A federal court in California last week, which I reported on at PJ Media, for the first time acknowledged from the federal bench that water fluoridation at current recommended levels poses serious risks of neurological harm to children.
It accordingly ordered the EPA to modify its public health policy on the topic, which has for decades been that water fluoridation of public water supplies — in other words, mass-drugging without informed consent — is a net benefit.
Related: Federal Judge: Parents Can't Opt Children Out of Public School Grooming
At least one municipality so far has reacted to the ruling by suspending its fluoridation program.
Via Yorktown government website (emphasis added):
Yorktown Supervisor Ed Lachterman ordered the suspension of water fluoridation in the Town today, citing a recent federal court ruling.
U.S. District Judge Edward M. Chen ruled on Tuesday that the current standard for water fluoridation in the U.S., set at 0.7 mg/L, presents an “unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment.” The decision emphasized the potential risks to vulnerable populations, including children, leading Supervisor Lachterman to take immediate action.
“In light of this federal ruling and the long-standing concerns expressed by many Yorktown residents, I have decided to suspend water fluoridation as a precautionary measure,” said Lachterman. “Our priority is the safety and well-being of our community, and we believe it is prudent to pause fluoridation to further assess its potential impacts.”
Yorktown will continue to monitor guidance from federal and state agencies and act accordingly to protect public health.
Yorktown’s leadership will engage with public health experts to ensure that any future decisions on water treatment practices prioritize the safety and health of all residents, particularly those identified as potentially more vulnerable to fluoridation risks.
Before we pop the fluoride-free champagne, though, consider how incurious and easily manipulated this same supervisor, Ed Lachterman, has shown himself to be — emblematic, perhaps, of bureaucrats throughout the nation.
Here he is, less than two months ago, promoting water fluoridation because a dentist he knows and some yahoo Karen called Susan Siegel told him it was a great idea, remarking that “anti-fluoride people are like the anti-vaccine people” — a smear which she obviously meant as an insult but which I take in stride.
Via The Examiner, August 6 (emphasis added):
Fluoride is scheduled to be added to the water of about 40,000 residents in Yorktown…
However, the process has been delayed by a technical issue…
Yorktown Supervisor Ed Lachterman said last week his office had received about 70 phone calls and emails from residents expressing concerns about the fluoride, which newly elected Councilwoman Susan Siegel, who has been a vocal proponent of fluoride, maintained was misguided.
“The anti-fluoride people are like the anti-vaccine people,” Siegel remarked.
The water in Yorktown had fluoride for about 65 years when in Jan. 2013 the Yorktown Town Board agreed to pay for the necessary capital improvements at the Joint Water Works facility to maintain fluoridation after many local dentists and health professionals provided expert advice during an informational meeting at Town Hall. A petition signed by nearly 60 dentists and pediatricians supporting fluoridation was also submitted…
Dr. Carl Tegtmeier, former Chairman of the New York State Dental Association Council on Dental Health Planning & Hospital Dentistry and a 43-year resident of Yorktown, has lobbied Yorktown officials for years to have fluoride returned to the town’s water supply.
He said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have called Community Water Fluoridation (CWF) “one of the 10 great public health achievements of the 20th Century.”…
“Children who receive CWF received a lifetime gift of having less cavities than those without the fluoridation,” Tegtmeier stated in an email to Examiner Media.
So Lachterman’s latest move appears to be a (possibly temporary) CYA operation until he and Susan can figure out how to continue their activities without legal liability.
Related: Report: The Science™ Hid Data That Fluoride Lowers IQ
Alas, now that these people no longer have official Public Health™ canon to hide behind — now that their pseudoscience has been debunked by a federal court — I hope they have been made to fear for their professional and personal welfare if they continue to maintain the farce that what they are doing is somehow for the benefit of the public.
Let’s hope more dominoes fall in the near future.
