Adam Symonds, Director of Arizona State University Forensics Department, to moderate formal debate on the topic of Phoenix water fluoridation

Phoenix, Arizona, August 15, 2012: On September 11, 2012 at 10:00 am, the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee (chaired by Thelda Williams) will hear and vote on the issue of continued fluoridation of the City’s water supply.

A group of private Phoenix residents has expressed numerous concerns that only two named experts who favor fluoridation are being allowed to present their information to the City’s Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee before the meeting is opened for public comment. Con experts have not been recognized for such testimony.

This appears to be reminiscent of the events in late 1988 and January 1989, when Phoenix originally considered the issue of whether or not to fluoridate the City’s water supply. Thelda Williams also served on the City Council at that time and was a strong advocate for the City’s adopting a fluoridation policy. During this previous six-hour public hearing before the Council only pro-fluoridation experts were given one hour to speak before the public had their opportunity to give their input. No experts opposing fluoridation were allowed a similar time to present their ideas.

In order to provide the public a fair and balanced presentation of the facts, these Phoenix residents have secured two prominent speakers to debate in a Lincoln/Douglas style presentation followed by an extended period of audience participation with questions and answers. This public debate on the pros and cons of fluoridating Phoenix’s water supply will be held on September 5, 2012, at 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Phoenix College’s Bulpitt Auditorium, located at 1202 West Thomas Road, Phoenix, Arizona. We believe that this debate is the first of it’s kind on fluoridation to ever be held in the country.

The two experts debating are as follows:

Dr. Paul Connett, Ph.D. retired full professor of environmental chemistry and toxicology at St. Lawrence University in New York State. He obtained his Ph.D. in chemistry from Dartmouth College. For twenty-five years, Dr. Connett has been involved in waste management, an issue that has led him to give over two thousand pro bono presentations in forty-nine U.S. states and fifty-two other countries. For many years, Dr. Connett held the prevailing American view that people opposed to fluoridation were scientifically ill-informed. At his wife’s, Ellen, urging, he studied the primary literature on fluoridation for fourteen years. His perception dramatically changed. He is Director of the Fluoride Action Network or FAN. He is co-author of the book entitled, The Case Against Fluoride: How Hazardous Waste Ended Up in Our Drinking Water and the Bad Science and Powerful Politics That Keep it There. (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2010)

Dr. Connett will take the position, which is opposed to fluoridation.

Dr. Howard Farran, DDS, MBA, MAGD, is a dentist in private practice at Today’s Dental clinic here in the Ahwatukee/Phoenix area. Dr. Farran obtained his dental degree from the University of Missouri School of Dentistry in Kansas City. He earned his master’s degree in business administration from Arizona State University and also achieved his Mastership in the Academy of General Dentistry. He is a member of the American Dental Association and also the Arizona Dental Association. Dr. Farran has achieved high acclaim over the years. He was named Alumni of the Year by the University of Missouri and Dentist of the Year by Arizona Public Health. In addition, he was given the Arizona Award by the Arizona State Dental Association for outstanding contributions made to the profession of dentistry because of his efforts to fluoridate the water of Phoenix. He was one of the original proponents of the City of Phoenix fluoridating its water supply, and he will speak in favor of the proposal.

Moderating and hosting the debate will be Adam Symonds. Mr. Symonds is the Director of Forensics at Arizona State University. He was the national Cross-Examination Debate Association National Champion in 1999. Mr. Symonds has coached numerous top 10 teams in National Collegiate Policy Debate. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Politics from Whitman College, a master’s degree in Human Communication from CSU Fullerton, and is currently writing his dissertation to complete his doctorate in Communication from the University of Southern California.

This formal debate on fluoridation of the water supply in Phoenix is open to members of the public and there is no charge for attendance. It promises to be a lively, stimulating and thought-provoking debate and anyone with an interest in this subject related to the general public health and welfare is invited to attend. 

Contact: Jo Clute

Fluoride Action Network

Phone 602-550-4157

Or Pete Creelman

Phone: (602) 971-9277