The following article came across the news today. I was wondering if
anyone on the list might have some further information regarding this debate.
Len Leshin, MD, FAAP
Corpus Christi, TX
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Fluoridation Debate Revisited In Australia
SYDNEY, Jun 03 (Reuters) - Australian researchers and opinion-leaders
have reopened the debate on the benefits of water fluoridation in a new
report, saying that there is substantial evidence linking fluoridated
drinking water with an increase in hip fractures, skeletal fluorosis and
osteosarcomas.
Prof. Mark Diesendorf, director of the Institute for Sustainable
Futures at the University of Technology, Sydney, says that a review of the
literature supports his thesis that Australian health authorities should
stop advocating fluoridation of the water supply as a matter of public
health policy.
Dr. Diesendorf and a multidisciplinary team from Australia and New
Zealand, which includes a former Australian health minister and former
proponent of water fluoridation, have published their conclusions in the
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health.
The authors looked at studies from the United States, the United
Kingdom and from France since 1989. They say, "Evidence of skeletal
fluorosis has been reported in at least nine studies from five countries
with fluoride concentrations in drinking water of 0.7 to 2.5 ppm," which,
they suggest, is consistent with other, earlier evidence that
long-term exposure to fluoridated water can lead to an increase in
osteofluorosis.
Dr. Diesendorf says that there is ample evidence to show that ingested
fluoride is ineffective as a preventative for dental caries. He says that
the topical use of fluoride, as practiced in Europe, has been shown to be
effective in this regard and should be used preferentially for controlling
tooth decay.
Overall, Dr. Diesendorf and his colleagues say that "...the evidence
indicates that fluoridation entails real health risks and at best very
small benefits." They accuse the Australian and New Zealand governments of
being biased in favor of fluoridation at the expense of public safety. They
recommend a reexamination of the value of fluoridation, and that the
practice be discontinued in Australia and New Zealand.
Austr N Z J Public Health 1997;21:187-190.