Fluoride update

SEPTEMBER 24, 2013

There is currently legislation being considered by the Massachusetts Legislature that would require infant fluoride warning statements on all water quality reports sent to customers in all fluoridated communities within the state. The public hearing on the bill (H-3467) has just been scheduled on short notice for this upcoming Thursday, September 26 at 10AM, before the Joint Committee on Environment, Resources, and Agriculture. in room A-1 at the State House in Boston.



The New Hampshire legislature successfully passed identical legislation into law in 2012 by a vote of 253-23 in the House, and by a unanimous voice vote in the Senate. However, there was also a great deal of opposition from the fluoride-lobby at the time, including from the state dental association, their oral health coalition, Delta Dental, and the American Water Works Association. It’s safe to say that we can expect the same opposition, if not more, in Massachusetts.     

This is why we need your help!  Committee members urgently need to hear from local medical and scientific professionals, as well as local residents who are in favor of H-3467, “relative to notification of fluoridated water,” so they can stand firm in their support of this important bill.

If you are a public health or scientific professional then we need your testimony in favor of H-3467. If you are a local resident with dental fluorosis, or have a child with dental fluorosis, then we also need your testimony. If you can attend the hearing, please send me an email (stuart@fluoridealert.org) so I know you are coming. If you cannot attend the hearing, then please send written testimony via email to the committee members (info provided below), as well as to me, so I can personally submit hard copies of your testimony to the committee.

Below is the contact information for the members of the Joint Committee on Environment, Resources, and Agriculture. I have grouped their email addresses together so you simply need to cut and paste them as one paragraph into your “To” box.  Your written testimony doesn’t need to be long or incredibly elaborate, but it does need to state your credentials, that fact that you’re a resident of Massachusetts, and that you support an infant fluoride warning to reduce fluorosis rates, reduce overexposure to fluoride, and educate residents and caregivers about this known risk and far too common side-effect of fluoridation. I have also provided further information below that you can cut and paste from, and use to quickly learn about the issue and draft your testimony.

Below is the contact information for the members of the Joint Committee on Environment, Resources, and Agriculture. I have grouped their email addresses together so you simply need to cut and paste them as one paragraph into your “To” box.  Your written testimony doesn’t need to be long or incredibly elaborate, but it does need to state your credentials, that fact that you’re a resident of Massachusetts, and that you support an infant fluoride warning to reduce fluorosis rates, reduce overexposure to fluoride, and educate residents and caregivers about this known risk and far too common side-effect of fluoridation. I have also provided further information below that you can cut and paste from, and use to quickly learn about the issue and draft your testimony.

Committee email addresses (just cut and paste the entire list into your “To” box):


Mike.Rush@masenate.gov; William.Brownsberger@masenate.gov; Daniel.Wolf@masenate.gov; Marc.Pacheco@masenate.gov; Benjamin.Downing@masenate.gov; Robert.Hedlund@masenate.gov; Anne.Gobi@mahouse.gov; Paul.Schmid@mahouse.gov; Robert.Koczera@mahouse.gov; Ann-Margaret.Ferrante@mahouse.gov; Paul.Mark@mahouse.gov; Mary.Keefe@mahouse.gov; stuart@fluoridealert.org; Matthew.Beaton@mahouse.gov; Carolyn.Dykema@mahouse.gov; Gailanne.Cariddi@mahouse.gov; Christopher.Markey@mahouse.gov; Susan.Gifford@mahouse.gov;

Not sure what to say?  Here is some info that you may find helpful:

- Bill Text

-Infant Exposure Overview

-Infant Warning Overview

-Short video featuring experts on the issue

-2006 ADA egram on Infant Warning

Thank you for your continued support and efforts to help the passage of H-3467.

Sincerely,
Stuart Cooper

Campaign Manager