USA - Supervisor Approves $20 Million Grant for Fluoride
Zev to Citizens: "No Comment" Supervisor Approves $20 Million Grant for Fluoride
By Lee Michaelson
On September 20, just as Topanga and Malibu community groups were gearing up to ask Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky to call a halt to fluoridation of District 29's water, at least until certification of the safety of the chemical being used could be produced by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) and the chemical manufacturer, his office issued a press release announcing that the Board of Commissioners of First 5 LA, which Yaroslavsky chairs, had approved a $20 million grant to allow additional water boards and municipalities throughout the county to fluoridate their water supplies.
First 5 LA is a child advocacy organization created by California voters that invests tobacco tax revenues in programs intended to improve the lives of children prenatal to five in Los Angels County. The $20 million grant was part of an Oral Health Community Development Project, backed by Yaroslavsky. According to the Center for Disease Control, dental caries is still the most common preventable disease in the U.S., and tooth decay is the number one reason that children miss school.
"Today's Commission approval of my oral health initiative means that thousands of kids in Los Angeles County will grow up with healthier, stronger teeth," said Yaroslavsky in announcing the fluoridation grant. "In addition their families will avoid the inconvenience of unnecessary trips to the dentist for fillings, extractions and other painful and entirely avoidable procedures."
Jonathan Fielding, Director of the Department of Public Health and Health Officer for Los Angeles County, added: "First 5 LA's Commission believes oral health to be a critical part of the overall healthy growth and development of a child. We are excited about this project, which is such an important investment in the wellbeing of our children."
However, Yaroslavsky's office refused to respond to inquiries about whether public hearings on the safety and efficacy of fluoridation were held before the decision on the grant was made and whether Yaroslavsky was otherwise briefed on recent research anti-fluoride activists say call into question whether water fluoridation (as opposed to topically applied fluoride, such as toothpaste and dental sealants) actually does prevent tooth decay. They were likewise mum as to whether Yaroslavsky was aware of recent medical research, including a Harvard study, anti-fluoride forces say point to an increased risk of cancer, kidney disease, thyroid problems, and other health ailments associated with water fluoridation.
Yaroslavsky's spokesman, Joel Bellman, also said the supervisor would not comment on an open letter addressed to him by a number of organizations in Topanga and Malibu operating under the umbrella of Coastal Citizens for Safe Drinking Water calling on him to demand proof that hyrdrofluorosilic acid, a by-product of the phosphate fertilizer industry, which is the particular chemical chosen by MWD to be used in the fluoridation of Topanga and Malibu's water, has met California and industry standards for safety. In his capacity as a County Supervisor, Yaroslavsky also serves as a director of County Water District 29, and thus has the power to demand such proof from District 29's water supplier, MWD. Bellman dismissed the request as a mere "technicality" being used by anti-fluoride forces to impede fluoridation. "These communities - or people in the communities - have their minds made up already," said Bellman. "I think it would be endless and pointless for the supervisor to try to enter into a dialogue with them about it. No one's mind would be changed....If they want to litigate it, that's up to them." For the same reason, Bellman said, it was "unlikely" Yaroslavsky would meet with the community to address its concerns. Asked whether that meant the supervisor had also made up his own mind on the issue, Bellman (who had just used the same term in referring to the community) stated, "If you want to say 'made up his mind' in a denigrating fashion, you can call it that. Zev has taken a public policy position based on 50 years of science and he's not going to back away from that."
Bellman also said Yaroslavsky would not respond to questions regarding whether medicating the general public, without their consent constituted a violation of medical ethics or human rights even if it did result in the improvement of dental health for many. "It is a human rights violation. That's why I signed onto the letter," said Julie Levine of Topanga Peace Alliance. But Bellman said, "I'm not going to debate it with you. He [Yaroslavsky] is not going to respond to any of it."
By Lee Michaelson
On September 20, just as Topanga and Malibu community groups were gearing up to ask Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky to call a halt to fluoridation of District 29's water, at least until certification of the safety of the chemical being used could be produced by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) and the chemical manufacturer, his office issued a press release announcing that the Board of Commissioners of First 5 LA, which Yaroslavsky chairs, had approved a $20 million grant to allow additional water boards and municipalities throughout the county to fluoridate their water supplies.
First 5 LA is a child advocacy organization created by California voters that invests tobacco tax revenues in programs intended to improve the lives of children prenatal to five in Los Angels County. The $20 million grant was part of an Oral Health Community Development Project, backed by Yaroslavsky. According to the Center for Disease Control, dental caries is still the most common preventable disease in the U.S., and tooth decay is the number one reason that children miss school.
"Today's Commission approval of my oral health initiative means that thousands of kids in Los Angeles County will grow up with healthier, stronger teeth," said Yaroslavsky in announcing the fluoridation grant. "In addition their families will avoid the inconvenience of unnecessary trips to the dentist for fillings, extractions and other painful and entirely avoidable procedures."
Jonathan Fielding, Director of the Department of Public Health and Health Officer for Los Angeles County, added: "First 5 LA's Commission believes oral health to be a critical part of the overall healthy growth and development of a child. We are excited about this project, which is such an important investment in the wellbeing of our children."
However, Yaroslavsky's office refused to respond to inquiries about whether public hearings on the safety and efficacy of fluoridation were held before the decision on the grant was made and whether Yaroslavsky was otherwise briefed on recent research anti-fluoride activists say call into question whether water fluoridation (as opposed to topically applied fluoride, such as toothpaste and dental sealants) actually does prevent tooth decay. They were likewise mum as to whether Yaroslavsky was aware of recent medical research, including a Harvard study, anti-fluoride forces say point to an increased risk of cancer, kidney disease, thyroid problems, and other health ailments associated with water fluoridation.
Yaroslavsky's spokesman, Joel Bellman, also said the supervisor would not comment on an open letter addressed to him by a number of organizations in Topanga and Malibu operating under the umbrella of Coastal Citizens for Safe Drinking Water calling on him to demand proof that hyrdrofluorosilic acid, a by-product of the phosphate fertilizer industry, which is the particular chemical chosen by MWD to be used in the fluoridation of Topanga and Malibu's water, has met California and industry standards for safety. In his capacity as a County Supervisor, Yaroslavsky also serves as a director of County Water District 29, and thus has the power to demand such proof from District 29's water supplier, MWD. Bellman dismissed the request as a mere "technicality" being used by anti-fluoride forces to impede fluoridation. "These communities - or people in the communities - have their minds made up already," said Bellman. "I think it would be endless and pointless for the supervisor to try to enter into a dialogue with them about it. No one's mind would be changed....If they want to litigate it, that's up to them." For the same reason, Bellman said, it was "unlikely" Yaroslavsky would meet with the community to address its concerns. Asked whether that meant the supervisor had also made up his own mind on the issue, Bellman (who had just used the same term in referring to the community) stated, "If you want to say 'made up his mind' in a denigrating fashion, you can call it that. Zev has taken a public policy position based on 50 years of science and he's not going to back away from that."
Bellman also said Yaroslavsky would not respond to questions regarding whether medicating the general public, without their consent constituted a violation of medical ethics or human rights even if it did result in the improvement of dental health for many. "It is a human rights violation. That's why I signed onto the letter," said Julie Levine of Topanga Peace Alliance. But Bellman said, "I'm not going to debate it with you. He [Yaroslavsky] is not going to respond to any of it."
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