Anti-fluoride activists receive roaring applause after presenting powerful testimony to Austin Public Utilities Commission

(NaturalNews) The presentation of more than 50 pages worth of scientific reviews and studies detailing the adverse health impacts of water fluoridation wasn't enough to persuade the Public Utilities Commission to urge Austin City Council to stop the controversial practice.

On Wednesday June 17, a quorum of the Austin City Council, including Vice Chair Don Zimmerman, Ann Kitchen and Ellen Troxclair, met to consider a resolution to stop water fluoridation in Austin, Texas, a city known for its independent thinkers.

The Public Utilities Committee, which is authorized to review matters related to the city's water utility, placed on its agenda a "policy discussion to consider a resolution on stopping the addition of fluoridation to treated water."

As expected, anti-fluoride activists showed up in droves, providing powerful testimony regarding the dangers of water fluoridation as local doctors, dental hygienists, scientists and activists took turns speaking, highlighting a multitude of studies which prove that water fluoridation is not only ineffective but dangerous, particular to young children.

Pro-fluoride speakers complained they weren't given enough time to prepare

Each anti-fluoride presenter received an overwhelming round of applause, while the pro-fluoride speakers heard crickets.

During Citizen Communication, a period in which members of the community are permitted to speak either in favor or against most agenda items, speakers were each allotted three minutes to address any concerns. Speakers were also allowed to donate their time to another speaker.

On the opposing side, Ruth Burazer, Assistant Director of Austin Water Utility and Janet Pichette, Chief Epidemiologist for Austin's Health and Human Services Department, stood by the city's fluoridation measures, claiming that the industrial chemical is necessary for protecting children's teeth.

As with any politically charged issue, money is a big factor.

Hired by the city in 1993, Burazer receives a comfortable salary of just under $150,000, a number that's 3.4 times greater than the average Texas state employee. Pichette was hired in 2004 and earns just under $100,000 per year.

The city staff stood alone in their mission, with no experts, scientists or even community members by their side as they claimed that both positions were referencing the same datasets but interpreting them differently.

Burazer and Pichette repeatedly complained that they were not given adequate time to prepare; however, both sides were provided ample notice in the amount of two weeks.

Last year, as Natural News reported, despite enormous opposition the Austin City Council voted to extend a million-dollar contract with Mosaic Crop Nutrition, a hydrofluorosilicic acid supplier based in Florida.

Fluoride supporters say that hydrofluorosilicic acid is necessary to "protect children's teeth from cavities"; however, according to mounting research, fluoride causes more problems than it solves.

To be clear, hydrofluorosilicic acid is not naturally occurring but rather is industrial waste that's a byproduct of the phosphate fertilizer industry. Thousands of peer-reviewed studies dating back to the 1930s link fluoride to hyperthyroidism, arthritic symptoms, bone fracture, lower IQs and dental and skeletal fluorosis in children.

Charming and charismatic, local Austin dentist presents powerful testimony about the dangers of fluoride

Wooing attendees with his charm and charisma, local celebrity dentist Griffin Cole, DDS, gave a powerful testimony at Wednesday's meeting as he explained that teenagers and young children are suffering from dental fluorosis at unprecedented rates.



Approximately 41 percent of adolescents are suffering from dental fluorosis, or the rotting of tooth enamel, said Dr. Cole who presented photographs of his own patients who are suffering from mild to severe fluorosis.

Dr. Cole made it clear that fluoride is "not a nutrient" but rather a hazardous chemical that's damaging our communities' youth. Human breast milk contains very low levels of fluoride, about 0.004 parts per million, compared to the 0.7 ppm that's added to the city's water supply.

Bottle-fed babies may be exposed to 175 times the level of fluoride naturally found in breast milk, warned Dr. Cole. Even the American Dental Association (ADA), one of the biggest backers of water fluoridation, warned of the risks to infants.

"If liquid concentrate or powdered infant formula is the primary source of nutrition, it can be mixed with water that is fluoride free or contains low levels of fluoride to reduce the risk of fluorosis," said the ADA in 2006.

Stay tuned for more of Julie Wilson's reporting on events related to ending water fluoridation in Austin, Texas.

To view recorded video of the Wednesday meeting, click here.

Additional sources:

http://www.naturalnews.com

http://austin.siretechnologies.com

http://fluoridealert.org

http://fluoridealert.org

http://austintexas.gov

http://www.fairbanksalaska.us^[PDF]