Focus: Harmful effects of using silicoflourides to treat public water supplies.

This site is a means of responding to increasing numbers of requests for information on my research with Myron Coplan concerning silicoflouride usage, children's blood lead levels, and behavioral problems like violent behavior. The following categories of letters, documents, and research papers in peer reviewed journals explains why claims of safety of "water flouridation" can no longer prevent scientific consideration of the different effects that have been observed where hydrofluosilicic acid (H2SiF6) or sodium silicoflouride (Na2SiF6) have replaced sodium flouride (NaF) as the compounds used to flouridate water supplies. To facilitate your consideration of this material, it will be most useful to describe the enclosed materials.

Background documents and research publications...

confirming that silicofluorides were not tested for safety before their approval for use and have dangerous effects ignored by those who support continued use of silicofluorides as the most frequent means of adding fluoride to water. In the full listing in Section I of the Publication List (below), the following items are of particular importance.

Letter from Rebecca Hanmer (Deupty Assistant Administrator for Water, EPA) to Dr. Leslie Russell of Newtonville, MA (dated Mar. 30, 1983)

provides evidence that the substitution of silicofluoride for sodium fluoride was not based on considerations of health and medical testing.

Letter from Robert Thurnau (Chief, Treatment Technology Branch, Water Supply and Water Resources Division, EPA) to me, dated Nov. 16, 2000

provides evidencethat even after 50 years of use, the EPA did not have scientific evidence of the safety of silicoflourides.

National Toxicology Program, "Substances Nominated to NTP for study," Fed. Register 67: 113 (June 12, 2002), pp. 40329-40333.

Selection nominating the two silicoflouride compounds, revealing that "toxicology" and effects of these chemicals were still unknown and hence officially confirming that they had never been tested for safety.

Westendorf's doctoral dissertation

provides biochemical research showing harmful biological effects of water treated with silicoflourides.

Overview of Our Research

Wilson, Jim (1999). "The Chemistry of Violence," Popular Mechanics, (April), pp. 42-43

Journalistic summary of the background and results of our early research

Masters, Roger D. (2001). "Silicoflourides and Higher Blood Lead: A National Problem that Particularly Harms Blacks" Videoconference - Appalachian Environmental Lab, Frostburg State University, Frostberg, Maryland

summary of findings showing both higher absorption of lead from environment and behavioral dysfunctions including higher rates of violent crime