A fluoride story this week suggests Calgary spend around $35 million over the next 20 years to reintroduce and maintain a fluoridated water supply. Does anyone have a clue just how many people drink tap water these days? Any studies to support this thinking? If the goal is to prevent tooth decay, how much fluoride gets wasted using the dishwasher, the washing machine, the shower, the tub, the car-wash, watering the lawn, cleaning the windows or any other myriad activities? What are the downstream effects every time I flush the toilet? Is fluoride in the Bow good for trout? Instead of spending money on a drug in the drinking water, (the FDA says if used to prevent disease, it’s considered a drug), why not just teach people how to brush their teeth? If we’re at a point where people don’t know how to do this, or can’t afford a brush and paste, maybe the $35 million should be spent on education. Isn’t there an old proverb about giving a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach him how to fish and you’ll feed him for a lifetime. If people need a hand, offer a hand up, not a handout.
PAUL BAUMBERG
(Ever see a trout with bad teeth? Fluoride, the story that just won’t die.)

*Original article online at https://calgarysun.com/opinion/letters/letters-dec-6-throwing-money-at-everything-isnt-the-answer

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