Fluoridation of Watsonville’s water is the only topic on Tuesday’s City Council agenda, and with the apparently imminent decision to accept funding to fluoridate, John Martinelli, owner of S. Martinelli & Co., is very concerned.

Martinelli said Friday that he doesn’t know what he will do if the city opts to fluoridate, but he does know he won’t use the water in his product.

“Fluoridating the water is a very adversarial thing to do from our perspective,” Martinelli said. “We simply are not going to put it into our product — period.”

Martinelli says he isn’t convinced fluoridated water is completely healthy. European countries do not fluoridate their water due to a range of health concerns, including the heavy metals that are also introduced into the water with the fluoride, the fact that the dosage of fluoride one receives can’t be controlled, and that it may cause osteoporosis later in life. In 2002, the Belgian government announced that it intended to become the first European Union government to outlaw fluoride-related products — with the exception of toothpaste — on health grounds. The country’s health minister, Magda Aelvoet, claimed that too much fluoride could damage the nervous system and might cause osteoporosis, especially in children, although she conceded it was effective at preventing tooth decay.

For the complete article see the 01-23-2010 issue.

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