Treat 10,000 Fluoride-Poisoned Children

Our protocol for the work is as follows and all the donors should know about it. Fluoride literally does all the damage to the growing embryo / babies born.

(1) The hospital chosen = “Sri Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital”. Mainly women of the lower socioeconomic strata visit this hospital (2) After the Gynecologist & Obstetrician checks the pregnant women- those with pregnancy less than 20 wks, and having no other serious health problems are directed to our staff of the Foundation, occupying a room in the hospital next to the Antenatal Clinic (3) We check the hemoglobin using a digital equipment and we show the data to the women, and if it is less than 11 gm/dl (i.e. anaemic)– is chosen to our study group (sample group) (4) We collect the urine of the women for testing for fluoride in the Foundation. (5) A member of our team (Medical Social worker, would visit the home of the women who have less than 11 gm/dl hemoglobin, the very next day to collect a sample of the drinking water which the family uses for cooking and drinking. (6) The urine and drinking water samples are tested for fluoride in our Foundation. If fluoride is more than normal permissible limits (urine fluoride 0.1 – 1.0 mg/L; water 1.1 mg/L and above) we would provide counseling and shift them to safer drinking water source. (7) In counseling focus is to eliminate all fluoride sources (water, food, toothpaste etc) and promote nutritive diet to have adequate Calcium, Iron, Folic acid, Vitamin C, E and Antioxidants, through dairy products, vegetables and fruits. (8) We explain to them simple recipes, such as vegetable soups, salads, sauces (chutneys), vegetable sandwiches, how to make and how to enjoy good food. It is not necessary to buy expensive food; inexpensive vegetables & fruits which have high nutritive value is what we promote. (9) We provide to every women a little booklet in local language – how to practise diet improvements. (10) These women will be retested for (1) hemoglobin (2) urinary fluoride at least 4 more times before she delivers and every time we ensure by counseling that her diet is good. Testing for Hb and urine fluoride is repeated. (i) 10 – 20 wks pregnancy (ii) 24 – 28 wks pregnancy (iii) 32 – 36 wks pregnancy (iv) 36 – and above wks pregnancy (11) It is our observations, that every women like to have a healthy baby – born with good intelligence and no deformities. (12) The women whom we recruit now if under 20 wks pregnancy, would begin to deliver by January 2008 (we shall certainly share our data of the babies born with Ashoka /Donors) (13) The baby weight will be recorded from the hospital labour room records. (14) For all our women, on the case history sheet, we stick a big red sticker, that is made clear to everyone and through the sticker we identify our women, when they deliver. (15) There is a control group, where we do not intervene. They are also women with less than (1) 11 gm/dl hemoglobin and (2) high urinary fluoride, but we do not intervene with our counseling. We keep checking and monitoring them at the same 4 intervals for Hb and urinary fluoride and when delivered, the baby weight is also recorded. (16) If everything goes well – our Sample group women should deliver babies of 2.5 kg wt and above. This is achieved through withdrawal of fluoride and promotion of nutritive food. The Control group – may deliver babies of less than 2 kg body weight or even less. Some may be an abortion / still birth.

We are attaching a few pictures of the (1) Hospital, (2) Discussion with the hospital authorities and (3) waiting room of the pregnant women.