USA - Blue Lake flirts with fluoridation
UPDATED: Blue Lake flirts with fluoridation – April 3, 2007
Kevin L. Hoover
Eye Editor
BLUE LAKE – The Blue Lake City Council last week heard a briefing about possible fluoridation of its drinking water. Dr. Ann Lindsay, county health officer, told the council that the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District is considering fluoridation of water supplied to its seven clients, including the towns of Manila, Fieldbrook and Blue Lake.Lindsay extolled fluoride as safe, effective and an inexpensive means of combatting chronic dental disease in Humboldt County’s children. “Every dollar you spend in water fluoridation saves $80 a year in dental costs,” Lindsay asserted.
Other medical practitioners in attendance agreed, and offered their support. But citizen Dana Silvernale offered a dissenting view, rejecting in principle “medicating people through the water system.” She dismissed claims of fluoride’s benefits as “anecdotal,” and said her children had been both fluoride- and cavity-free until high school.
City Manager Wiley Buck said HBMWD fluoridation would cost the city $1,000 to $2,000 per year.
Citizen Lisa Smith cited drawbacks to fluoridation she’d read on the Internet, and suggested that the matter be placed on the ballot for the community to decide.
Lindsay said she'd read every anti-fluoride opinion she could find, including those on websites and the bible of anti-fluoridation, Christopher Bryson's book, The Fluoride Deception. She all she found the information misleading and incomplete, much of it written by the same few people. She again affirmed that fluoride poses insignificant risk.
Mayor Sherman Schapiro asked for a straw vote, and a show of hands revealed an 8–2 vote in favor of fluoridation, with five undecideds.
“It seems like it would be a clear benefit,” Schapiro said.
A HBMWD task force will meet to consider the matter April 10.
Note: Following publication of this story, Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District Director Aldaron Laird sent in the following letter, which will also appear in next week's print edition. – Ed.
April 4th, 2007
Upon reading your article (04/03/07) about the City of Blue Lake's drinking water possibly being fluoridated, I was left with the impression, and so might my constituents who read the Eye, that you think the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District is initiating the consideration of adding fluoride to its wholesale municipal water supply, which is not true.
The policy of the Water District’s Board is to let the District’s wholesale municipal customers (City of Eureka, City of Arcata, City of Blue Lake, McKinleyville, Humboldt, Manila, and Fieldbrook-Glendale Community Service Districts (CSDs)) decide their individual interest in fluoridation, and that if they collectively wanted fluoridation to occur at the regional level, the District would consider it. The Water District has received requests to consider operating a regional fluoridation system from McKinleyville, Humboldt, and Fieldbrook-Glendale CSDs who’s Board of Directors decided that they wanted to add fluoride to the water they receive from the Water District.
As you reported, the Water District is convening its Water Quality Task Force at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, April 10 at its office in Eureka to ascertain if all of the municipalities want a regional fluoridation system, and if so, then to identify and address issues involved with creating a regional system, and to make recommendations to the Water District. It is not known at this time if all seven of the Water District's wholesale municipal customers want a regional fluoridation system; Eureka and Arcata already treat their water with fluoride.
If the Water District were to agree to operate a regional fluoridation system, then all of its wholesale municipal water customers will have to receive and pay for fluoridated water. Of course, at this early stage, the Water District does not know what the cost to each of its wholesale municipal water customers might be to permit, construct, and operate a regional fluoridation system.
I am glad that the City Council of Arcata chose to ask its voters whether they wanted fluoride added to their water rather than make that decision themselves; the vote of the people in Arcata provides a mandate that should not be lightly reversed in the future.
In fact, what the Water District is to do in the future if one or more of its wholesale municipal customers decide it no longer wants fluoride added to its water is an issue that the Water District will have to resolve. If any of my constituents have an opinion on this issue you have an opportunity to share it with your elected officials.
Sincerely,
Aldaron Laird, Director 5th Division,
Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District
Arcata
Kevin L. Hoover
Eye Editor
BLUE LAKE – The Blue Lake City Council last week heard a briefing about possible fluoridation of its drinking water. Dr. Ann Lindsay, county health officer, told the council that the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District is considering fluoridation of water supplied to its seven clients, including the towns of Manila, Fieldbrook and Blue Lake.Lindsay extolled fluoride as safe, effective and an inexpensive means of combatting chronic dental disease in Humboldt County’s children. “Every dollar you spend in water fluoridation saves $80 a year in dental costs,” Lindsay asserted.
Other medical practitioners in attendance agreed, and offered their support. But citizen Dana Silvernale offered a dissenting view, rejecting in principle “medicating people through the water system.” She dismissed claims of fluoride’s benefits as “anecdotal,” and said her children had been both fluoride- and cavity-free until high school.
City Manager Wiley Buck said HBMWD fluoridation would cost the city $1,000 to $2,000 per year.
Citizen Lisa Smith cited drawbacks to fluoridation she’d read on the Internet, and suggested that the matter be placed on the ballot for the community to decide.
Lindsay said she'd read every anti-fluoride opinion she could find, including those on websites and the bible of anti-fluoridation, Christopher Bryson's book, The Fluoride Deception. She all she found the information misleading and incomplete, much of it written by the same few people. She again affirmed that fluoride poses insignificant risk.
Mayor Sherman Schapiro asked for a straw vote, and a show of hands revealed an 8–2 vote in favor of fluoridation, with five undecideds.
“It seems like it would be a clear benefit,” Schapiro said.
A HBMWD task force will meet to consider the matter April 10.
Note: Following publication of this story, Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District Director Aldaron Laird sent in the following letter, which will also appear in next week's print edition. – Ed.
April 4th, 2007
Upon reading your article (04/03/07) about the City of Blue Lake's drinking water possibly being fluoridated, I was left with the impression, and so might my constituents who read the Eye, that you think the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District is initiating the consideration of adding fluoride to its wholesale municipal water supply, which is not true.
The policy of the Water District’s Board is to let the District’s wholesale municipal customers (City of Eureka, City of Arcata, City of Blue Lake, McKinleyville, Humboldt, Manila, and Fieldbrook-Glendale Community Service Districts (CSDs)) decide their individual interest in fluoridation, and that if they collectively wanted fluoridation to occur at the regional level, the District would consider it. The Water District has received requests to consider operating a regional fluoridation system from McKinleyville, Humboldt, and Fieldbrook-Glendale CSDs who’s Board of Directors decided that they wanted to add fluoride to the water they receive from the Water District.
As you reported, the Water District is convening its Water Quality Task Force at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, April 10 at its office in Eureka to ascertain if all of the municipalities want a regional fluoridation system, and if so, then to identify and address issues involved with creating a regional system, and to make recommendations to the Water District. It is not known at this time if all seven of the Water District's wholesale municipal customers want a regional fluoridation system; Eureka and Arcata already treat their water with fluoride.
If the Water District were to agree to operate a regional fluoridation system, then all of its wholesale municipal water customers will have to receive and pay for fluoridated water. Of course, at this early stage, the Water District does not know what the cost to each of its wholesale municipal water customers might be to permit, construct, and operate a regional fluoridation system.
I am glad that the City Council of Arcata chose to ask its voters whether they wanted fluoride added to their water rather than make that decision themselves; the vote of the people in Arcata provides a mandate that should not be lightly reversed in the future.
In fact, what the Water District is to do in the future if one or more of its wholesale municipal customers decide it no longer wants fluoride added to its water is an issue that the Water District will have to resolve. If any of my constituents have an opinion on this issue you have an opportunity to share it with your elected officials.
Sincerely,
Aldaron Laird, Director 5th Division,
Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District
Arcata
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