USA: Good letter

Fluoride risk evident
Linda Sherrod
In a front-page article on March 23, a fluoride study by the National Research Council reported that the current upper limit for fluoridated tap water at 4 parts per million is too high. At the upper limit, adverse effects were seen in bone fractures and tooth decay. While a little may be beneficial, too much is harmful. The fact that Fort Collins currently fluoridates at 1-1.7 ppm does not mean that people living here are safe from being overdosed with fluoride. Infants and children are particularly at risk, because their intake is three to four times more fluoride than adults.
In addition to tap water, we are all exposed to fluoride in food and beverages, dental products and industrial discharges. Claims of benefits made by dentists and the American Dental Association are greatly exaggerated. In fact, unfluoridated cities have exactly the same or similar rates of dental caries as fluoridated ones. Massive funds and a well-organized campaign by the fluoride industrial lobby were successful for last year's election. Many doctors and dentists were coercedinto sign endorsements they really did not believe in.
As people get more educated on this issue, change will happen. They need to know that their trusted dentists have a biased opinion based on the ADA and their industrial backers who have skewed the scientific literature to fit their agenda.
Linda Sherrod,
Fort Collins