to achieve their aim. And let’s be honest, among the general public, only the opponents are passionate about fluoridation. It wasn’t looking good.

Our small voluntary group of not-passionate-but-peeved fluoridation supporters (with a couple of health promoters added later) knew the antis would be tireless and highly visible. Fluoride Free NZ targeted Thames hard, with everything from free film nights to glossy magazines and with deep pockets for local advertising.

We worked hard too to maximise our limited resources using some advertising, social media and personal networking. With a significant ‘worried middle class’ as well as a thriving alternative community in Thames, we were far from overconfident. We also knew that while even a slight majority was enough to win, it wouldn’t be enough to stop the opponents.

Once balloting began, the TCDC website posted a vote tracking tool that showed how many ballots were returned each day. Predictably, the highest number was received early in the 3 week voting period, which had Labour weekend in the middle. I fretted in the closing days as the number of votes coming in gained momentum, rather than reducing to the trickle I expected.

Click to enlarge

It appears however, that during this time, our messages were not only sinking in, they were galvanizing voters, aided no doubt by the visible zealotry of the opposition foot soldiers.

We made a point of reminding the community the referendum was unnecessary because the antis had already had a fair go with 2 hearings. We had strong, unified support from the Children’s Commissioner, local identities, health professionals – including the crucial iwi-based health provider – and all Thames dentists. We had a powerful local story to tell in that Thames children barely feature in the 150 cases treated last year for severe tooth decay at Thames Hospital under general anaesthesia (only 8 from Thames addresses). And of course there is also the overwhelming scientific consensus.

The campaign felt very long, receiving a boost in its final hours from an Advertising Standards Authority ruling that the ‘toxic’ signs were misleading and scaremongering.
The entire town probably never wants to hear the word fluoridation again. And thanks to the resounding and highly gratifying results of the referendum, they won’t have to – and can just get on with reaping the benefits.

(Final results: 73% of voters supported continuing fluoridation with 57% of eligible voters casting a ballot.)

 

The post The Thames Referendum Experience appeared first on Making Sense of Fluoride.

The students were attending a screening of “That Sugar Film” as part of their health studies at Thames High School. Beck handed out the leaflets as the students left the screening.

In keeping with the theme of the film, the leaflet appears to be about sugar and the current WHO recommendations to reduce sugar consumption.

But the leaflet then goes on to state that ‘Tooth decay is caused by an excess of sugar not a lack of fluoride’ and that ‘fluoride is a toxin’ and provides links to anti-fluoride websites.

This is shameless propaganda by Beck; This flies in the face of long-established research, including a recent study from Australia reaffirming the benefits of fluoride regardless of sugar consumption.

Beck’s targeting of impressionable students is particularly unsavoury and disturbing given that Thames will hold a referendum later this year on the retention of fluoridation in the town water supply.

The Royal fluoridation review commissioned by Sir Peter Gluckman and Sir David Skegg on behalf of several local Councils concluded water fluoridation at the levels used in New Zealand poses no significant health risks, and is effective at reducing the prevalence and severity of tooth decay in communities where it is used.

Anti-fluoride leaflet

Sources

Blinkhorn, A. S., Byun, R., Mehta, P., & Kay, M. (2015). A 4-year assessment of a new water-fluoridation scheme in New South Wales, Australia. International Dental Journal. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25913418

Eason, C., & Elwood, JM. Seymour, Thomson, WM. Wilson, N. Prendergast, K. (2014). Health effects of water fluoridation : A review of the scientific evidence. http://www.royalsociety.org.nz/expert-advice/commissioned-reviews/yr2014/health-effects-of-water-fluoridation/

For comments

Dr. Ken Perrott

Science advisor for Making Sense of Fluoride

ken.perrott@msof.nz

 

Featured image designed by Freepik.

The post Press release: Anti-fluoridation propaganda targets school children in Thames appeared first on Making Sense of Fluoride.

They will speak at meetings organised by Fluoride Free NZ (FFNZ) – a local activist group affiliated to FAN – in Thames (Tuesday 24th February) and Taupo (Wednesday 25th February).

FFNZ will also promote these meetings, and their anti-fluoride message, via media releases and media interviews with Drs. Connett and Hirzy while they are in New Zealand.

Making Sense of Fluoride (MSoF) provides the following background information for news media covering this visit.

Background information on speakers and organisations.

1: FAN is the main U.S. based activist group and is very active in promoting an anti-fluoride message within the US and internationally. It is affiliated internationally to anti-fluoride groups throughout the world, including in Australia and New Zealand.

FAN is organisationally linked to the “natural” health/alternative medicine industry and the anti-vaccination movement through Mercola LLC’s Health Liberty Coalition. It is, at least in part, funded by the “natural’ health industry through the Mercola LLC company. This company also helps fund the anti-vaccination movement.

Mercola LLC reportedly brought in about $7 million in 2010, and has received three warning letters from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for violations of U.S. marketing laws, two of which charged Mercola with making false and misleading claims regarding the marketing of several natural supplemental products, which violated the Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act.

FAN promotes its anti-fluoride message through media links to “natural” health/alternative medicine publications and websites and general press releases and articles via its network. It is also very active in reviewing and misinterpreting scientific publications

2: Speaker details:

A: Dr. Paul Connett has a PhD in chemistry. Now retired, he previously worked as a lecturer at St. Lawrence University, USA.

Although presented by his organisation and its local affiliates as “the world expert on fluoridation,” Dr. Connett has no research background in fluoride or fluoridation. His book, articles and presentations are based on his own interpretation (or misinterpretation) of the scientific work of others as presented in the scientific literature. (For example, in 2005 Professor John Spencer of Adelaide University said, “Dr. Connett misrepresents (my) study as an analysis of the benefits of water fluoridation, which it was not.  He also misinterprets the study’s indirect evidence on the benefits of water fluoridation on decay.”). He uses these misinterpretations to provide apparent authority to his anti-fluoride message.

Dr. Connett’s only relevant publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals are two letters to the editor and one, as junior author, of a review paper. The senior author of that paper, Anna Strunecká, is an Advisory Board member of FAN.

B: Dr.William Hirzy has a PhD in chemistry. Now retired, he formerly worked as a union official in the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)?

Dr. Hirzy has made statements and submission on fluoride and fluoridation in his role as a union leader. Unfortunately these are often disingenuously presented as representing the EPA and its scientific staff. They do not.

Hirzy’s only publications on fluoride or fluoridation in peer-reviewed scientific journals are two from 2013. The first argued that it is cost-effective to replace fluorosilicic acid as a fluoridating agent with sodium fluoride. The second paper effectively withdrew the conclusions of the first – admitting to a simple arithmetic error producing a 70-fold error in calculated costs which lead to a reversal of his conclusions.

3: Tactics of anti-fluoride activists.

Activist organisations like FAN and FFNZ target local body councils with campaigns to halt community water fluoridation or prevent its introduction using mass submission campaigns with templates provided by organisers. Submissions usually contain cherry-picked and misrepresented scientific citations which can impress and influence councillors who have little scientific background.

These organisations target newspapers with letter writing campaigns which usually attempt to discredit scientific and health organisations and experts.

Dr Paul Connett has made annual summer visits to New Zealand as part of these campaigns.

4: MSoF and contacts for comment

“Making Sense of Fluoride” is an incorporated society, whose main aim is to counter much of the misinformation on the internet and printed media related to community water fluoridation. We are a combination of students, academics and medical professionals advocating that this significant public health initiative be maintained in Australasia given the longstanding scientific consensus on its safety and efficacy.

For comments on the visit of Drs. Connett and Hirzy contact:

Dr. Ken Perrott

Email: ken.perrott@msof.nz

5: On-line resources

Review by Royal Society of NZ and the Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor – Health Effects of Water Fluoridation: a Review of the Scientific Evidence

NZ Community Water Fluoridation is Safe and Effective: A critique of Fluoride Free NZ’s criticisms of the NZ Fluoridation Review by Dr Ken Perrott

The Fluoride Debate – Paul Connett and Ken Perrott

Jason M Armfield “When public action undermines public health: a critical examination of antifluoridationist literature“

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