2016 MMWD Fluoridation Moratorium Initiative

– Information about Marin County water
– Information about fluoridated water

TEXT OF THE 2016 MMWD FLUORIDATION MORATORIUM INITIATIVE:
The Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) shall institute a moratorium on all District water fluoridation unless and until such time as each and every manufacturer of the fluoridating chemical supplied to MMWD for water fluoridation, provide to District customers and consumers:
1) an accurate list of all contaminants and their amounts, accompanying each batch of fluoridating chemical supplied to the MMWD, and
2) a detailed toxicological report on the fluoridating chemical, and
3) a written statement verifying the fluoridating chemical’s safety for ingestion, once introduced into the water supply, by all water consumers.

BACKGROUND
For over 60 years water fluoridation has coasted on undocumented assertions and hearsay. Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) residents want the facts.

Recent studies strongly indicate that fluoridated water plays a role in hypothyroid condition, and in certain cancers, and, acting as a neurotoxin, might affect early childhood brain development.

Fluoridation chemical certification deals only with average concentrations per contaminant. “However…each raw additive batch supplied to water facilities does not come labeled with concentrations per contaminant. This omission distorts exposure profiles and the risks associated with accidents and routine use.” – From “A new perspective on metals and other contaminants in fluoridation chemicals” (Mullenix 2014).

The MMWD Board’s Precautionary Principle (2007), calls for for “best available science” and “least potential threat to human health and environment.” It also states, “The community has a right to know complete and accurate information on potential human health and environmental impacts associated with the selection of products, services, operation or plans. The burden to supply this information lies with the proponent, not the general public.”

In that spirit, Mill Valley residents, Brian J. Smith, DDS, and Lawrence Rose, MD, MPH, Occupational/Environmental Medicine, former Chief of the Medical Unit of Cal/OSHA, sponsored an initiative to require a moritorium on MMWD fluoridation until certain information regarding the fluoridating chemical was provided to District customers, including reliable verifications of the safety of MMWD water for ingestion by all District consumers.

MMWD water has been fluoridated with hydrofluorosilicic acid since 1973. In all that time, the District has provided no scientific  verifications of the its fluoridated water’s safety for ingestion by all consumers, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, weight, diet, or medical condition.

Because of concerns about the health effects of fluoridation chemicals on vulnerable populations dependent on District water, the lack of specific information about levels of contaminants in each batch, and the need for reassurance that fluoridation chemical manufacturers stand behind the safety of their product when used as directed, over 8000 District voters signed the recent MMWD Fluoridation Moratorium Initiative petition.

The initiative failed to qualify for the ballot, but those legitimate concerns remain.

2016 MMWD MORATORIUM INITIATIVE: THANKS FROM CWSM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DAWNA GALLAGHER-STROEH

Many, many thanks to MMWD Fluoridation Moratorium Initiative Sponsors Dr. Brian J. Smith and Dr. Laurence Rose, to all of you who signed the initiative petition, donated, shared information, labored over precinct lists, and collected signatures to support clean fluoride-free water in Marin! You are awesome!

Because of concerns about the health effects of fluoridation chemicals on vulnerable populations dependent on District water, the lack of specific information about levels of contaminants in each batch, and the need for reassurance that fluoridation chemical manufacturers stand behind the safety of their product when used as directed, over 8000 District voters signed the MMWD Fluoridation Moratorium Initiative petition. The initiative failed to qualify for the ballot, but those legitimate concerns remain.

Everyone in the Marin Municipal Water District, whether or not he or she believes in water fluoridation as an oral health intervention, has a stake in fluoridation safety.

We are continuing to attend MMWD Board meetings 1) to request that water bills include a parents’ advisory about the risks of using fluoridated water to reconstitute baby formula, 2) to encourage MMWD Board members to request the safety studies themselves, and 3) to update the Board on the latest studies as they are published.

Thank you again!
DAWNA
Dawna Gallagher-Stroeh
Director, Clean Water Sonoma-Marin