Manataka American Indian Council

P.O. Box 476, Hot Springs, Arkansas  USA  71902-0476

501-627-0555 * manataka@sbcglobalnet. * http://www.manataka.org

Saturday, January 27, 2007

Board of Directors,

Aberdeen Area Tribal Chairmen’s Health Board

Honored Brothers and Sisters of the AATCHB,

It has come to our attention the AATCHB Dental Support Center plans to institute an Early Childhood Caries Prevention program through the Tribal Water Systems Fluoridation project.

We ask that you reconsider approving this project pending further research and investigation of recent scientific studies and reports that strongly discourage the use of fluoride in drinking water. 

• A recently released 16-year study by Harvard University revealed that fluoridation associated with bone cancer in boys;

• In March 2006, the National Research Council said there is a growing body of evidence indicating that fluoride can damage the brain;

• On November 9, 2006, the American Dental Association warned that infants should not receive fluoridated water;

• New research from Europe and India proves that people with kidney disease – particularly advanced kidney disease – should avoid fluoridated water;

• In 2006, Cornell scientist diagnosed fluoride poisoning in horses drinking fluoridated water.  The Cornell report is evidence that millions of dogs, cats, cattle and other animals are victims water fluoridation programs;

• In February 2006, The National Research Council linked fluoride exposure to kidney damage in children. The kidney has long been recognized as a potential target of fluoride toxicity. “Human kidneys... concentrate fluoride as much as 50-fold from plasma to urine. Portions of the renal system may therefore be at higher risk of fluoride toxicity than most soft tissues.”;

• Based on the studies from 2006 and early 2007, it is clear that fluoride exposure – at relatively low levels – can harm human health. It has the potential to cause bone cancer, damage the brain, damage the kidney, damage the thyroid, damage the bones (particularly in kidney patients), increase the uptake of lead, and damage the teeth.

• Dartmouth scientist, Dr Roger Masters, and chemical engineer, Myron Coplan, published studies in 1999 and 2000 reporting that exposure to fluoridated water was associated with increased blood lead levels in children. The University of Maryland and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) examined the blood lead levels of children from a recent national survey to assess if there is any association with water fluoridation. In January 2006, the authors published the results of their study in Environmental Health Perspectives. Their findings did not rule out a relationship between fluoridation and blood lead. Indeed, the authors report that water fluoridation is associated with significantly higher blood lead levels among children living in houses built prior to 1946;

• It is widely accepted medical fact that fluoridated water causes dental fluorosis (brown stains) in the teeth of children. Over 20 years ago the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), evaluated is the psychological impact that dental fluorosis has on a child. The NIMH’s warning gained renewed support this past year from a study published in Community Dentistry & Oral Epidemiology. According to the study, children with severe dental fluorosis are more likely to be perceived by their peers as less intelligent, less attractive, less social, less happy, less careful, less hygienic, and less reliable – characteristics that could have major effects on a child’s self-esteem. (The latest surveys of dental fluorosis in the US indicate that about 1% of American children now have severe fluorosis, while about 1-3% have moderate fluorosis.)

• An analysis published in the March 2006 issue of the Journal of Evidence Based Dental Practice examines the water fluoridation controversy in the context of the “precautionary principle”. The precautionary principle has become a core guiding principle of environmental health regulations in Europe and reflects the position that  “if there is uncertainty, yet credible scientific evidence or concern of threats to health, precautionary measures should be taken. In other words, preventive action should be taken on early warnings even though the nature and magnitude of the risk are not fully understood.”

So, if fluoride is so terrible, why does the government continue to push fluoridated water projects on unsuspecting people? 

• The type of fluoride used in public water systems does not occur in nature – It is not made by the Mother Earth, but instead is an industrial waste byproduct.  Big business manufacturers spend millions of dollars on lobbyists and pay-offs to government bureaucrats and associations to keep from having to dispose of this toxic chemical.   The motivation is money.

Do we have the ethical right to mass medicate the public without their knowledge or consent?

Whenever there is a clear and impending danger to the public health from deadly disease, mass inoculation on a voluntary basis is usually a good idea.  However, it is the right of every human being to determine what they put into their bodies – not some government agency or big international conglomerates.  We do not have the moral right to mass medicate the public.

Chlorinated water does not “treat” the body, but only treats the water to remove pathogens.      

Humans are not the only animals who drink from public water systems.

Every study and report to date – coming from all over the world, show that fluoridated water also consumed by birds, fish, livestock, pets and wild animals, causes mild to severe physical damage to birds, animals, and fish. 

Do you brush your teeth?

If so, read the side of the tube.  As a precaution against product liability claims, all toothpaste manufacturers advise against swallowing toothpaste containing fluoride.  

Summary

There are a thousand reasons why you should reconsider allowing costly fluoridated water systems to invade Indian Country.   The biggest reason is that you love your families and people.  We encourage you to investigate this issue in great depth.  Take your time in deliberations.  Do not allow the bureaucrats to push toxins down our throats for the sake of profits and greed. 

Do not allow them to label people who question or oppose fluoridated water as radicals, ignorant or crazy people.  Find out the truth on your own -- before you give your full endorsement of to so-called water projects that will help to destroy Indian people.

For the sake of your children’s children, please stop this project.

After solemn deliberation and prayerful search, the Elders of the Manataka American Indian Council respectfully submit this information for your thoughtful consideration.

Sincerely,

Lee Standing Bear Moore, Secretary

http://www.manataka.org/healthwatch.html

Cc:  Mark Allen, Eleanor Baxtor, Homer Bear, Rodney Bordeaux, Robert Cournoyer, Ken Davis, Jerry Flute, Harold Frazier, Tex Hall, Ron His Horse is Thunder, Michael Jandreau, Walt Moran, Myra Pearson , Mark Peniska, Matt Pilcher, Lester Thompson, Roger Trudell, Alex White Plume. 

The Manataka American Indian Council is a nonprofit, 501(C)(3), education, cultural and spiritual organization with members in all 49 states and seven foreign countries.  The Manatakau Indian Association, founded in 1838, is the predecessor of MAIC.

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