Anti-fluoridation lobbyist Jane Beck targeted school children in Thames today with emotive and deliberately misleading leaflets.
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.
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
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Well done Jane Beck. A similar protest was held in Nelson last night at That Sugar Film. http://fluoridefree.org.nz/nelson-marlborough/
Thanks for raising the debate Dan. National discussion coming very soon.
Of course, Kane, it is of no concern to you that Jane was completely wrong about the science.
Research shows community water fluoridation to be effective, safe and cost effective. A recent publication (see https://openparachute.wordpress.com/2015/05/11/water-fluoridation-effective-new-study/) shows this to be true even when factors like sugar consumption and socioeconomic status are taken into account.
it is good to see these activists take on real issues like sugar consumption. It is also good to see them being responsible enough to advocate for alternative water supplies for their own minority instead of attempting to impose their hangups on the whole community.
But it is hypocritical to embed in such advocacy the lies that Jane Beck did.
And targeting school children with such lies is disgusting.
Perhaps the schools should respond to the behaviour by teaching the truth about fluoridation.
perhaps MSoF could offer the schools a speaker to do this. 🙂
Thanks for continuing to raise the debate Ken. There was a protest in Nelson as well. http://fluoridefree.org.nz/nelson-marlborough/
Good work.
Looks like Jane Beck’s protest backfired because she was duplicitous in her targeting of school students. Everyone is condemning her.
The usual tricks of the pro-fluoride lobby. When you don’t have the safety studies you make up an angle. Emotive and misleading words like “targeting” and generalizations like “everyone” are bread and butter for the propaganda specialists.
“When you don’t have the safety studies”
Did you miss the above studies? Have you read some of our other posts?