FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON FLUORIDE What are our rights? All citizens have the right to safe, clean, and un-medicated water. Why is fluoridation unethical? It is not ethical to force a toxic substance on people without informed consent. What happens when I swallow it? Swallowing fluoride delivers it to the entire body with the potential to harm the brain, thyroid, bones, and kidneys. Can I control the strenghth? When medicine is delivered by public water, it is only possible to control the concentration, not the dose or dosage. How does it affect pregnant mothers and babies? When pregnant mothers and babies drink fluoridated water, they get a much higher dose of toxic fluoride, causing damage to brains and other body systems. Doesn't mother's milk contain fluoride? Babies get a much higher dose of toxic fluoride when formula is made from fluoridated water, which has as much as 200 times the amount of fluoride as mother’s breast milk. I thought water contained fluoride naturally. Fortunately, it is found in small amounts in our rivers. Sadly, what is used for water fluoridation is a toxic substance from the industrial waste stacks in the USA and China. What if I want fluoride for my teeth? There are better, proven, and safer ways to provide fluoride such as fluoridated toothpaste, rinses, mouthwashes, foams, varnishes, gels and inexpensive fluoride supplements. Published research shows that children living in regions without fluoridated water are already ingesting too much fluoride. Toothpaste companies specifically offer non-fluoridated toothpaste choices that are marketed as safe to swallow. How prevalent are non-fluoridated areas? 97% of Europe and 98% of British Columbia and Quebec are not fluoridated. Less than 6% of the world is fluoridated, and less than 40% of Canada. Do professionals support or reject fluoridation? Almost 5,000 professionals worldwide have had the courage to sign an open letter against this outdated public health policy. Can fluoride damage teeth? Fluorosis, the first visible sign of fluoride toxicity, is now affecting more than 70% of teens in the United States, and can cost thousands of dollars to repair.

FLUORIDE IN PROCESSED FOOD & DRINK THREE MAIN REASONS Conventionally Grown and Especially Processed Food & Drink Now Contain so much Fluoride Published Data: Children Overexposed: Unfluoridated Regions Fluoride based pesticides such as cryolite (sodium hexafluoroaluminate) and fumigation products such as sulfuryl fluoride are commonly used in industrial farming. The more the fruit, vegetable, grain, dried fruit, seed or nut are sprayed with fluoride pesticides and/or fumigation products, the more the food will contain fluoride ions which cannot be washed off and will enter your body when you eat these foods or anything made with these foods. The processing of foods, drinks, soups etc. with fluoridated water in fluoridated regions such as Ontario, Alberta and many US states results in these items containing significant amounts of fluoride. The levels of fluoride in these products vary depending upon a number of factors such as how much fluoridated water is used, the degree to which the volume of the product is diminished from cooking, dehydration etc., the amount of fluoride the foods originally contained from any treatment with fluoride pesticides and/or if they were grown in phosphate fertilizer. The widespread use of phosphate fertilizer is another way fluoride levels have increased in conventionally grown foods. Compared to traditional and modern organic soils, phosphate fertilizer, which is made from phosphate rock, contains much higher levels of fluoride which can be absorbed into the foods growing in this fertilizer. Unlike pesticides and fumigation products which are sprayed directly on the foods, absorption of fluoride from phosphate fertilizer varies depending upon the plant. Tea plants, for example, are known for absorbing the highest amounts of fluoride from their soil. Tea plants deposit the absorbed fluoride in their leaves which is why teas are exceptionally high in fluoride. A cup of your average black tea will contain up to 5-times the amount of fluoride found in fluoridated water. The older the tea leaf, the higher the amount of fluoride, which is why bottled Ice Teas commonly contain up to 9-times the amount fluoride found in fluoridated water. As demonstrated in the section Inconsistencies and Contradictions , US & Canadian dental and public health associations acknowledge these other sources of fluoride when providing guidelines for safe daily fluoride exposure from toothpaste, mouthwash, prescription fluoride supplements , and baby formula which all result in lower daily fluoride exposure than fluoridated water.

Processed Food & Drink Even if you don’t live in a community that adds fluoride to its water supply, you will still be exposed to fluoridated drinking water. This is because once fluoride is added en masse to water it winds in almost all processed beverages and foods. In the U.S., studies have shown that sodas, juices, sports drinks, beers, and many other processed foods, including infant foods, now have elevated fluoride levels. For more information click here . Back

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Email Calgary, Airdrie, Chestermere, and/or Strathmore Council Copy the addresses and see script below if you need ideas to get started. CALGARY MAYOR AND COUNCIL themayor@calgary.ca , ward.sutherland@calgary.ca , joe.magliocca@calgary.ca , jyoti.gondek@calgary.ca , sean.chu@calgary.ca , george.chahal@calgary.ca , jeff.davison@calgary.ca , Druh.Farrell@calgary.ca , Evan.woolley@calgary.ca , Gian-carlo.carra@calgary.ca , ray.jones@calgary.ca , Shane.keating@calgary.ca , Peter.demong@calgary.ca , diane.colley-urquhart@calgary.ca , Jeromy.farkas@calgary.ca , cityclerk@calgary.ca BCC: safewatercalgary@gmail.com ​ STRATHMORE MAYOR AND COUNCIL ​ pat.fule@strathmore.ca , lorraine.bauer@strathmore.ca , tari.cockx@strathmore.ca , denise.peterson@strathmore.ca , melanie.corbiell@strathmore.ca , bob.sobol@strathmore.ca , jason.montgomery@strathmore.ca , jthackray@strathmore.ca ​BCC: safewatercalgary@gmail.com AIRDRIE MAYOR AND COUNCIL ​ Peter.brown@airdrie.ca , darrell.belyk@airdrie.ca , tina.petrow@airdrie.ca , al.jones@airdrie.ca , candice.kolson@airdrie.ca , Kelly.hegg@airdrie.ca , ron.chapman@airdrie.ca BCC: safewatercalgary@gmail.com CHESTERMERE MAYOR AND COUNCIL ​ mchalmers@chestermere.ca , lbold@chestermere.ca , cburness@chestermere.ca , mfoat@chestermere.ca , rnarayan@chestermere.ca , ywagner@chestermere.ca , myoung@chestermere.ca BCC: safewatercalgary@gmail.com ​ IF YOU NEED A TEMPLATE TO GET YOU STARTED subject: Say not to Water Fluoridation in Calgary Dear Mayor and Council, I reside in the community of ____________. ​I ask you do not favor water fluoridation to be reintroduced in Calgary. Fluoride and artificial water fluoridation are neither safe, effective, nor ethical. Fluoride is not needed for a single body function. I will only vote for Council representatives that support freedom of choice, and Water Fluoridation denies a person's right to chose and their informed consent. You cannot guarantee that fluoride is safe and effective for everyone. I look forward to your response, Name ​ Done Copying

Acute toxicity involves harmful effects in an organism through a single or short-term exposure. Ref: medicinenet.com

Mechanically Deboned Meat Foods made with mechanically separated meat (e.g., chicken fingers, nuggets, etc), contain elevated levels of fluoride due to the contamination from bone particles that occurs during the mechanical deboning processed. Mechanically processed chicken meats have the highest levels, with chicken sticks containing an average of 3.6 ppm. For more information click here Back

Teflon Pans Cooking food, or boiling water, in teflon pans may increase the fluoride content of food. In one study, it was found that boiling water in a teflon pan for just 15 minutes added an additional 2 ppm of fluoride to the water, thus bringing the final concentration to 3 ppm. For more information click here Back

Pesticides Due its toxicity, fluoride is used in some pesticides to kill insects and other pests. As a result of fluoride pesticide use, some food products–particularly grape products , dried fruit , dried beans , cocoa powder , and walnuts –have high levels of fluoride . Read more on this topic by clicking here Back

Tea Drinks Tea plants absorb fluoride from the soil. As a result, tea leaves–particularly old tea leaves–contain high levels of fluoride. Brewed black tea averages about 3 to 4 parts ppm fluoride, while commercial iced tea drinks contain between 1 and 4 ppm. As a result of these elevated levels, numerous studies have linked excessive tea consumption to a bone disease (skeletal fluorosis) caused by too much fluoride intake. For more information click here Back