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Water and Me

Tag Archives: fluoride

200th Blog

20 Friday Oct 2017

Posted by Ronald Parks in water history, Writing

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Baltimore, engineering, FILTRATION, fluoride, glass plate negatives, Gunpowder Falls, HISTORY, Loch Raven, Montebello, Public Works, water history, writing

My WordPress Dashboard tells me that this is my 200th blog post. So, since my blog is called Water and Me, maybe I should write something about water? Trying to think of something profound or water history worthy! I know – Don’t Drink The Water!!!

In 2006 I started writing about water history, doing research and then eventually writing a small book, mostly on one of the water tunnels that supplies water to the Montebello Filters. Here is the Lantern Slide I saved from the dumpster, that started it all:

This is what I had to say about it in my book: “While working with one of the lantern slides, I noticed something odd, that in a tunnel, where workers were excavating, there were train tracks that came to a dead end under what looked like a giant boulder. This particular slide came from a box from around 1938, so I asked Richard if he had any information on an event of that year that was of interest. Sure enough, he showed me the Annual Report covering the year 1938 where it was reported that an explosion had occurred in the building of the Gunpowder Falls Montebello Tunnel. This notation in the report was only about a half a paragraph long, nothing more than a blurb, so I decided to investigate it further.” And I have been investigating water history ever since. Ten men were killed in this explosion and it was just a blurb in a report!

After years of refining my skills at research, I came across so much more information on this explosion. It is amazing what you can find these days on the internet. I found this photo and purchased it from the Baltimore Sun.

It shows the ten dead African American miners being hauled out. My research has taken me to draw the conclusion that this was no accident. That because of the Union troubles going on back then (Fighting between Unions for membership), this was a case of murder.

Sometimes historical research is not pleasant. Just as much as present day research can be unsettling. Like my comment above to not drink the water. I don’t drink it because of the research I have done concerning the fluoridation of the water system. But, I will save that for another post…

Pre-Black Friday Sale

23 Wednesday Nov 2016

Posted by Ronald Parks in Baltimore, water history, Writing

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Tags

Baltimore, engineering, FILTRATION, fluoride, Gunpowder Falls, Health, HISTORY, Lake Montebello, Montebello, POLITICS, Public Works, Research, water, water history, writing

Ok, time to order now for Christmas! Nothing like a little self promoting during the Holiday Season. (Thanks to the person(s) that bought 3 copies this month! My sales report does not list the buyers so I have no way to know who to thank)

These books are cheaper on Amazon than they are on the publisher’s pages. ALL proceeds from the sale of these books goes to Water For People.

This first book is a crazy story about Chuck and Gary and the misadventures that happen because of the fluoride in their toothpaste! I think this may have been an LSD induced novel. But more likely comes from all the research I did concerning the subject that I didn’t know what else to do with!bookcoverimage-1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This next one is about, well, it’s about what the title says it’s about. Taken from the journals of the building inspectors. Ten miners killed in an explosion – called an accident, but I don’t think so…

bookcoverimage-2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And this last one is also about what the title implies. Over 400 pages of more information you will probably ever need concerning water history. Plus a bunch of tidbits thrown in.bookcoverimage

 

 

 

 

End Fluoride

07 Thursday Apr 2016

Posted by Ronald Parks in Baltimore, Fluoride, water history

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Tags

Baltimore, engineering, FILTRATION, fluoride, Health, HISTORY, Montebello, POLITICS, Public Works, water history

In May 2008 the Mayor of Baltimore had a program called the “Innovation Bank” This was a program that allowed City Employees to make suggestions on how the City could save money. The winner could win up to $5,000.00 for their idea.

The first idea that popped into my mind was to end Fluoridation of the drinking water supply. Back then the over-all savings to the City would have been $670,000.00 a year. Today it is closer to one million a year. After about a month of waiting for a reply to my proposal, I called the Mayor’s Office and was told – “Yeah, she saw it” (Was that a snicker I heard in her assistant’s voice?)

Today I received an email from a woman who had started a campaign a couple years ago to end fluoridation of Baltimore’s Water. It said: Breaking news:  The resolution/bill to study water fluoridation is being introduced TODAY at the City Council meeting, in City Hall, 5pm.  You are all welcome to attend; however, there is no actual action taking place today except that the bill will be read off a list as being officially introduced.  Exciting!  And now: Its on.  Time to start prepping for a hearing about 6 weeks from now.

This is great news! I could list all the reasons WHY we should have stopped (or not started at all) but I will let the experts tell you. For me, my dislike for the poison came my first week on the job in 1981 when I was asked to work on the fluoride pumps and saw how the leaking acid ate thru the metal stand and concrete base. I thought to myself – this stuff can’t be good for you! You can read what the experts say here:

http://fluoridealert.org/

Below is a photograph showing when Baltimore first started using fluoride

Fluor 11-52

Fluorine Dreams

07 Thursday Nov 2013

Posted by Ronald Parks in Fluoride, science, water

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Tags

Baltimore, FILTRATION, fluoride, science, water, water history

A short story on fluoride…

Fluorine Dreams

https://www.createspace.com/4499904

Fluoridation of the drinking water

13 Thursday Dec 2007

Posted by Ronald Parks in Health, HISTORY, science, Uncategorized, water

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Tags

fluoride, Health, HISTORY, science, water

I found this in a 1953 letter from Edward Hopkins (Baltimore City Water Engineer) to a Mrs. Cobb, in New Jersey:

    “Fluoridation of the Baltimore water began on November 26, 1952. Fluoridation of the supply was ordered by the Mayor and confirmed by vote of the City Council. The subsequent injunction to restrain the City from applying fluoridation was dismissed, on the grounds that this action would not interfere with religious beliefs, and that it was within the jurisdiction of the Mayor and City Council to proceed.”

Upon some research I found why it was against religious beliefs. The documentation is fairly long so I placed it on my History page for anyone who would like to comment.

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