To begin I support City Councilor Cheney in willing to revisit “an old fight” to use or not to use fluoride in Dover’s drinking water.
The debate that took place back in 2011 into 2012 ended by using fluoridation. In my research I found that HHS (2002) proposed that community water systems adjust the amount of fluoride to 0.7 mg/L to achieve an optimal fluoride level. Later, prompted by HHS in January 2011 lowered its recommended level of fluoride in drinking water and the EPA had been reviewing its rules on the upper limit of fluoride levels in drinking water. With that in mind I wondered if Dover still uses that recommendation. Having said that I will attempt to set down some very good reasons for not using fluoridation:
? Fluoride is the only drug that is forced as mass medication of the population with no control of dosing. The two of most common types of Fluoride in drinking water are Sodium Silicofluoride and Hydrofluorosilicic acids which were studied on 23+ humans and 100+ animals. Fifty percent of ingested fluoride in the bones of children while only 10 percent is stored in adults. Forty-one percent of American Children according to the Centers for Disease Control and prevention (CDC) have dental fluorosis caused by excess fluoride. Fluorosis is a chronic condition caused by excessive intake of fluoride compounds, marked by mottling of teeth and of severe calcification of the ligaments.
? Motting is Dental fluorosis, also called mottling of tooth enamel, a developmental disturbance of dental enamel caused by excessive exposure to high concentrations of fluoride during tooth development.
? Fluorosis affects nearly one in every four Americans ages 6 to 49. It is most prevalent in those ages 12 to 15. The vast majority of cases are mild, and only about 2 percent are considered “moderate”, Less than 1 percent are “severe”. Researchers have observed that since the mid-1980s, the prevalence of fluorosis in children ages 12 to 15 has increased. The spots and stains left by fluorosis are permanent and may darken over time. Fluoride occurs naturally in water and levels above the currently recommended range for drinking water may increase the risk for severe fluorosis. In communities where natural levels exceed 2 parts per million, the CDC recommended that parents give children water from other sources.
In summary after a wee bit of knowledge in my research, I suggest that it’s time for a committee to come together to end debate and plan to revisit fluoridation periodically, regarding issues as new information surfaces. The article printed by other contributors in Foster’s may have focused their comments on the emotional benefits as they saw them and yet scientists have published studies that may disagree with professional practitioners.
Donald Andolina
Dover
Candidate for NH Representative
Sources:
www.Fluroidealert.org
www.mercola.com
www.cdc.gov/
www.hhs.gov