Drinking water news:

City of Portland approves water fluoridation.

PORTLAND — Amid shouts of protest, the Portland City Council voted unanimously Wednesday, in favor of adding fluoride to drinking water to fight tooth decay.

The chambers were packed for the controversial vote. Some protesters in the crowd started chanting and waving anti-fluoride signs. Others yelled and cursed, and were escorted out of the public meeting.

“We got nothing short of hate emails, and some of what you witnessed here,” commissioner Randy Leonard said after the vote. “But in spite of all that I’m proud of every council member, that they considered the science.”

Related: Fluoride debate is ideological clash in Portland

The newly passed ordinance calls for Portland’s water to be fluoridated by March 2014 at a projected upfront cost of $5 million.

Portland is the largest U.S. city without fluoridation. Medical experts say it’s a safe and effective way to keep teeth healthy.

Opponents have argued that fluoride is an industrial byproduct that contains arsenic, lead and mercury, which can potentially lead to neurological and other health problems.

“When people understand what is being put in the water,” said opponent Kimberly Kaminski, “they understand the lack of public process.”

Kaminski said voters should be able to choose whether the water is fluoridated or not, with an initiative or referendum. “I think when they really understand the issue they will vote no,” she said.

Wednesday’s vote was preceded by several protest rallies in Portland over the past year.

More: Opponents hold anti-fluoride rallies

Portland Mayor Sam Adams announced his support for the plan long before the council vote. He has said there is a dental “crisis” among Oregon children, compared to neighboring states and cities that use fluoride in their water. He previously explained his stance in-depth, through a letter posted on line.

Letter: Mayor explains support for fluoride

The mayor and commissioners have also previously cited a Centers for Disease Control 2011 study that attributed $38 in dental treatment savings for every $1 spent on fluoridation.

Voters in Portland twice rejected fluoridation before approving it in 1978. But that plan was overturned before any fluoride was ever added to the water.

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Fluoridation to end this summer

Okotoks: Council approved program to prevent tooth decay

Okotoks’ drinking water will be free of fluoride sometime this summer.

Town council voted 6-1 in favour of a bylaw to remove fluoride from water in town last week, while also deciding to work with Alberta Health Services to create a program to help prevent tooth decay for those most at risk in the community.

Coun. Florence Christophers, who first proposed ending fluoridation in Okotoks earlier this year, is happy with council’s decision.

“I’m excited and confident in the go forward strategy of Okotoks in partnership with AHS and I fully expect that oral health outcomes in our community will improve in years to come,” she said.

After last week’s vote, the Town must now notify Alberta Environment of its decision and it will take around two months before fluoridation ends.

Council also voted unanimously to use the $8,000 each year spent on adding fluoride to drinking water on a program to fight cavities in the community.

Christophers said the financial support from the Town and participation of Alberta Health Services should help its success.

She said there’s more to preventing cavities than adding fluoride to water, including diet, regular dental check ups and prevention education is also important.

“It’s not just a matter of brushing your teeth,” said Christophers. “We know that 80 per cent of cavities that happen even in families where they floss, they brush their teeth twice a day and they visit a dentist regularly.”

Mayor Bill Robertson cast the lone vote against removing fluoride from water in town. He continues to support fluoridation as a way to help protect people in the community most at risk of tooth decay.

“I still believe that the overall benefits to the community regarding fluoride outweigh the detriments,” he said.

Robertson supported the dental health plan. He said it would mitigate the impact of removing fluoride from the Town’s drinking water.

The Town will work with health authorities and the Healthy Family Resource Centre and will provide funding for a part-time person to provide preventative support for children and others at risk of tooth decay.
The program will also involve educational components to raise awareness about how to protect and improve dental health.

The Town will also ask Okotoks be included in an AHS study of dental decay in Calgary. A review of the program will be done in three years with the results to be brought back to town council at the time.

A timeframe for roll-out of the program hasn’t been determined yet.

Debbie Posey, Family and Community Support Services team leader, expects the Town will meet with officials from other agencies to draw up details this year and have something in place around the end of the year.

She said the Town hopes to leverage the $8,000 in annual funding by working with Alberta Health Services and some of the services it provides for at risk residents.

“If that provides two days a month where one day is for education and another day is for a topical varnish for more at-risk people, which we know is effective, then that will be something that works really well,” said Posey.

If the Town is accepted in the AHS cavity study, she said the funds could potentially cover any cost to the Town for participating.

“There shouldn’t be a huge cost for a program analysis if we continue to work with Alberta Health Services,” said Posey.

She said studies of other communities that withdrew fluoride from drinking water show a potential for a three per cent increase in cavities after fluoride has been removed from a community’s drinking water.

Posey said the review will help the Town know how effective the program has been and whether any changes will be needed.

“I think in three years we’ll know, is this really successful and if it’s made a difference in the community, or are we finding if it’s really not something that’s sustainable,” she said.

Opponents of fluoridation in town are happy with the decision.

Okotoks resident Christine Cameron is happy council finally voted to eliminate fluoride.

She doesn’t like that the Town now has to wait to remove fluoride, despite council’s approval. She aid it should be entirely up to the Town.

“I just don’t understand why it’s such a slow process,” she said.
>Cameron said the Town should be focusing on education about dental health with the program.

“I think that’s where the answer lies, is in educating parents,” she said. “I hope they’re conscientious enough to use the suggestions that are given to them.”

James Reeves said:

Of course it’s time to retire fluoridation because it doesn’t work, wastes money and is harmful to health. Drinking it to prevent tooth decay is as foolish as drinking sunscreen to prevent sunburn. People should not be forced to consume a drug against their will.
Fluoride is neither a nutrient nor essential for healthy teeth. It heals noting or cures nothing but is one of the most poisonous substances on Earth. No adult has ever walked out of their doctor’s office with a prescriptlion for the fluoride drug because the body has no known use for it. The industrial toxic waste fluoride used (Hexafluorosilicic acid) has never been tested or approved by FDA (in the USA) as safe and effective for human ingestion. It contains contaminants of lead, arsenic, mercury, radium and much more. This chemical will burn through concrete, and if a worker put his hand in it, he would quicky die.
In the U.S.A., the CDC reports that fluoride causes 41% of all children to have damaged enamel, called dental fluorosis. In this group, 15% have such severe damage that the dental repair costs from $10,000 to $30,000. The families have to pay this cost. Why won’t the dental community or the government agencies which forces everyone to consume this poison volunteer to pay for this damage?

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Council delays removal of fluoride from water

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Okotoks: Town councillors want oral health program in place

The Town of Okotoks is close to removing fluoride from drinking water, but the issue is on hold until later this month as concerns linger whether a proposed oral health program will go ahead.

Town council passed two readings of a bylaw to remove fluoride from Okotoks’ drinking water on May 14, but there wasn’t enough support to move forward to the third and final reading. Support from five councillors was needed in order to hold three readings in one meeting, but Mayor Bill Robertson and councillors Stephen Clark and Ed Sands opposed proceeding to third reading.

The bylaw will come back to town council for third reading at its next meeting on May 28.

Coun. Florence Christophers first proposed removing fluoride earlier this year and she said she doesn’t want council to delay on removing fluoride any further.

“I do believe this council has said we will remove fluoride from our water, I see no reason to delay that,” she said.

If the bylaw is approved, administration will apply to the Province to stop fluoridation and it will take approximately 90 days before the fluoride will be removed.

Opinion in the community is also divided on the issue, but there is support for removing fluoride from drinking water in town. A survey on the Town’s website showed 66 per cent of respondents opposed fluoridation.

Opponents of fluoridation say the chemical contributes to a range of health problems including florosis of the teeth and creating brittle bones. Supporters of fluoridation say it’s a low-cost public health program to prevent tooth decay, especially among low-income families who may not be able to afford dental care.

Councillors voted 6-1 on April 23 to stop adding fluoride to drinking water, but they still need to approve a bylaw at a future meeting before the practice is halted.

Council also approved a motion to consult with Alberta Health Services to ensure a program is in place to provide fluoride toothpaste or topical treatments for people at risk of dental decay. Okotoks’ municipal manager Rick Quail told council the Town has contacted Alberta Health Services, but no details on progress were available by the May 14 meeting.

Christophers said the Town can stop fluoridation while continuing to set up a program to provide fluoride treatments, such as toothpaste or mouthwash, to people who need them.

“I think the first step is to have a conversation with Alberta Health Services to say, ‘What are you doing to reach at risk families and individuals?’,” she said, adding the Town can look to fill in any gaps in the community.

Sands supported the first two readings of the bylaw, but wouldn’t support proceeding to the final reading last week.

He said his concern is fluoride could be removed without an oral health program in place. He supported postponing third reading until the Town hears back from Alberta Health Services.

“I want to have the information from Alberta Health Services as to what kind of a program they can put together for our at-risk individuals before we go to third reading,” said Sands.

Robertson said he also wants to ensure an oral health program providing fluoride to at-risk residents in Okotoks is in place before fluoridation is eliminated.

He said he is concerned about low-income residents who may not be able to afford dental care and others who are most at risk of tooth decay.

“If it comes out I want to make sure that we did as we said we would,” said Robertson.

Opponents of fluoridation don’t want the Town to wait any longer.

Okotoks resident Christine Cameron wants fluoride removed from Okotoks’ drinking water sooner rather than later.

“I’m in favour of getting rid of fluoride as soon as possible because of its deleterious effects on the human body,” she said.

Cameron said she was raised without fluoride in drinking water and she didn’t have any more cavities as a result.

Instead of a program providing fluoride, she would rather see an education program to teach parents about the causes of tooth decay and proper diet.

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• Explanation of Index:
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Council delays removal of fluoride from water

Save the Water™ does not represent or endorse the postings herein or reliability of any advice, opinion, statement, or other information furnished by the author.

Okotoks: Town councillors want oral health program in place

The Town of Okotoks is close to removing fluoride from drinking water, but the issue is on hold until later this month as concerns linger whether a proposed oral health program will go ahead.

Town council passed two readings of a bylaw to remove fluoride from Okotoks’ drinking water on May 14, but there wasn’t enough support to move forward to the third and final reading. Support from five councillors was needed in order to hold three readings in one meeting, but Mayor Bill Robertson and councillors Stephen Clark and Ed Sands opposed proceeding to third reading.

The bylaw will come back to town council for third reading at its next meeting on May 28.

Coun. Florence Christophers first proposed removing fluoride earlier this year and she said she doesn’t want council to delay on removing fluoride any further.

“I do believe this council has said we will remove fluoride from our water, I see no reason to delay that,” she said.

If the bylaw is approved, administration will apply to the Province to stop fluoridation and it will take approximately 90 days before the fluoride will be removed.

Opinion in the community is also divided on the issue, but there is support for removing fluoride from drinking water in town. A survey on the Town’s website showed 66 per cent of respondents opposed fluoridation.

Opponents of fluoridation say the chemical contributes to a range of health problems including florosis of the teeth and creating brittle bones. Supporters of fluoridation say it’s a low-cost public health program to prevent tooth decay, especially among low-income families who may not be able to afford dental care.

Councillors voted 6-1 on April 23 to stop adding fluoride to drinking water, but they still need to approve a bylaw at a future meeting before the practice is halted.

Council also approved a motion to consult with Alberta Health Services to ensure a program is in place to provide fluoride toothpaste or topical treatments for people at risk of dental decay. Okotoks’ municipal manager Rick Quail told council the Town has contacted Alberta Health Services, but no details on progress were available by the May 14 meeting.

Christophers said the Town can stop fluoridation while continuing to set up a program to provide fluoride treatments, such as toothpaste or mouthwash, to people who need them.

“I think the first step is to have a conversation with Alberta Health Services to say, ‘What are you doing to reach at risk families and individuals?’,” she said, adding the Town can look to fill in any gaps in the community.

Sands supported the first two readings of the bylaw, but wouldn’t support proceeding to the final reading last week.

Contaminated drinking water news:

Fluoride facts.