Ask Wal-Mart to Stop Selling Fluoride "Nursery Water" to Infants

Ask Wal-Mart to Stop Selling Fluoride "Nursery Water" to Infants

On November 9th, 2006, the American Dental Association (ADA) issued an alert advising parents to avoid fluoridated water when reconstituting infant formula. ADA's advice, however, has been mostly ignored by the media.

Nursery Water, the nation's leading fluoridated water for babies, still markets its product nationwide at Wal-Mart and other major retailers.

Help us stop this unsafe practice by signing this online petition to Wal-Mart.

The Petition

Douglas J. Degn
Executive Vice President, Food, Consumables and Hardlines Merchandising
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Bentonville, Arkansas 72716-8611

Dear Mr. Degn,

We are writing to bring to your attention a recent health advisory from the American Dental Association (ADA) that raises serious health concerns about the safety of a product — Nursery Water — currently being sold at Wal-Marts across the country, and to request that, in line with this ADA advisory, Wal-Mart stop the sale of this product immediately.

Nursery Water is a form of fluoridated bottled water that is specifically marketed for babies. The product's packaging advises parents to use Nursery Water to reconstitute infant formula and other infant foods. Recent scientific developments, however, have raised concerns about the safety of fluoridated water for infants.

Citing a major 2006 review of fluoride safety by the National Academy of Sciences, the ADA advised parents and caregivers on November 9th of this year, to not give infants fluoridated water in their formula or food. According to the ADA, consumption of fluoridated water puts a baby at high risk for dental fluorosis (a defect of teeth that causes staining and sometimes corrosion of the enamel.) The ADA's statement followed an October 14th decision from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that bottled waters with added fluoride cannot claim to reduce the risk of cavities for infants.

This advice is all the more striking as the ADA is the nation's leading advocate of water fluoridation. We are concerned, nonetheless, that without further action on the part of retailers and consumer organizations, the public will not be made sufficiently aware of this important change in health recommendations and will continue to put their babies at risk by using this product as currently directed on the label.

We understand that removing a product from your shelves is a significant action but in this case it is clearly justified given that the nation's leading dental authority advises against the precise intended use of the product. We appreciate the leadership role that Wal-Mart has taken on a broad range of environmental and consumer health issues, and we look forward to your removal of this unsafe product from your stores.