A fright about fluoride led by activists brought out voters, who agreed with their dentists and rejected a City of Fredericksburg charter amendment that sought to prevent the city from putting a fluoride additive into its water supply.

Opposed by the entire local dental community and many doctors, voters turned out to vote “no” to the anti-fluoride proposal by a 1,258 to 729 margin.

Voters also voiced their preferences on a slate of 10 state constitutional amendments, passing 8 of them. Statewide, 9 of 10 passed.

Dental professionals claimed studies cited by activists and “scare tactics” were unproven and they tapped into fears and paranoia.

“I am really proud of our dental community,” said Arnold Cuellar, DDS, a retired dentist who spearheaded a late campaign to let voters know where the profession stood on the issue. “They had nothing to gain other than personal satisfaction of knowing it was the right thing to do. The community really supported us.”

Cuellar said he and other dentists worried a social media campaign by Clean Water Fred went mostly unanswered. He said the dental community did not do much to “counter this misinformation.” Approval of the charter amendment “would have been a definite setback to our community’s dental health,” he said.

Activists for Clean Water Fred cited studies they say point to neurological damage, lower IQ in children and other claims, all from the addition of about .3 parts per million added by the city. That amount roughly doubles the amount of naturally occurring fluoride in the city’s water supply, which the city has added for the past 70 years.

The group used terms like “hazardous waste,” and claimed the addition of fluoride deprived residents of having a choice.

Yet local dentists made an advertising plea to locals, stating, among other things, that for every $1 spent on tap water fluoridation, about $38 is saved by residents in future dental care costs.

Activists also have used a similar campaign to stop municipal water fluoridation in San Marcos, Buda and other towns.

Clean Water Fred claims those who want additional fluoride may apply it topically with a number of products.

State Constitution

Several items that were among the 10 proposed Texas Constitutional Amendments also drove Gillespie County voters to the polls…

*Original article and more election results at https://www.fredericksburgstandard.com/news/fluoride-limitation-fails

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