I am writing of my grave concern upon hearing of the approval of $20 million to fluoridate all of Malibu’s water. I am not sure that First 5 L.A., a unique child advocacy organization that invests tobacco tax revenues to “improve the lives of children prenatal to age 5 in Los Angeles County,” has all of the facts. Do they know that the majority of all fluoride additives come from “a toxic by-product of the super-phosphate fertilizer industry which also contains the deadly elements of lead, arsenic and radium, all carcinogenic?”
There have been several recent developments that call into question that fluoride is both safe and effective. The National Research Center has said that the lifetime accumulation of fluoride into bone could put individuals at increased risk of bone fracture and possibly skeletal fluorosis. The American Dental Association cited studies that raised the possibility that infants could receive a greater than optimal amount of fluoride through liquid concentrate or powdered baby formula that has been mixed with tap water containing fluoride during a time when their developing teeth may be susceptible to enamel fluorosis.
In August of this year, the Fluoride Action Network sent Congress a statement signed by 600 medical, public health and environmental professionals, including Dr. Arvid Carlsson, winner of the 2000 Nobel Prize for Medicine, urging a moratorium on fluoridation until more research determines the level of risk. The scientists’ statement urged Congressional members to “recognize that fluoridation is outdated, has serious risks that far outweigh any minor benefits, violates sound medical ethics, and denies freedom of choice.” In the words of Dr. Carlsson, “Fluoridation is against all principles of modern pharmacology. It is really obsolete.”
It is crucial for Malibu residents, especially families with small children, to be informed about this issue.
The Malibu Community needs to contact Zev Yaroslavsky who is Chair of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, and ask him not only to give his decision more thought, but to demand that the Metropolitan Water District provide certification that the hydrofluosilicic acid meet California safety standards and industry manufacturing standards. Zev’s telephone number is 213.974.3333 and his email is Zev@bos.lacounty.gov
Valerie Sklarevsky