Here is the letter my friend Sean sent to the editor at the Lethbridge Herald in response to Dr. Suttorp's article. He brings up some very valid points that I encourage everyone to bring before their local councillors. 

"Dr. Suttorp, our Medical Officer of Health, has written a column entitled “Fluoride decision should be based on facts,” but all she has provided is propaganda riddled with error and misinformation.

Did Lethbridge “first introduce fluoride” in 1961 and remove it in 1965? No. Fluoridation began in 1974 after four rejections by plebiscites.

Contrary to Dr. Suttorp’s benign description, the fluoride used in our water supply isn’t “naturally occurring.” The City’s website says it’s hydrofluorosilicic acid - a toxic waste product scrubbed from the smokestacks of the fertilizer industry.

“Bait and switch” is what Dr. Suttorp has done by quoting studies on naturally occurring fluoride to support fluoridation with a Class D-1 hazardous waste.

Of course municipal water fluoridation is cheap! We are recycling industry’s toxic waste, which they would otherwise be required to dispose of at great cost.

Dr. Suttorp’s “estimate” that every $1 spent on fluoridation prevents $38 in dental treatment costs has been shown to be unsubstantiated. The study quoted includes an estimate of lost income of parents taking a child to the dentist while neglecting substantial costs of fluoridation itself.

Shall we take the endorsement of Health Canada as proof of fluoride’s safety or effectiveness? Neither Health Canada nor any of the agencies Dr. Suttorp cites has EVER tested hydrofluorosilicic acid, either for safety or efficacy in preventing cavities. And they’ve been dead wrong many times before.

Dr. Suttorp claims it’s her “responsibility to monitor the health of Albertans.”

What is she doing to monitor the dosage of this drug in the individuals of Lethbridge?

How does she justify administering a drug without our informed consent? Should any medical doctor get away with such an illegality and invasion of individual rights?

How can she administer the correct dose when one citizen drinks two glasses of water per day and another eight? What about the age, gender and general health of the individual?

I agree people must have access to ALL the information in order to form educated opinions. So let’s have the facts, indeed.

Dr. Suttorp, how about truly fulfilling your responsibility to us?

Sean Fife"

If enough of us cry out, we will be heard.

Our Medical Officer, Dr. Vivien Suttorp, submitted an article for publication in the Lethbridge Herald last week. It was angering. Apparently, everyone who opposes poisoning the water supply is a misinformed lobbyist. Is anyone else comfortable with how effortless it is for our medical authorities to lie to us and ignore their responsibilities?

We are all losing our health and it doesn't even seem like they are losing sleep. Come on people, let’s be angry about this. If somebody snuck into your home and slipped poison into your kid’s apple juice, wouldn't you be outraged? Wouldn't you seek justice? How is this any different? This is not the time to be silent.

I sent this letter to the editor at the Herald. I don’t know if it will be published so I am posting it here. I will also post the letter my friend sent in. If any of you would like to be represented here as well, then please speak up. I want everyone’s voice to be heard.

To the editor-

                                   

“It is an indisputable fact that too much fluoride can cause bodily harm or death. Why hasn't this limit been defined by our Medical Officer, Dr. Vivien Suttorp? She reassures us that our health is being monitored, but she can’t possibly know how much fluoride we are being exposed to. There is fluoride in the toothpaste. There is fluoride in the mouthwash. It’s at the dentist and in prescription drugs. It’s in processed foods and even in fresh vegetables. Why do we need it forced into our drinking and bathing water as well?

Every person has a different body, with different sensitivities and needs. What if I drink more water than most people or have to shower more often? I don’t think our Health Officer has ever stopped to consider both sides, and yet she accuses those who do of being misinformed.

 The truth is, I have considered the information and I don’t want fluoride in my family’s drinking water. Unfortunately, I can’t make the best decision for my own wellness, like she suggests, because no one is giving me a choice.”

Martin VanPopta