CBC has posted an on-line poll for artificial water fluoridation:<br><br><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/pointofview/2011/01/fluoride-should-it-be-added-to-tap-water.html" target="_blank">http://www.cbc.ca/news/pointofview/2011/01/fluoride-should-it-be-added-to-tap-water.html</a><br>
<br>CC<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">2011/1/26 Susan Koswan <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:dandelion@gto.net">dandelion@gto.net</a>></span><br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;">
<div link="blue" vlink="purple" lang="EN-CA"><div><p>I highlighted the following paragraph from the full article below it on new nano-technology concerns. Below that article is another about Calgary considering stopping water fluoridation – with a nod to Waterloo! </p>
<p> </p><p>Some studies have shown that these materials are turning up in end- stage sewage sludge, raising questions about long-term problems. Other materials on the list are even closer to the water supply, for example: <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;">zero valent iron is being used as an ingredient in efforts to clean up polluted groundwater. “The wastewater agencies have no clue” how to measure the amount of these metals, or what to do to get them out if they do pose a hazard, Mr. Wong said.</span></p>
<p> </p><p>Susan K</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>California to Take a Hard Look at Nano-Substances</p><p> </p><p>(Beyond Pesticides, January 26, 2011) California’s Department of Toxic</p><p>Substances Control (DTSC) is asking in-state nanotechnology companies</p>
<p>and researchers to share how they’re keeping tabs on several nano-</p><p>sized metals, as evidence continues to emerge that these substances</p><p>may have long-term implications for the environment. Nano-sized</p><p>materials, now incorporated into many consumer products including</p>
<p>paper wrapping, clothing and cosmetics, are currently not regulated</p><p>and have not been assessed for hazards that have the potential to</p><p>impact public health and the environment.</p><p>Photo Courtesy Oregon State University</p>
<p> </p><p>Late last month, the DTSC put out a request for information about nano-</p><p>sized silver, zero valent iron, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, cerium</p><p>oxide and quantum dots. Specifically, the agency wants to know what</p>
<p>tools companies and researchers are using to analyze these materials—a</p><p>key question for regulators across the country in the effort to</p><p>understand the impact of the substances—over a broad range of areas,</p>
<p>including air, water, soil, sewage sludge and urine.</p><p> </p><p>Nanotechnology, which capitalizes on unique properties of super-small</p><p>particles, is already in use in manufacturing items like bike frames,</p><p>
skin creams and cancer treatments. As these tiny materials hit the</p><p>market, there are huge gaps in what scientists know about their</p><p>properties. Jeffrey Wong, DTSC’s chief scientist, said in an interview</p><p>that his agency’s call for information —its second such request, after</p>
<p>a similar move involving carbon nanotubes two years ago— is aimed at</p><p>informing consumers. California, with its concentration of high-tech</p><p>companies, is a hotbed for nanotechnology, Mr. Wong said, and the DTSC</p>
<p>wants to push as much information into the public sphere as possible.</p><p> </p><p>The basic question the agency is asking, Mr. Wong said, is, “What do</p><p>you know about your materials?” Several of the metals, such as</p>
<p>nanosilver and titanium dioxide, are of interest because they’re being</p><p>used in consumer products. Nanosilver, for example, is used as an</p><p>antibacterial agent in athletic clothing, while titanium dioxide is in</p>
<p>some sunscreens.</p><p> </p><p>Some studies have shown that these materials are turning up in end-</p><p>stage sewage sludge, raising questions about long-term problems. Other</p><p>materials on the list are even closer to the water supply, for</p>
<p>example: zero valent iron is being used as an ingredient in efforts to</p><p>clean up polluted groundwater. “The wastewater agencies have no clue”</p><p>how to measure the amount of these metals, or what to do to get them</p>
<p>out if they do pose a hazard, Mr. Wong said.</p><p> </p><p>Prompted by a petition submitted in 2008 calling for the regulation of</p><p>nanomaterials and to stop the sale of 250+ consumer products now using</p><p>nanosized versions of silver, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency</p>
<p>(EPA) stated that an active or inert ingredient would be considered</p><p>“new” if it is a nanoscale material. The new policy would apply even</p><p>when a non-nanoscale form of that same active or inert is already in a</p>
<p>product registered under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and</p><p>Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). EPA is in the process of preparing a Federal</p><p>Register notice on nanomaterials and pesticide products. The notice</p>
<p>will announce a new interpretation of FIFRA Section 6(a)(2)</p><p>regulations, that the presence of a nanoscale material is reportable</p><p>under FIFRA Section 6(a)(2) for environmental effects. This</p><p>controversial interpretation would apply to already registered</p>
<p>products, as well as products pending registration. However, this new</p><p>policy has not been finalized or put into effect, while under review</p><p>by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Many attribut the holdup</p>
<p>to industry backlash. Pesticide manufacturers routinely fail to inform</p><p>EPA when their products contain nanoscale particles. Consumers are</p><p>left in the dark about their potential exposure as these products are</p>
<p>currently being marketed under ambiguous labels.</p><p> </p><p>Nanotechnology is a powerful new platform technology for taking apart</p><p>and reconstructing nature at the atomic and molecular level. Just as</p><p>the size and chemical characteristics of manufactured nanoparticles</p>
<p>can give them unique properties, those same new properties –tiny size,</p><p>vastly increased surface area to volume ratio, high reactivity– can</p><p>also create unique and unpredictable human health and environmental</p>
<p>risks. Scientists and researchers are becoming increasingly concerned</p><p>with the potential impacts of these particles on public health and the</p><p>environment. A new study by scientists from Oregon State University</p>
<p>(OSU) and the European Union (EU) highlights the major regulatory and</p><p>educational issues that they believe should be considered before</p><p>nanoparticles are used in pesticides.</p><p> </p><p>While silver is known to be toxic to fish and aquatic organisms,</p>
<p>recent scientific studies have shown that nanosilver is much more</p><p>toxic and can cause damage in new ways. Exposures are occurring during</p><p>use and disposal. Concerns over nanosilver were first raised by</p><p>
national wastewater utilities in early 2006. A 2008 study shows that</p><p>washing nanosilver socks releases substantial amounts of the</p><p>nanosilver into the laundry discharge water, which will ultimately</p><p>reach natural waterways and potentially poison fish and other aquatic</p>
<p>organisms. Another 2008 study finds that releases of nanosilver can</p><p>destroy benign bacteria used in wastewater treatment.</p><p> </p><p>Copper nanoparticles could be released from the treated wood during</p><p>sawing or machining, cleaning, through normal wear and tear, or from</p>
<p>product decomposition, and then become available for potential</p><p>inhalation or ingestion. Reports stated in early 2009 that over five</p><p>billion board feet of wood have been treated with its “micronized”</p><p>copper products, so the potential for consumer exposure to nanoscale</p>
<p>copper particles could be quite large.</p><p> </p><p>In 2007, a broad international coalition of 40 consumer, public</p><p>health, environmental, and labor organizations, including Beyond</p><p>Pesticides, released the Principles for the Oversight of</p>
<p>Nanotechnologies and Nanomaterials, calling for strong, comprehensive</p><p>oversight of the new technology and its products. Beyond Pesticides</p><p>has since advocated for a precautionary course of action in order to</p>
<p>prevent unnecessary risks to the public, workers and the environment.</p><p>For more information on nano pesticides visit the antimicrobial</p><p>webpage.</p><p> </p><p><a href="http://www.beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/" target="_blank">http://www.beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/</a></p>
<p> </p><p>======================================</p><p> </p><p>January 25, 2011</p><p> </p><p>CBC News</p><p> </p><p>Fluoride removal debate heats up</p><p> </p><p>By CBC News</p><p> </p><p>Wednesday's day-long consultation by Calgary city council is on an</p>
<p>issue other Canadian municipalities have faced.</p><p> </p><p>Waterloo, Ont., for example no longer adds fluoride to its water</p><p>supply. Less than half of the city's population of 500,000 turned out</p><p>to vote on the issue last summer, the anti-fluoride side won by a slim</p>
<p>margin.</p><p> </p><p>"Since there's so many ways to access fluoride, why do you need to</p><p>have it the water?" asked Blaine Grey, a 53-year-old father who went</p><p>door to door to campaign against fluoridation.</p>
<p> </p><p>Fluoridation first started in Canada 60 years ago. Forty-five per cent</p><p>of Canadians drink fluoridated water, Health Canada said in 2007, the</p><p>latest national figures available.</p><p> </p><p>Dentists and authorities such as Health Canada and the World Health</p>
<p>Organization that support fluoridation say adding the mineral to water</p><p>protects teeth.</p><p> </p><p>They say community water fluoridation is a safe and effective way to</p><p>reach everyone particularly children's teeth as they develop.</p>
<p> </p><p>"It is part of our equitable treatment of our population" said Dr.</p><p>Lynn Tompkins, president of the Ontario Dental Association. "Getting</p><p>fluoride in the drinking water does help all of the vulnerable</p>
<p>population, as well as healthy populations."</p><p> </p><p>But those against fluoridation say the cavity protection practice</p><p>risks fluorosis, a condition where tiny stains or pits appear on teeth</p><p>if too much fluoride is ingested.</p>
<p>Fluoride choice</p><p> </p><p>Aside from drinking water, fluoride is also available in toothpastes</p><p>and mouthwashes.</p><p> </p><p>That's why dentists take care to educate parents about the correct</p><p>amount of toothpaste to use on the brush, proper brushing habits, and</p>
<p>the idea of spitting afterwards, Tompkins said.</p><p> </p><p>The opponents believe there's a risk of more serious health problems</p><p>though that has never been conclusively proven in a medical study.</p><p> </p>
<p>Dr. Robert Dickson, a family physician in Calgary leading the city's</p><p>anti-fluoride campaign, argues it is better to let citizens choose how</p><p>much fluoride they get, rather than administering it to everyone in</p>
<p>drinking water.</p><p> </p><p>"Let's put it on there with brushing," Dickson suggested. "Let's put</p><p>it on at the dentist if you choose. Let's not put it inside our bodies</p><p>where it doesn't work."</p>
<p> </p><p>Better dental care, such as fluoridated toothpaste, better diets that</p><p>include more calcium and phosphorus are improving dental health rather</p><p>than fluoridation itself, Dickson said.</p><p> </p><p>To date, available evidence shows regions with fluoridation have fewer</p>
<p>cavities, though worldwide that gap is closing.</p><p> </p><p>Provincial and territorial estimates of community water fluoridation</p><p>coverage in 2007</p><p> </p><p>Province/Territory Per cent with fluoridated water</p>
<p>British Columbia 3.7%</p><p>Alberta 74.7%</p><p>Saskatchewan 36.8%</p><p>Manitoba 69.9%</p><p>Ontario 75.9%</p><p>Quebec 6.4%</p><p>New Brunswick 25.9%</p><p>Nova Scotia 56.8%</p><p>Prince Edward Island 23.7%</p>
<p>Newfoundland and Labrador 1.5%</p><p>Nunavut 0.0%</p><p>Northwest Territories 56.4%</p><p>Yukon 0.0%</p><p> </p><p>Canada 45.1%</p><p> </p><p>The latest move in a long-simmering debate on fluoridation across the</p>
<p>country is happening in Calgary.</p><p> </p><p>Canadian Broadcasting Corporation</p><p> </p><p><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2011/01/25/fluoride-cities.html" target="_blank">http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2011/01/25/fluoride-cities.html</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><img src="https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=524c51cd5b&view=att&th=12dc27c2b23daeaf&attid=0.0.2&disp=emb&zw" alt="pareto" width="81" height="143" hspace="12" align="left"><b><span style="color: rgb(255, 51, 0);">2080: The Return of Pareto</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: rgb(255, 51, 0);">by Susan Koswan</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; color: rgb(51, 102, 0);">Treehuggers. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; color: rgb(51, 102, 0);">The 80/20 Rule. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; color: rgb(51, 102, 0);">One long weekend... </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="color: rgb(29, 58, 0);"><a href="http://www.volumesdirect.com" target="_blank"><span style="color: rgb(29, 58, 0);">www.volumesdirect.com</span></a> or <a href="mailto:dandelion@gto.net" target="_blank"><span style="color: rgb(29, 58, 0);">dandelion@gto.net</span></a> </span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="color: rgb(29, 58, 0);">In Waterloo Region bookstores and libraries. Now on Kindle! <a href="http://www.amazon.com" target="_blank"><span style="color: rgb(29, 58, 0);">www.amazon.com</span></a></span></i><span style="color: rgb(29, 58, 0);"></span></p>
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