What Do The Experts Say?
And just as importantly What do they NOT say?
This book argues that experts have consistently exaggerated in their claim that fluorine should be considered an essential element for humans and suggests reasons why.
Expert focus on fluorine has detracted from the importance of elements and compounds that are definitely essential in the growth of teeth. In 2017 Guy Armstrong spent six months in the New Zealand Health Department archives looking through the fluoridation files of the 1950s. This has given his work a unique aspect which makes it very relevant to countries with F added to their public water supply.
A number of countries have been under the influence of American expertise and under the influence of the pervasive bias he shows. Any reader with a basic interest in science and health will be fascinated by this comprehensive account.
Media have consistently reported poorly on the fluoridation issue, partly because they did not want to be abused. This book looks at some very detailed aspects of expert and media interaction and behaviour, notably the presupposition of ‘objectivity’ which allows the quoting of experts while disclaiming any responsibility to point out contradictions, and not ask uncomfortable or even obvious questions, when an evidence-based attitude would suggest this acceptable.
This book will help journalists, city councillors and the public understand not only the exaggeration of essentiality but the reasons behind it. The role of the sugar, aluminium and toothpaste industries are explored. The public relations industry has a presence here.
Contains six chapters, many sub-chapters, a detailed reference section, nine appendices, and an index.
I can also happily announce that finally an ebook is available!
Table of Content
Introduction
Definitions
Glossary
Abbreviations of Companies, Institutions, Qualifications and Journals
1. Is Fluorine/Fluoride an Essential Nutrient?
1.1 What Do Scientists Who Performed Animal Experiments Say?
1.2 What Do Other Scientists Involved Say?
1.3 Discussion
2. What Do Experts Say about a Nutritional Role for Fluorine/Fluoride?
2.1 What Does the U.S. National Academy of Sciences Say?
2.2 U.S. Government Literature
2.3 What Does the World Health Organization Say?
2.4 Australian Government Literature
2.5 Textbooks
2.6 Scientific Articles and Experiments Related to Fluorine
and/or Fluoridation
2.7 Mainstream or Popular Science Books and Websites
2.8 Expert Contradictions
2.9 A Couple of Outliers
2.10 Summary
3. What did Experts in New Zealand Say?
3.1 Private Correspondence
3.2 New Zealand Experts Following American Experts
4. How Abundant is Fluoride in Food?
4.1 Revisiting Experiments that Tested for Essentiality
4.2 Other Research into Fluoride Levels in Foods
4.3 National Academy of Sciences Research into Food Fluoride Levels
4.4 World Health Organization Research into Food Fluoride Levels
4.5 Discussion
5. What Do the Experts Say in Newspapers and the Media?
5.1 Numbers and the New Zealand Media
5.2 American Experts in American Media
5.3 Semantics?
5.4 Essentiality within the Context of Opposing Sides
5.5 Abuse
5.6 Are There any Industrial or Financial Motivations for Entrenching
Fluorine’s Role in Public Health?
5.7 The Current State of Affairs Regarding Sugar
5.8 The Concentration of Fluorine in the Hastings Water Supply
1953-1956, Private and Public Statements
6. Relating Animal Work to Humans, Research on Humans,
and a Bigger Picture of Tooth Decay
6.1 A Logical Hypothesis Following from the Observations
Made in this Investigation
6.2 An Optimal Level?
6.3 The Possibility of Perfection
6.4 How Much Fluoride is too Much? What do the Experts
and Media Say?
6.5 The Current State of Affairs Regarding a Nutritional Role for Fluorine
7. Conclusion
8. References
Appendix 1. Media articles from Chapter 5.1
Appendix 2. Notes on Letters and Articles Defining ‘Essential’
Appendix 3. Letter from H. W. Carter regarding political
motives of antifluoridationists
Appendix 4. Fluoride Pollution Lawsuits
References for Appendix 4
Appendix 5. The Use of the ‘Communist plot’ accusation
References for Appendix 5
Appendix 6. ’Big Food’ Advertising
Appendix 7. What do people Opposed to Community Water
Fluoridation Say about Claims of Fluorine’s Essentiality?
Appendix 8. Non-Essentiality/Essentiality of Fluorine and the
Herman/Chomsky Propaganda Model – American and
Australasian Media
References for Appendix 8
Appendix 9. What does the International Society for Fluoride Research
Say about Claims of Fluorine’s Essentiality?
Index
About the author
I live in Wellington, New Zealand. I’m a Biology graduate of Victoria University (B.Sc.). I have a varied work experience; hospitality, labouring and a little lab work.
Fluent in English.
Pronouns: He/Him. NOT to be confused with the author of ‘Emptiness’.
More ebooks from the same author(s) / Editor
1,958 Ebooks in this category
