[All] Environmental Commissioner of Ontario comments on Artificial Water Fluoridation in Annual Report 2008-9

[Carole Clinch]

Environmental Commissioner of Ontario Annual Report 2008-2009
http://www.eco.on.ca/eng/uploads/eng_pdfs/2009/ar2008su.pdf
p.140-1

also attached in .pdf format

Review of Application R2007018:

5.2.11 Review of MOE Policies or Regulations under the Safe Drinking Water
Act , 2002 as they Relate to Inorganic Fluorides in Drinking Water (Review
Undertaken by MOE)

Background/Summary of Issues

In November 2007, two applicants requested that MOE review existing
policies, regulations and
standards (as well as the need for new regulations and policies) under the
Safe Drinking Water Act,
2002 (SDWA) as they relate to the addition of inorganic fluorides (and any
other accompanying
contaminants) to drinking water.

Although Japan, China, 98 per cent of Europe, and some Ontario cities (e.g.,
Welland, Thorold and
Dryden) have banned or stopped adding fluoride to drinking water, several
municipalities in Ontario
continue this practice. Most fluoridated communities in Ontario add
hydrofluorosilicic acid (an
inorganic fluoride) to their drinking water. The applicants assert that the
“additions of toxic inorganic
[vs. Organic] fluorides…with its accompanying contaminants such as inorganic
arsenic and lead into
our drinking water” have:

• resulted in increased contamination of groundwater, surface water and
sewage effluent to water
bodies and natural environments;
• caused significant harm to water bodies, ground water sources and the life
therein; and
• caused harm to the health of certain subsets of the population, including
babies, pregnant
women, fetuses and the elderly.

Ministry Response

MOE agreed to undertake this review in February 2008. The ministry indicated
that Health Canada, as
secretariat to the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Committee on Drinking
Water (CDW), is revising the
technical support document for the Canadian Drinking Water Quality Guideline
for fluoride and is
expected to conduct a national consultation within the next two years. As of
April 2009, Health Canada
had prepared a consultation document but was awaiting approval from the
federal government to
initiate consultations.

MOE stated that the Government of Ontario participates on the CDW and will
consider the applicants’
comments before undertaking a provincial consultation via the Environmental
Registry. MOE stated
that this provincial consultation will coincide with Health Canada’s
national consultation. The ministry
stated that comments received through the provincial public consultation, as
well as material provided
in the application, will be considered in setting new policies regarding
fluoride in drinking water.

ECO Comment

The ECO will review the handling of this application once the ministry has
completed its review.

-- 
Carole Clinch BA BPHE
Spokesperson & Research Coordinator
People for Safe Drinking Water

Clinch CA. Fluoride Interactions with Iodine and Iodide: Implications for
Breast Health. Fluoride April-June 2009:42(2):75-87.
http://www.fluorideresearch.org/422/files/FJ2009_v42_n2_p00i-iii.pdf
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://gren.ca/pipermail/all_gren.ca/attachments/20091026/6e52bdf0/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: ECO 2008-2009 response to EBR RE artificial water	fluoridation.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 58922 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://gren.ca/pipermail/all_gren.ca/attachments/20091026/6e52bdf0/attachment.pdf>