USA - Is he biased?
Editorial: The Treasure Coast is under siege by a small group of pseudo-scientists
February 7, 2007
Their objective? To persuade elected officials to remove fluoride from public water systems — or not add it at all.
Americans witnessed a similar experience 50 years ago, when rabid anti-Communists fanned irrational fears and succeeded in turning popular opinion against thousands of respectable citizens. Those same people warned that fluoridation was a Communist plot to poision U.S. drinking water.
The anti-fluoride folks are at it again. This time the object of derision isn't alleged Communism, it's fluoride itself — an additive that boasts a 60-year-plus record of providing safe, effective, cavity-fighting protection.
The anti-fluoridationists, armed with unsubstantiated studies and irrational arguments, scored a major victory in December when they persuaded the Martin County Commission, by a 3-2 vote, not to add fluoride to the county's public water supply. They turned their attention next to the Stuart City Commission, which opted to put the fluoride issue before voters in a public referendum.
The anti-fluoridationists then asked the board of the St. Lucie West Services Distrct to quit adding fluoride to the water system. The board complied, voting unanimously to end the practice. Thankfully, a St. Lucie County ordinance requires water fluoridation, so the decision by the board is on hold. For now.
No doubt we can expect this well-intentioned but ill-informed group to seek to change the county ordinance.
Is Indian River County, which fluoridates its water, the next battleground?
Sadly, there is a growing disconnect between good, solid science and the public health decisions that are being made by elected officials along the Treasure Coast. "We've arranged a global civilization in which most critical elements depend on science and technology," said Dr. Carl Sagan. "We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology." And because we live in a society that doesn't understand the scientific underpinnings of fluoridation — or isn't willing to trust the authoritative voices who do — the anti-fluoridationists are being allowed to shape public health policy.
"Fluoridation is the single most important commitment a community can make to the oral health of its children and to the future," said former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop.
Every credible scientific study — and there are many of them — substantiates this conclusion.
You are able to make comments on this article.
February 7, 2007
Their objective? To persuade elected officials to remove fluoride from public water systems — or not add it at all.
Americans witnessed a similar experience 50 years ago, when rabid anti-Communists fanned irrational fears and succeeded in turning popular opinion against thousands of respectable citizens. Those same people warned that fluoridation was a Communist plot to poision U.S. drinking water.
The anti-fluoride folks are at it again. This time the object of derision isn't alleged Communism, it's fluoride itself — an additive that boasts a 60-year-plus record of providing safe, effective, cavity-fighting protection.
The anti-fluoridationists, armed with unsubstantiated studies and irrational arguments, scored a major victory in December when they persuaded the Martin County Commission, by a 3-2 vote, not to add fluoride to the county's public water supply. They turned their attention next to the Stuart City Commission, which opted to put the fluoride issue before voters in a public referendum.
The anti-fluoridationists then asked the board of the St. Lucie West Services Distrct to quit adding fluoride to the water system. The board complied, voting unanimously to end the practice. Thankfully, a St. Lucie County ordinance requires water fluoridation, so the decision by the board is on hold. For now.
No doubt we can expect this well-intentioned but ill-informed group to seek to change the county ordinance.
Is Indian River County, which fluoridates its water, the next battleground?
Sadly, there is a growing disconnect between good, solid science and the public health decisions that are being made by elected officials along the Treasure Coast. "We've arranged a global civilization in which most critical elements depend on science and technology," said Dr. Carl Sagan. "We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology." And because we live in a society that doesn't understand the scientific underpinnings of fluoridation — or isn't willing to trust the authoritative voices who do — the anti-fluoridationists are being allowed to shape public health policy.
"Fluoridation is the single most important commitment a community can make to the oral health of its children and to the future," said former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop.
Every credible scientific study — and there are many of them — substantiates this conclusion.
You are able to make comments on this article.
posted by Bill at
9:33 AM
1 Comments:
The writer of this pro-fluoride diatribe is either a liar or a fool. In addition, s/he resorts to the tired and shopwarn tactic of attacking the character of the persons critical of fluoridation, rather than engaging the facts.
If an honest risk assessment is ever to be re-done (i.e., the last official one by EPA was carried out in 1985 which controversially led to a Max. Contaminant Level Goal of 4 parts per million) an up-to-date MCLG would fall less than 1 part per milliion, thus rendering fluoridation illegitimate.
By
Anonymous, at 12 February, 2007
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