Despite a September ruling by 2nd District Court Judge Glen R. Dawson to shoot down a Nov. 5 revote on whether to fluoridate Davis County drinking water, fluoridation opponents continue to fight the voter-approved measure.
The latest effort is a 12-page pamphlet accompanied by a 33-question quiz.
Those who read the anti-fluoridation message and take the quiz — getting 85 percent of the questions correct based on the literature provided — are eligible for a $1,000 prize drawing on Monday.
The pamphlet is sponsored by Abundant Living Information Services of Orem owned by Kenneth M. Howard.
The quiz entries are due today, with drop-box locations at Gregory’s Wheat Shop, Bountiful Nutrition, Winegar’s Supermarket and Albertson’s in Bountiful, Dick’s Market in Centerville and Good Earth Natural Foods in Riverdale.
A disclaimer on the pamphlet states the drop box locations were provided by businesses as a public service and do not necessarily imply a position for or against fluoridation.
Howard, a naturalist who owns Good Earth Natural Foods stores along the Wasatch Front, said he put up the $1,000 for the prize drawing and paid for the pamphlet out of concern that fluoridated water impacts the long-term health of those who drink it.
“The more people learn, the more they go against it. That is an absolute fact,” Howard said of what he is hoping people will glean from the 40,000 anti-fluoridation pamphlets he made available to Davis residents through local newspapers.
Howard said by offering a “carrot” of $1,000, he is hoping to get his anti-fluoride message out to as many people as possible. He expects to receive about 2,000 quiz entries, with another 8,000 of the pamphlets being read.
Davis County Health Director Lewis R. Garrett, who has the responsibility of implementing fluoridation, could not be reached for comment.
But fluoride proponents maintain there is no health risk associated with fluoridating drinking water with one part fluoride per million. Proponents say adding it to the water will reduce children’s tooth decay.
In November 2000, Davis voters by a 52 to 48 percent margin approved adding one part fluoride per million to the county”s drinking water systems.
But despite the earlier vote and the setback in the courts, Howard said he is confident the fight over placing fluoride in the drinking water will not end as the fight is taken back to the courts and the state Legislature.
Part of that fight may come from Davis County officials, who are still considering appealing the September court ruling. They say the ruling may be a violation of voter rights as protected in the state constitution.
Although voters approved fluoridating the county’s drinking water two years ago, due to water engineering delays and court challenges health officials do not expect the county’s drinking water systems to be entirely fluoridated until spring of 2003.
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