USA - Yarmouth fluoridation gets one more hearing
Yarmouth fluoridation gets one more hearing
By Jen Ouellette GateHouse News Service Tue May 22, 2007, 04:57 PM EDT
Yarmouth - The Yarmouth Board of Health has spent a lot of time lately listening to experts on both sides of the fluoridation issue. Monday night they heard from residents. And they got an earful.
“I’m adamantly opposed to putting this poison in our pure drinking water,” said John Newton of West Yarmouth. “I have stated my intentions [to the selectmen] to pursue a class action suit. I will solicit other people to join me and I might even seek help from the ACLU,” he said, calling the plans a mass medication that takes away the rights of residents.
The anti-fluoridation forces outnumbered the pro-fluoridation side at the hearing, the last by the board of health before it decides on fluoridation, probably in June.
Laurie Trzcinski, the mother of a 4-year-old son who is chemically sensitive and allergic to all medicines agreed. “People need to have a choice – and if it’s in the water, there’s no choice,” she said. “One of the pluses that they’re saying is to help the poor families out by giving us fluoride and I don’t want it.” Trzcinski said good oral health could be achieved just as easily with proper care of one’s teeth.
“I just like to say that whatever this is going to cost us, we were told this was because children could not afford fluoride toothpaste. I suggest with the money it costs you buy them fluoride toothpaste,” argued Vi Pacitto of South Yarmouth who referred to the project as pollution.
Alan Amirault of Yarmouth Port called the idea of fluoridating the water irresponsible and was angry that the town was considering the notion of playing doctor. “What doctor is going to issue me my prescription? What doctor is going to monitor my dose,” he asked. “What doctor is going to monitor my progress on this drug that I’m taking for the rest of my life if I live here?”
Many other residents talked about whether treating an entire town for something that may only be necessary for a few is wise. “I’m a cardiologist,” said Dr. Kristine Soly, “so my patients die of heart disease. We find if we put them on cholesterol- lowering drugs they, in fact, don’t have heart attacks and don’t die,” she said. “But I think you would find it pretty preposterous that I would want to put (heart medications) into our drinking water.” Soly went on to say the world of medicine often moves too fast. “Hormone replacement therapy was prescribed for many, many years only for medicine to make one huge collective ‘oops’ and say ‘we were wrong’.”
While the majority of residents at the hearing opposed the fluoridation of the town’s water supply, there were some proponents. Sheila Gagnon of South Yarmouth said she has raised four children and many foster children here and she is in favor of fluoridating the water. The wife of a retired dentist, she has been following the issue since it first came up and countered some of the comments made at previous hearings. “I was particularly upset with Dr. Connett when he mentioned that all researchers that are pro-fluoride come out with pro-fluoride results. That’s patently wrong,” she said. “Most researchers go into research to find the truth.”
Peter Laband, a retired dentist had some research of his own. “About 60 percent of the US in total is now drinking fluoridated water,” he began. “The Centers for Disease Control has not come up with any difference in morbidity or mortality figures for any of the fluoridated versus non-fluoridated communities.” The former part-time teacher at Harvard Dental School said the one thing that does come out of fluoridation is fewer cavities. “Fluoridation is an integral part of any public health measure against cavities,” Laband concluded.
Board of health members did not make any comments on the issue. The board is expecting a report from the Yarmouth Water Department the first week of June about the cost of the project. At that time that the board will vote on the issue.
If the board decides to implement fluoridation, residents can attempt to put the matter to a townwide vote. Ten percent of registered voters must sign petitions calling for the vote.
By Jen Ouellette GateHouse News Service Tue May 22, 2007, 04:57 PM EDT
Yarmouth - The Yarmouth Board of Health has spent a lot of time lately listening to experts on both sides of the fluoridation issue. Monday night they heard from residents. And they got an earful.
“I’m adamantly opposed to putting this poison in our pure drinking water,” said John Newton of West Yarmouth. “I have stated my intentions [to the selectmen] to pursue a class action suit. I will solicit other people to join me and I might even seek help from the ACLU,” he said, calling the plans a mass medication that takes away the rights of residents.
The anti-fluoridation forces outnumbered the pro-fluoridation side at the hearing, the last by the board of health before it decides on fluoridation, probably in June.
Laurie Trzcinski, the mother of a 4-year-old son who is chemically sensitive and allergic to all medicines agreed. “People need to have a choice – and if it’s in the water, there’s no choice,” she said. “One of the pluses that they’re saying is to help the poor families out by giving us fluoride and I don’t want it.” Trzcinski said good oral health could be achieved just as easily with proper care of one’s teeth.
“I just like to say that whatever this is going to cost us, we were told this was because children could not afford fluoride toothpaste. I suggest with the money it costs you buy them fluoride toothpaste,” argued Vi Pacitto of South Yarmouth who referred to the project as pollution.
Alan Amirault of Yarmouth Port called the idea of fluoridating the water irresponsible and was angry that the town was considering the notion of playing doctor. “What doctor is going to issue me my prescription? What doctor is going to monitor my dose,” he asked. “What doctor is going to monitor my progress on this drug that I’m taking for the rest of my life if I live here?”
Many other residents talked about whether treating an entire town for something that may only be necessary for a few is wise. “I’m a cardiologist,” said Dr. Kristine Soly, “so my patients die of heart disease. We find if we put them on cholesterol- lowering drugs they, in fact, don’t have heart attacks and don’t die,” she said. “But I think you would find it pretty preposterous that I would want to put (heart medications) into our drinking water.” Soly went on to say the world of medicine often moves too fast. “Hormone replacement therapy was prescribed for many, many years only for medicine to make one huge collective ‘oops’ and say ‘we were wrong’.”
While the majority of residents at the hearing opposed the fluoridation of the town’s water supply, there were some proponents. Sheila Gagnon of South Yarmouth said she has raised four children and many foster children here and she is in favor of fluoridating the water. The wife of a retired dentist, she has been following the issue since it first came up and countered some of the comments made at previous hearings. “I was particularly upset with Dr. Connett when he mentioned that all researchers that are pro-fluoride come out with pro-fluoride results. That’s patently wrong,” she said. “Most researchers go into research to find the truth.”
Peter Laband, a retired dentist had some research of his own. “About 60 percent of the US in total is now drinking fluoridated water,” he began. “The Centers for Disease Control has not come up with any difference in morbidity or mortality figures for any of the fluoridated versus non-fluoridated communities.” The former part-time teacher at Harvard Dental School said the one thing that does come out of fluoridation is fewer cavities. “Fluoridation is an integral part of any public health measure against cavities,” Laband concluded.
Board of health members did not make any comments on the issue. The board is expecting a report from the Yarmouth Water Department the first week of June about the cost of the project. At that time that the board will vote on the issue.
If the board decides to implement fluoridation, residents can attempt to put the matter to a townwide vote. Ten percent of registered voters must sign petitions calling for the vote.
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