Fluoridation flap might spark another referendum
Waterloo Chronicle.ca:
Fluoridation flap might spark another referendum
By Bob Vrbanac
It's a battle that's raged for more than 40 years in Waterloo, and survived at least three referendums. And there's every indication that a fourth referendum will be one of the things discussed at Monday night's city council meeting. The issue is as divisive as the idea of amalgamation, but it's another amalgam that has some local citizens concerned -- hydrofluorosilicic acid. It's the compound that is added to Waterloo's water supply to provide fluoridation of tap water. Since the idea first surfaced in the 1930s, supporters of fluoridation of tap water have said it has a whole raft of health benefits.
The benefits far outweigh any risks, say supporters. It started when Colorado dentist Frederick McKay's investigated why some towns in his vicinity, with high concentrations of naturally occurring calcium chloride, experienced less cavities than similar populations not exposed to that compound. His groundbreaking research led to the topical application of fluoride and the move to add it to public drinking water. And the battle to prevent periodontal disease has never been the same, with the incidence of cavities going down in most populations exposed to fluoride.
But there has also been a persistent concern about adding man-made fluoride to the water, a byproduct of industrial scrubbers that also contains traces of some metals like arsenic and lead. Opponents acknowledge there was a lot of fear mongering around the issue in the past, with some of the fringe opponents even calling it a communist plot to poison North American youth.
But the myth making has gone on since, with both sides of the debate far from blameless. Opponents of fluoridation argue that most people don't know that it is hydrofluorosilic acid that is being added to the water to deliver those fluoride ions.
The scientific research has started to catch up to some of the claims made about the benefits of this compound, and health concerns far beyond dental fluorosis, or mottled teeth, are now being investigated.
The Centers for Disease Control in the United States, and the American Dental Association still endorse the health efficacy and cost effectiveness of fluoridation, saying that it was one of the 10 great public-health achievements of the 20th century.
Other respectable scientific sources aren't so sure. The U.S. National Research Council published a comprehensive report on 1,000 of the most recent studies on the effectiveness on public fluoridation and found the benefits are arguable.
In fact, the NSRC recommended that the federal government lower its current limit for fluoride in drinking water because of health risks to both children and adults.
This has already been done in jurisdictions including Ontario where the Ministry of Environment has lowered acceptable levels of fluoride in water from 1.2 part per million in 1998 to 0.8 p.p.m. in 1999. Ministry guidelines further recommended a reduction to 0.5 p.p.m. in 2005.
And in the January edition of Scientific American an article entitled Second Thoughts on Fluoride says that some recent studies suggest too much exposure to fluoride can raise the risks of disorders affecting bones and teeth and as well as the brain and thyroid gland.
While the debate rages in Waterloo, the Chronicle will be publishing a series of features on this controversial topic. people don't know that it is hydrofluorosilic acid that is being added to the water to deliver those fluoride ions. The scientific research has started to catch up to some of the claims made about the benefits of this compound, and health concerns far beyond dental fluorosis, or mottled teeth, are now being investigated. The Centers for Disease Control in the United States, and the American Dental Association still endorse the health efficacy and cost effectiveness of fluoridation, saying that it was one of the 10 greatest public-health achievements of the 20th century.
Other respectable scientific sources aren't so sure. The U.S. National Research Council published a comprehensive report on 1,000 of the most recent studies on the effectiveness of public fluoridation and found the benefits are arguable.
In fact, the NSRC recommended that the federal government lower its current limit for fluoride in drinking water because of health risks to both children and adults.
This has already been done in jurisdictions including Ontario where the Ministry of Environment has lowered acceptable levels of fluoride in water from 1.2 part per million in 1998 to 0.8 p.p.m. in 1999. Ministry guidelines further recommended a reduction to 0.5 p.p.m. in 2005.
And in the January edition of Scientific American an article entitled Second Thoughts on Fluoride says that some recent studies suggest too much exposure to fluoride can raise the risks of disorders affecting bones and teeth as well as the brain and thyroid gland.
While the debate rages in Waterloo, the Chronicle will be publishing a series of features on this controversial topic.
Fluoridation flap might spark another referendum
By Bob Vrbanac
It's a battle that's raged for more than 40 years in Waterloo, and survived at least three referendums. And there's every indication that a fourth referendum will be one of the things discussed at Monday night's city council meeting. The issue is as divisive as the idea of amalgamation, but it's another amalgam that has some local citizens concerned -- hydrofluorosilicic acid. It's the compound that is added to Waterloo's water supply to provide fluoridation of tap water. Since the idea first surfaced in the 1930s, supporters of fluoridation of tap water have said it has a whole raft of health benefits.
The benefits far outweigh any risks, say supporters. It started when Colorado dentist Frederick McKay's investigated why some towns in his vicinity, with high concentrations of naturally occurring calcium chloride, experienced less cavities than similar populations not exposed to that compound. His groundbreaking research led to the topical application of fluoride and the move to add it to public drinking water. And the battle to prevent periodontal disease has never been the same, with the incidence of cavities going down in most populations exposed to fluoride.
But there has also been a persistent concern about adding man-made fluoride to the water, a byproduct of industrial scrubbers that also contains traces of some metals like arsenic and lead. Opponents acknowledge there was a lot of fear mongering around the issue in the past, with some of the fringe opponents even calling it a communist plot to poison North American youth.
But the myth making has gone on since, with both sides of the debate far from blameless. Opponents of fluoridation argue that most people don't know that it is hydrofluorosilic acid that is being added to the water to deliver those fluoride ions.
The scientific research has started to catch up to some of the claims made about the benefits of this compound, and health concerns far beyond dental fluorosis, or mottled teeth, are now being investigated.
The Centers for Disease Control in the United States, and the American Dental Association still endorse the health efficacy and cost effectiveness of fluoridation, saying that it was one of the 10 great public-health achievements of the 20th century.
Other respectable scientific sources aren't so sure. The U.S. National Research Council published a comprehensive report on 1,000 of the most recent studies on the effectiveness on public fluoridation and found the benefits are arguable.
In fact, the NSRC recommended that the federal government lower its current limit for fluoride in drinking water because of health risks to both children and adults.
This has already been done in jurisdictions including Ontario where the Ministry of Environment has lowered acceptable levels of fluoride in water from 1.2 part per million in 1998 to 0.8 p.p.m. in 1999. Ministry guidelines further recommended a reduction to 0.5 p.p.m. in 2005.
And in the January edition of Scientific American an article entitled Second Thoughts on Fluoride says that some recent studies suggest too much exposure to fluoride can raise the risks of disorders affecting bones and teeth and as well as the brain and thyroid gland.
While the debate rages in Waterloo, the Chronicle will be publishing a series of features on this controversial topic. people don't know that it is hydrofluorosilic acid that is being added to the water to deliver those fluoride ions. The scientific research has started to catch up to some of the claims made about the benefits of this compound, and health concerns far beyond dental fluorosis, or mottled teeth, are now being investigated. The Centers for Disease Control in the United States, and the American Dental Association still endorse the health efficacy and cost effectiveness of fluoridation, saying that it was one of the 10 greatest public-health achievements of the 20th century.
Other respectable scientific sources aren't so sure. The U.S. National Research Council published a comprehensive report on 1,000 of the most recent studies on the effectiveness of public fluoridation and found the benefits are arguable.
In fact, the NSRC recommended that the federal government lower its current limit for fluoride in drinking water because of health risks to both children and adults.
This has already been done in jurisdictions including Ontario where the Ministry of Environment has lowered acceptable levels of fluoride in water from 1.2 part per million in 1998 to 0.8 p.p.m. in 1999. Ministry guidelines further recommended a reduction to 0.5 p.p.m. in 2005.
And in the January edition of Scientific American an article entitled Second Thoughts on Fluoride says that some recent studies suggest too much exposure to fluoride can raise the risks of disorders affecting bones and teeth as well as the brain and thyroid gland.
While the debate rages in Waterloo, the Chronicle will be publishing a series of features on this controversial topic.
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