Who’s regulating the regulators?

In 2011, the Arkansas State Legislature very quickly passed a partially unfunded mandate that requires most water companies to add fluoride chemicals into public water supplies, not to purify the water but to medicate you. State legislators were lobbied by outsiders, and few Arkansas residents who oppose fluoridation were alerted.Water suppliers weren’t involved. So now there are many problems arising from this ill-advised fluoridation mandate including that fluoridation chemicals are not pure.Our Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) has concluded and confirmed that fluoridation products in the water industry do contain contaminants not limited to just lead, arsenic, copper and radionuclides. ADH states further that NSF (a private company that regulates water additives) test results have concluded that fluoride chemicals do not add a measurable amount of these contaminants to the water supply.

ADH requires water districts to follow NSF/ANSI standard 60 and has confirmed that the NSF information for certification should be supplied by the supplier of the chemicals. But the fluoridation chemical suppliers won’t provide this, even though we have asked for them repeatedly.

NSF repeatedly represents on its web site and in the NSF 60 document entitled NSF 60 Drinking Water Treatment Chemicals — Health Effects that for fluoridation products to receive the NSF/ANSI Standard 60 mark of approval, they must be subjected to toxicological “studies,” “toxicity studies,” “assays,” and “testing” of many types. NSF represents that it requires “toxicology review to determine that the product is safe at its maximum use level.”

Thirteen months have elapsed since CBWD has requested NSF/ANSI standard 60 section 3.2.1 information requiring proper product disclosure and toxicological information and studies from 49 manufacturers and suppliers in the United States and Canada. CBWD also requested an assurance of safety and effectiveness of the manufacturer’s product in fulfilling the goals and intent of Act 197.

To date, Carroll-Boone Water District has not received any reply to their request. Since February 2012, CBWD has been notified by our engineers that we can no longer obtain sodium flurosilicates or sodium fluoride in the United States and have been working jointly with Hawkins Inc., a chemical supplier, to obtain NSF/ANSI standard 60 product disclosure from overseas manufacturers.

We know for a fact that fluoridation products used in the water industry are highly toxic (acute oral toxicity for a man is about 6 grams). We also know that sodium flurosilicates contain elements that are neurotoxins and radionuclides such as thorium.

We don’t know how the product was formulated or what level of concentration of these toxins are present in the product when it is delivered to a water treatment plant without the information required by NSF/ANSI standard 60 section 3.2.1 information that no one entity is able or willing to provide.

We are requesting again for manufacturers to submit proper disclosure of information required under NSF/ANSI standard 60.

I remind everyone that every seat in the Arkansas State House and Senate is up for election this November. You owe it to your health and the health of your family to attend local meetings, ask questions and see if candidates are aware of the challenges water districts face and the potential dangers associated with fluoridation of water supplies. If they don’t know or if they don’t care to find out the truth, we should send them packing.

Your voice does count. You only have to speak up and exercise your rights. Speak up and educate your family and neighbors about water fluoridation. Question your local candidates for office on their position and knowledge on water fluoridation products used in the water industry.

There are very few things in life more important or basic than one’s health. The time is now to protect your health and your family’s health.

Rene Fonseca On behalf of all 12 CBWD water operators in opposition to mandate.

John Summers, Plant Mgr.

James Allison, office Mgr.

Eric Torgerson, Rick Boling, Mike Bailes,Tom Dugger, Barry Connell, Don Crawford, Rick Thomas, Chris Dulin, water operators.

All operators listed above including myself, hold a Class Four (highest license afforded by state) Water Treatment License and a Class Four Water Distribution License from Arkansas Department of Health.

© Copyright 2012, Lovely County Citizen
Story URL: http://www.lovelycitizen.com/story/1863195.html