Canada - U.S. decision on fluoride heartens substance's local foes
U.S. decision on fluoride heartens substance's local foes
By KATIE SCHNEIDER Calgary Sun
Calgary aldermen in support of fluoride-free water are all smiles at news the U.S. on Friday lowered their limits of the chemical additive over concerns children are at risk with too much.
Just as Calgary city council gets set to debate the issue of ridding city water of fluoride, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Health and Human Services Department lowered recommended levels to 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per litre of water from amounts of up to 1.2 mg/L.
Officials advised the changes because of the accessibility of fluoride in other sources like mouthwash and rinses, and a study by the EPA found some children under age eight may be overexposed to it.
To Ald. Brian Pincott, one of several council members in favour of transitioning to a non flouridated water system in Calgary, the same can be said north of the border.
"That just goes back to what I’ve been saying — it doesn’t make sense to mass medicate when you can’t control a dose,” he said.
“If they are saying kids are getting too much … that is saying you can’t control the dose.
“From that point of view it makes sense we remove it from the water supply.”
Ald. Druh Farrell, who penned the motion set to be debated Monday, the news from the U.S. reiterates her position, even though our current level of fluoride is already down to 0.7 milligrams per litre of water.
Health Canada’s level is 0.8 to 1 mg/L per litre of water.
“What concerns me is fluoridation started in the U.S. and it’s been in their water supply and yet here Americans are finding out half a century later that they have been overexposed,” she said.
“It’s part of my argument that science seems to be changing.
“This demonstrates mistakes can be made .... should we not err on the side of caution?”
Calgarians approved adding fluoride to the water, aimed at helping residents improve oral health, in a plebecite in 1989, and the decision was validated by another plebiscite in 1998.
Ald. Gord Lowe said the issue should be brought back to the public again.
“The decision was made by a plebicite — any decision must be put to a plebecite,” he said, adding revisiting the issue because of a $6-million upgrade to the fluoridation equipment is an “excuse” to remove fluoride and “not appropriate.”
“It is a health issue,” he said.
katie.schneider@sunmedia.ca
By KATIE SCHNEIDER Calgary Sun
Calgary aldermen in support of fluoride-free water are all smiles at news the U.S. on Friday lowered their limits of the chemical additive over concerns children are at risk with too much.
Just as Calgary city council gets set to debate the issue of ridding city water of fluoride, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Health and Human Services Department lowered recommended levels to 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per litre of water from amounts of up to 1.2 mg/L.
Officials advised the changes because of the accessibility of fluoride in other sources like mouthwash and rinses, and a study by the EPA found some children under age eight may be overexposed to it.
To Ald. Brian Pincott, one of several council members in favour of transitioning to a non flouridated water system in Calgary, the same can be said north of the border.
"That just goes back to what I’ve been saying — it doesn’t make sense to mass medicate when you can’t control a dose,” he said.
“If they are saying kids are getting too much … that is saying you can’t control the dose.
“From that point of view it makes sense we remove it from the water supply.”
Ald. Druh Farrell, who penned the motion set to be debated Monday, the news from the U.S. reiterates her position, even though our current level of fluoride is already down to 0.7 milligrams per litre of water.
Health Canada’s level is 0.8 to 1 mg/L per litre of water.
“What concerns me is fluoridation started in the U.S. and it’s been in their water supply and yet here Americans are finding out half a century later that they have been overexposed,” she said.
“It’s part of my argument that science seems to be changing.
“This demonstrates mistakes can be made .... should we not err on the side of caution?”
Calgarians approved adding fluoride to the water, aimed at helping residents improve oral health, in a plebecite in 1989, and the decision was validated by another plebiscite in 1998.
Ald. Gord Lowe said the issue should be brought back to the public again.
“The decision was made by a plebicite — any decision must be put to a plebecite,” he said, adding revisiting the issue because of a $6-million upgrade to the fluoridation equipment is an “excuse” to remove fluoride and “not appropriate.”
“It is a health issue,” he said.
katie.schneider@sunmedia.ca
posted by Bill at
10:45 AM
1 Comments:
If you want fluoride in your water, put it in your own glass of water, leave the rest of us out of it.
If fluoride were "proven," there should be evidence of its glory in the U.S. state, Kentucky, which has been 100% fluoridated for over 40 years. Kentucky, however, leads the nation in the number of dental cavities in children, and in the number of completely toothless adults, according to government records. The same ineffectiveness is evident in many states and cities.
Most of Europe (16 countries) has rejected fluoridation and is 98% fluoride free. and the WHO reports that they have a better tooth decay rate than any fluoridated country.
There are many large scientific studies to show that that drinking fluoridated water has no effect on cavity reduction and to show that it causes cancer and other health problems. The best source for scientific information on fluoridation can be found here: (www.fluoridealert.org).
By
jwillie6, at 08 January, 2011
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