Re: Fluoridation good for dental health, by Dr. Arlene King, April 16.

With all due respect, Dr. King is not a dentist or a toxicology expert. Dr. Hardy Limeback, associate professor and head of preventive dentistry at the University of Toronto, is officially opposed to adding fluoride to drinking water.

The Centre for Disease Control acknowledged fluoride benefits are mainly topical, not systemic, saying, “It makes more sense to deliver fluoride directly to the tooth in the form of toothpaste.”

The National Kidney Foundation updated their position saying, “Individuals with chronic kidney disease should be notified of the potential risk of fluoride exposure.” Has the City of Windsor done that?

Unlike other additives that eliminate water-borne pathogens, only fluoride is intended as a medical treatment, presumably to prevent tooth decay. Dr. Arvid Carlsson, Nobel Laureate prize winner in medicine is one of the experts who helped keep fluoride out of Sweden, and he indicated that fluoride is not an essential nutrient.

The February issue of Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology published a study to show cavities do not increase when a community stops fluoridation in its water. The Canadian Dental Association said “dental fluorosis” is caused when higher than optimal amounts of fluoride are ingested in early childhood years. The Ontario Clean Water Act requires that local communities, such as Windsor, assess existing potential threats to their water, and they set out and implement the actions needed to reduce or eliminate these threats.

These toxic substances are addressed in the Canadian Environmental Protect Act under “First Priority Substances” proposed for elimination, and also violate the “Species at Risk Act.”

Quebec, B.C., 97 per cent of Europe and over 60 Great Lakes communities have gone to providing fluoride-free water for good reasons. Windsor should be next.

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