Canada - Town temporarily turns tap of fluoride
Town temporarily turns tap of fluoride
Graham LongMonday June 30, 2008There will be no fluoride in Drayton Valley’s water supply, for the next few months at least. Last week town council moved to temporarily stop the practice of adding the chemical until administration had investigated the costs of installing new equipment and updated handling procedures.Fluoride has been added to Drayton Valley’s water supply as a safeguard against dental disease since the mid-1960s. However, there is a growing school of thought which argues that the chemical does more harm than good to overall human health.
The Town has been reexamining the pros and cons of fluoridation at the urging of Drayton Valley water plant manager Bernie Berube. While a final decision on whether or not to continue with the practice is still a long way off, the decision was made last week to temporarily stop fluoridation. The equipment used in the water plant to add fluoride to the water is in need of replacement so council voted to stop the process in order to protect the health of those handling the chemical.Town manager Manny Deol says it could take as long as 12 months for a final decision on fluoridation, with the possibility of Drayton Valley residents being asked to vote on a plebiscite on the issue. The Town will not be spending any money on new equipment until that decision has been made.Mayor Moe Hamdon says he hopes the decision can be made sooner than that.“Let’s deal with it once and get it dealt with, whether we keep, it or whether we don’t,” he says.
Graham LongMonday June 30, 2008There will be no fluoride in Drayton Valley’s water supply, for the next few months at least. Last week town council moved to temporarily stop the practice of adding the chemical until administration had investigated the costs of installing new equipment and updated handling procedures.Fluoride has been added to Drayton Valley’s water supply as a safeguard against dental disease since the mid-1960s. However, there is a growing school of thought which argues that the chemical does more harm than good to overall human health.
The Town has been reexamining the pros and cons of fluoridation at the urging of Drayton Valley water plant manager Bernie Berube. While a final decision on whether or not to continue with the practice is still a long way off, the decision was made last week to temporarily stop fluoridation. The equipment used in the water plant to add fluoride to the water is in need of replacement so council voted to stop the process in order to protect the health of those handling the chemical.Town manager Manny Deol says it could take as long as 12 months for a final decision on fluoridation, with the possibility of Drayton Valley residents being asked to vote on a plebiscite on the issue. The Town will not be spending any money on new equipment until that decision has been made.Mayor Moe Hamdon says he hopes the decision can be made sooner than that.“Let’s deal with it once and get it dealt with, whether we keep, it or whether we don’t,” he says.
posted by Bill at
9:41 AM
1 Comments:
I think that the town councilors deserve a little praise for this. They have tipped toed around a touchy subject and have managed to get Fluoride removed from the public water system without having to agree or disagree with the practice. It took a lot of brave men and women to get the issue raised and heard by our community leaders. If they did hold a plebiscite in the coming months I cannot see many coming out to support upgrading the equipment required to add poison to the water. The public is now aware of the dangers thanks to our newspapers coverage. I hope that with the removal of Fluoride we will see fewer cases of Cancer and Alzheimer’s in our little town.
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Anonymous, at 03 July, 2008
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