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UK Against Fluoridation

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

USA - Lone voice: Stop adding fluoride to city's water

Lone voice: Stop adding fluoride to city's water
About 70% of the U.S. water supply is fluoridated. Dubuquer argues it's not only unnecessary, it's a toxin.
BY ANDY PIPER TH STAFF WRITER
Sandy Amberg is serious when she says one of her goals in life is to not take it too seriously. So, she wasn't looking for a fight when she requested the Dubuque City Council consider ending the practice of fluoridating the city's drinking water.

When she was confronted with the fact that the American Dental Association, the Centers for Disease Control and other national health organizations all support the practice, she responded that she hadn't come to argue the pros and cons of fluoride and health.

"That's a whole separate debate," Amberg said. "But the waste. Only 3 percent of the water that we use is actually drunk."

The rest, she says, drains into the environment, and fluoride is classified as a hazardous material. Not to mention the $22,000 per year the city spends on fluoridation, which mostly misses its intended target, human teeth.

Amberg might be a lone voice in Dubuque, but she's far from alone. From Plant City, Fla., to Marine City, Mich., to San Diego, Calif., city officials are contemplating whether to end the practice of fluoridating Sandy Amberg water. Those cities
purchasing the fluoride, but of maintaining storage tanks and equipment. Dubuque plans to upgrade its tank this year for $75,000.

Amberg began researching the topic after talking to her son, Mark, who is part of a group that asked the City Council in Iowa City to end fluoridation. The request gained more traction in Iowa City, which scheduled a public hearing in March, than in Dubuque. Dubuque City Councilmen Ric Jones and Kevin Lynch voted against accepting Amberg's presentation.

About 70 percent of the U.S. water supply is fluoridated. Amberg told the council that the fluoride marketed to cities is scraped from the smokestacks of fertilizer and aluminum manufacturers.

"It is a toxin and the companies don't need to dispose of it if they can ship it to cities who add it to their water," Amberg said. "Fluoride is the only thing added to drinking water that does not enhance it. Chlorine, for instance, kills bacteria."

The health debate is wide ranging. An Internet search quickly locates dozens of articles such as "The Fluoride Conspiracy" and "Why I am now officially opposed to adding fluoride to drinking water," by Dr. Hardy Limeback, a professor of preventive dentistry in Toronto. Competing forums exist in just as great a number, such as Common Fluoride Myths, which disputes the claims of cancer risk, etc. The Centers for Disease Control lists fluoridation as one of the 10 Great Public Health Achievements of the 20th Century.

Water Department Manager Bob Green said fluoride is an acid and that if it is consumed in high concentrations it could create health problems.

"However, extensive research that has been conducted reveals the correct level of fluoride -- 1.0 to 1.2 parts per million -- in drinking water has greatly improved the dental health of consumers," Green said. "Early studies suggesting that fluoride was a possible cancer-causing chemical to humans proved to be unsubstantiated."

Amberg makes an ethical argument as well. Since fluoride is classified as a medication, shouldn't people have a choice to use it? The CDC acknowledges there are other ways to get fluoride, such as toothpaste and mouth wash, but the common good is best served by adding it to water so poor families don't have to purchase other fluoridated products.

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