Mungo MacCallum is concerned about the rejection of science in Byron Shire in regard to fluoride. However, there is no science saying that people can afford the constant introduction of new toxins into the environment without there being negative health effects.
In fact, the prevailing belief that a little bit of each of the many toxins in the society won’t hurt you, or has negligible effect, is based in superstition.
The pro-fluoride position essentially was the science of fluoride-use showing a reduction in dental caries. If there were no processed sugar and other processed foods, scientifically it is also likely that dental caries would reduce. The pro-fluoride argument appeared to be based on not wanting to grow up and leave the sugar bag behind.
Mungo also mentions the science in regard to vaccinations. When it comes down to it, vaccination is an invasive procedure. Surely then, it is a last resort rather than the first.
The first resort is to ensure soil, water and air are all healthy. None of them are. Science is not going to say that air is correctly balanced in regard to carbon dioxide, that water isn’t being increasingly polluted, and that soil organic matter is not in decline. Pretence that deterioration of the three bases of life has no effect on human health is more superstition.
With vaccination and with release of potential toxins into the water supply, there is resort to short-term measures with regard to health because we are not adult enough to consider the long term.
Geoff Dawe, Uki
The writer makes a few interesting statements; can he please demonstrate the superstition and its origin that he claims to exist in current toxicological beliefs. Also, whilst acknowledging that science has demonstrated a reduction in dental caries through the use of fluoridation, the best that he offers is a “likely” reduction in caries should there be “no processed sugar and other processed foods.” Dental caries existed well before the development of the processed food industry. Also, the writer may like to consider how it was a dentist that made the observation that children drinking water with a natural supply of fluoride had less caries than those not drinking the same supply. Please don’t try some ill founded anti scientific ramble about natural versus “unnatural” sources of fluoride. Regarding vaccinations; no one says they are not invasive, albeit very low on the scale of invasiveness. Last resort? Well for millennia, people tried first resort…they died or got very ill in large numbers. Sometimes last resort may well be best resort, despite a person’s ideologies.