Some readers may be tired of reading Jack Crowther’s information about fluoride, but Mr. Crowther is absolutely correct about the toxicity of the fluoride used in Rutland’s water supply. Another Rutland resident got the label from the product that is put into the Rutland water supply. It comes from a phosphate plant in Florida, and is contaminated with arsenic, among other things.

This type of fluoride is a waste product of the phosphate industry, scrubbed from the stacks. If the phosphate company had to pay to dispose of it, it would fall into the hazardous-waste category and be expensive. Instead, cities like Rutland pay $10,000 a year to the company, and then put it in Rutland’s otherwise very pure water, which only uses chlorine as a disinfectant. Other Vermont water supplies use many more chemicals.

Last year, I ran into then-Public Works Commissioner Jeff Wennberg in the State House, and talked to him about fluoride. He said his workers would love to get rid of it, it is nasty stuff they are exposed to.

Fluoridation should be based on individual’s needs, not put into public water supply as medicine. It has its place in dental health, can be applied topically, and should be based on individual consultation with a medical provider. Because some people are close to the treatment plant and some are farther away, Rutland water users get varying doses of the fluoride.

Fluoride, especially a waste product from industry, does not belong in your drinking water.