The Fluoride Wars: How a Modest Public Health Measure Became America's Longest-Running Political Melodrama 1st Edition

by R. Allan Freeze (Author), Jay H. Lehr (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The authors have put an enormous effort into acquiring the data in this book and... it is a very interesting and stimulating read." (Chromatographia, June 2010)

“The authors should be commended for providing all of the facts of the controversy in one place. Their call for both sides to get together to study the health issues with reason and respect is also a worthwhile goal because, as they point out; perhaps then ‘this long-standing and somewhat silly dispute could finally he laid to rest.’” (Chemical and Engineering News, September 2009)

From the Inside Flap

A lively account of fluoridation and its discontents

Since its first implementation in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1945, public drinking water fluoridation and its attendant conflicts, controversies, and conspiracy theories serve as an object lesson in American science, public health, and policymaking. In addition to the arguments on the issue still raging today, the tale of fluoridation and its discontents also resonates with such present concerns as genetically modified foods, global warming response, nuclear power, and environmental regulation.

Offering the best current thinking on the issue, The Fluoride Wars presents a witty and detailed social history of the fluoridation debate in America, illuminating the intersection of science and politics in our recent past. This reader-friendly assessment explores the pro- and anti-fluoridation movements, key players, and important events. Full of amusing and vivid anecdotes and examples, this accessible recounting includes:

A careful and non-condescending look at the hard science, popular science, pseudo-science, and junk science involved
A look at fluoride issues including dosage, cost, financial and funding interests, fluorosis, and problems of risk-cost-benefit analysis
The back-and-forth drama between pro- and anti-fluoridation factions, with all its claims, counterclaims, insults, acrimony, and lawsuits
Case studies of various cities and their experiences with municipal water fluoridation initiatives
Fluorophobia and popular conspiracy theories involving fluoride
The colorful characters in the debate including activists, scientists, magicians, and politicians

A richly and considerately told tale of American science and public life, The Fluoride Wars offers an engrossing history to both interested general readers and specialists in public health, dentistry, policymaking, and related fields.

From the Back Cover

A lively account of fluoridation and its discontents

Since its first implementation in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1945, public drinking water fluoridation and its attendant conflicts, controversies, and conspiracy theories serve as an object lesson in American science, public health, and policymaking. In addition to the arguments on the issue still raging today, the tale of fluoridation and its discontents also resonates with such present concerns as genetically modified foods, global warming response, nuclear power, and environmental regulation.

Offering the best current thinking on the issue, The Fluoride Wars presents a witty and detailed social history of the fluoridation debate in America, illuminating the intersection of science and politics in our recent past. This reader-friendly assessment explores the pro- and anti-fluoridation movements, key players, and important events. Full of amusing and vivid anecdotes and examples, this accessible recounting includes:

A careful and non-condescending look at the hard science, popular science, pseudo-science, and junk science involved
A look at fluoride issues including dosage, cost, financial and funding interests, fluorosis, and problems of risk-cost-benefit analysis
The back-and-forth drama between pro- and anti-fluoridation factions, with all its claims, counterclaims, insults, acrimony, and lawsuits
Case studies of various cities and their experiences with municipal water fluoridation initiatives
Fluorophobia and popular conspiracy theories involving fluoride
The colorful characters in the debate including activists, scientists, magicians, and politicians

A richly and considerately told tale of American science and public life, The Fluoride Wars offers an engrossing history to both interested general readers and specialists in public health, dentistry, policymaking, and related fields.

About the Author

R. Allan Freeze is one of North America's leading researchers in the field of environmental water quality, and has acted as the consulting engineer on drinking water quality at a number of sites across North America. He was a member of the University of British Columbia's engineering faculty in Vancouver for twenty years and is the author of over 150 technical articles and the coauthor of several books.

Jay H. Lehr is Senior Scientist with The Heartland Institute and Chief Scientist for EarthWater Global, an international water supply company. A graduate of Princeton University, he developed the first PhD program in hydrology at the University of Arizona and was on the faculty at The Ohio State University. Lehr has authored or coauthored over twenty books, hundreds of journal and magazine articles, and is an internationally renowned expert who speaks worldwide on environmental topics.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wiley; 1st edition (April 20, 2009)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0470448334
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0470448335
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.46 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.4 x 1.1 x 9.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,883,775 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #457 in Water Supply & Land Use (Books)
- #483 in Water Quality & Treatment
- #591 in History of Medicine (Books)

Customer Reviews:
14 ratings

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R. Allan Freeze
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Jay H. Lehr
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Jay Lehr, Ph.D. is senior fellow and science director of The Heartland Institute, an independent nonprofit organization based in Chicago. In 2008 he was named chief hydro-geologist for Earth Water Global (EWG) corporation, one of the world’s largest providers of water supply projects. He is an internationally renowned speaker, scientist, and author who has testified before Congress on more than three dozen occasions on environmental issues, and consulted with nearly every agency of the federal government and with many foreign countries.
Dr. Lehr is a leading authority on groundwater hydrology. After graduating from Princeton University at the age of 20 with a degree in Geological Engineering, he went on to receive the nation’s first Ph.D. in Groundwater Hydrology from the University of Arizona. He later became executive director of the National Association of Groundwater Scientists and Engineers.
Dr. Lehr is the author of more than 1,000 magazine and journal articles, and he has authored or coauthored more than 30 books. He is editor of Rational Readings on Environmental Concerns, McGraw-Hill’s Handbook on Environmental Science, Health and Technology (2000), Wiley’s Remediation Technologies Handbook (2004), Environmental Instrumentation and Analysis Handbook (2005), and the six-volume Water Encyclopedia (Wiley Interscience, 2005).
Dr. Lehr has spoken before more than 1,000 audience on topics ranging from global warming and biotechnology to business management and health and physical fitness. He invariably receives the highest scores for entertaining and energizing even the largest audiences.
He was featured in Parachute Magazine in March 2010 for setting a new world record for having jumped from an airplane each and every month for 32 years.
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Sri Ahimsa

A candid presentation of opposition to a public health policy.

Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2015

Verified Purchase

It is an accurate and comprehensive presentation of the issues surrounding fluoridation of public drinking water in cities and towns. The authors, Freeze and Lehr, also discuss the misleading claims made by opponents of fluoridation and provide references for those who want to enhance their understanding or read the source material.

Known members of the pro tooth decay faction have given this book one star ratings. However, what the authors discovered in their research, especially the tactics, also apply to those to oppose vaccinations, global warming/climate change or any other science based issue.

I think it would be great reading for High School or College level science class students.

2 people found this helpful

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Merilee D. Karr

The only objective view of the fluoride controversy I've found

Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2013

Verified Purchase

This book, by a couple of investigative reporters, covers all the claims of both sides. It awards points and demerits to both sides. And it's well written and accessible. Too bad it's hard to find, because it's published by Wiley, an academic and textbook publisher. It should be more widely available. It should be in the pocket and on the kitchen table of everyone who cares about the water they drink.

7 people found this helpful

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Richard Kozlovich

Balanced and Brilliant

Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2019

By Rich Kozlovich

I have been reading a great deal lately, but because I was so busy I wasn’t reading books, so when my friend Jay Lehr sent me a copy of his book, The Fluoride Wars, some time back, I took quite some time to get into it. I actually had a number of reasons for my reticence; first, with all that I am involved in I haven't had the time to sit and read and actually study a book, as would be required in this kind of reading. Secondly, fluoride wasn’t an issue that I was all that interested in and besides; I already knew what Jay thought.

Well, I was wrong on two counts.

The fluoride issue is almost as foundational to the mythology of environmentalism as DDT because the arguments against fluoride and agents of doom are much the same in their approach as you would expect regarding genetically modified foods, global warming, energy production, the EPA, and environmental regulations as a whole. So if one is interested in these other things then the fluoridation of drinking water should be of interest.

As I said, I was sure what Jay’s views were, so it came as quite a shock when I started reading. He and his co-author R. Allan Freeze were far more unbiased and balanced than I would have thought possible. I was convinced at one point that they just might be In favor of eliminating fluoride in drinking water. I was at least 40% through the book before I had a firm grasp on their views. And then they took me right back through the same level of consternation and back again. Why is that important? It is important because it shows how they took great pains to explain the history of fluoridation in drinking water in America, outlining the views of all parties; even with a certain level of understanding and justification.

It is my belief that it is impossible to understand any issue properly unless you understand the history. The history of the fluoridation of American’s drinking water is presented with balance, understanding and unvarnished facts in this book. For anyone interested in understand this issue I recommend reading The Fluoride Wars. You will not only get a deeper understanding of the chemistry behind this issue you will get a deeper understanding of the emotions driving both sides, especially since this is a battle that is still enflaming so many. You will also find the end conclusion interesting. A conclusion that will leave you feeling that you have been given a balanced and science based solution.

Helpful

Douglas A. Greenberg

A healthy dose of actual science

Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2015

It is clear from the plethora of one-star reviews from denizens of Tin Foil Hat Land that the authors of this book did an effective job of assessing the actual health risks and benefits from fluoridation. The book carefully traces the history of this never ending debate over the alleged conspiracy to "sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids" through the addition of small amounts of fluoride to our drinking water. Contrary to the sometimes hysterical criticisms emanating from the one star crowd, the authors actually take the various anti-fluoridarion arguments seriously, subjecting them to careful scrutiny by reviewing the voluminous scientific literature devoted to the question of health risks from fluoridation. In the end, they actually conclude that there is danger, however small, that some people are ingesting larger amounts of fluoride than what is considered safe. Consequently, they recommend that the quantities of fluoride added to drinking water be reduced somewhat.

The book is clearly written and for the most part, entertainingly presented. It does an impressive job of reviewing the history of the politics of fluoridation, as well as the health science associated with the issue. It is by no means a screed against the anti-fluoridation movement. In fact, the authors bend over backwards to give the "anti" arguments their due. But in the end, an assessment of the fluoride controversy has to center on science, not on conspiracy theories or paranoid claims based on just enough knowledge to get it all wrong. Highly recommended.

2 people found this helpful

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The Fluoride Wars: How a Modest Public Health Measure Became America's Longest-Running Political Melodrama 1st Edition

Buy used: $42.25

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Editorial Reviews

Review

From the Inside Flap

From the Back Cover

About the Author

Product details

About the authors

R. Allan Freeze

Jay H. Lehr

Customer reviews

Top reviews from the United States

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Buy used:

$42.25

Buy new:

$47.39