Water fluoridation will improve community health
By Avel Gordly and Tricia Tillman
Avel Gordly
Tricia Tillman
As lifelong Portlanders we are deeply committed to the health and well being of our beloved community and the people of Portland.
There are small things that we can do each day to take better care of ourselves. We can go for a walk, we can make healthier choices about what we eat, and we can brush our teeth two times or more each day.
Unfortunately, toothbrushes and toothpaste alone aren’t enough. We’re in the midst of a dental health crisis in Portland. Too many people are suffering from painful dental decay, which disproportionately affects families that are already struggling and can’t afford regular visits to a dentist.
One in five children sitting in Portland classrooms suffer from untreated decay. For those without the resources to get dental services, this can mean living day after day with a painful infection. Studies have shown that dental disease impacts how well students do in school.
Kids in Portland suffer from 40 percent more decay than children in Seattle, which has fluoridated water. We want to change that because every child deserves a chance to be healthy and thrive. Water fluoridation is one of the most important health equity issues facing our community today.
In Portland, fluoridation is being supported by virtually all organizations that advocate for social justice, health, and children’s issues.
Nationally, every trusted health organization recommends water fluoridation, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Dental Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the World Health Organization.
Additionally, 100 Black Men of America and recently the National Black Caucus of State Legislators went public with their support.
The caucus found that community water fluoridation is a safe, cost-effective public health intervention proven to prevent tooth decay and reduce oral health disparities. The group urges state and local governments to implement and maintain optimal levels of water fluoridation in public water supplies.
The science is clear. Fluoridated water is effective in dramatically decreasing decay and there are no associated health issues, nor environmental concerns, whatsoever.
Fluoride is a mineral that strengthens tooth enamel making it resistant to decay. A vote for water fluoridation will provide a basic level of protection for everyone and save us all money on dental services.
Water fluoridation is the single most important act we can do to decrease health disparities in our community. As two lifelong Portlanders, deeply committed to health and our community, we stand with all the local and national health and social justice organizations and pledge our support for this important health equity measure.
Please join us and vote YES on Measure 26-151 on May 21.
Avel Gordly is a former state senator and sponsor of legislation for environmental justice, multicultural health, and equity. Tricia Tillman is a public health professional, community organizer, and environmental justice advocate.
Thank you for this thoughtful and important message
So, apparently children don’t NEED a dentist for regular annual dental care….all they need is toxic fluoride in the water to address ONE of many dental problems children can and do get. And I guess the disease “dental fluorosis” is NOT a concern for HUMAN health in general? I am very concerned. I see a LOT of disconnect here. I hope others do as well. Please do some research BEFORE you vote in May.
Please do your own research, the chemical used for water fluoridation is called hydrofluorosilicic acid and is a chemical waste by-product. But beside that, even on your toothpaste it says that fluoride is a drug, which means you are imposing a medication on the population, this infringes my civil rights, I do not want this chemical in my water.
While I have great respect for Avel Gordly (I don’t know Ms. Tillman), I think she is wrong, wrong, wrong to support the addition of toxic chemicals to our water supply.
These two want to portray this as a matter of social justice but where is the justice in forcing this on everyone through the water supply?
Pregnant women and young children should probably not be drinking any fluoride. How are they served by their exposure to this unneeded and unwanted chemical that is now in their water supply?
Many among us are chemically sensitive. How does the addition of another chemical to our daily exposure stew help?
Those with thyroid problems are told to avoid fluoride.
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I keep hearing the story about Portland being 40% worse, please provide a link to the research.
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Adding fluoridation chemicals will not address the root cause of dental decay (poor diet, too much sugar, inadequate dental care)AND it will contribute to the growing chemical burden or everyone in Portland, while also negatively affecting people who have existing medical conditions (thyroid, kidney, diabetes, chemical sensitivities).
Let’s keep fluoridation chemicals out of our water and out of our kids!
Vote NO on fluoridation May 2013
The conspiratorial/anti-science anti-fluoride campaign continually ignores the hard facts about the downsides of not fluoridating our water, which this article illustrates quite well. Continually spouting “fluoride is a toxic chemical” doesn’t make the fact that there is an overwhelming scientific consensus in favor of water fluoridation just go away.
Fluoride ions are fluoride ions . There is NO difference whether it comes from the ground in mineral water, from additives, or from your tea (yes, tea has fluoride). All this talk of “toxic waste” in the comments is just silly. Here’s a fact about hydrofluosilicic acid:
“In water, the compound readily dissociates to sodium ions and hexafluorosilicate ions. At the pH of drinking water (6.5-8.5) and at the concentration usually used for fluoridation (1 mg fluoride/L), essentially 100% of sodium hexafluorosilicate dissociates to fluoride ions and
hydrated silica.”
http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/htdocs/chem_background
/exsumpdf/fluorosilicates.pdf
12. What type of fluoride would be used?
Fluoride will be fed into the water system at a 23 percent solution of fluorosilicic acid. Fluorosilicic acid is commercially available as a 20 to 35% solution. The most common concentration used in water treatment applications is 23 percent. This is what they want to put in the water. Why did they take OHP dental away from the poor people over 18 if they cared so much about people. And do you get funds from PEW or anybody else related to the campaign? MASS medication to help the few is not the answer..Shame on you people.
http://www.kjct8.com/news/Delta-Dental-Fund-offered-relief-to-some-Coloradans/-/163152/19194630/-/ttvvubz/-/index.html
It infringes my civil rights to have a medication forced upon me. It plainly says Fluoride is a Drug on toothpaste. You are forcing me to take a drug! I do not CONSENT!
Fluoride is an essential nutrient, utilized by our bones and teeth — not a drug or scary poison. It is very effective (can reduce dental decay by 25-40%) and completely safe at the proposed optimal concentration of .7 mg/L. Fluorosilicic acid (which completely dissociates into fluoride ions and sand in drinking water) is commonly mined from phosphate rock, and therefore is a co-product of the phosphate fertilizer industry — big deal. It’s completely safe and just as effective as sodium fluoride. Fluoride, at the optimal concentration of .7 ppm does not hurt anyones’ thyroid, bones or pineal gland. It does not cause cancer, autism or a reduced IQ. These are false claims that have no credible sources backing them up. However, ALL of the major health organizations, including the CDC, WHO, ADA, AMA and the American Academy of Pediatrics support water fluoridation. Why? Because it works and has 60+ years of testing to support it.
Thank you for pointing out that not only will this improve the dental health of all Portlanders, but the levity of this measure as a social justice issue. Good dental health should be something that all Portlanders have access to, not just those who can afford the expense of dental visits. This measure, in addition to other programs, will mean better health for all, regardless of social or economic factors.
FLUORIDEGATE is a new documentary that reveals the tragedy of how government, industry and trade associations protect and promote a policy known to cause harm to our country and especially to small children who suffer more than any other segment of the population. While their motivation remains uncertain, the outcome is crystal clear: it is destroying our nation!
http://www.fluoridegate.org/
By Dr. David Kennedy
fact check fully. This is what YOU need to do. Don’t take my word for it find out yourself.
Use any community that fluoridates, even yours, and ask the hard questions.
1. Ask for the ANSI/NSF Standard 60 Health Effects document.
2. Locate the all the studies, in that document, that are required for certification of the product to be in compliance with said document.
3. Demand a list of the original studies and all the data collected.
4. Present them . Publish them or provide a source where everyone can see for themselves if their chemicals, medicine, or drugs are “safe and Effective”.
Here’s a new report from Fox News, an update on Water Fluoridation…
“USA admits adding fluoride to water is damaging teeth and has been a bit experiment.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gp3wJjzrrhE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQ41UGFhJsg&feature=youtu.be
I am really surprised you people are advocating use of fluoridated water when it has been proven time and again that fluoride is a toxic substance and is hazardous to not only dental but general health. Its regular use causes flourosis which is as bad as caries.It has got nothing to do with fighting or preventing dental decay. It’s just a myth and way of fooling common people. It you are really concerned about low cost and effective measures for dental decay then you should be telling people that tooth decay is actually caused by deficiency of vital nutrients like fat soluble vitamins, specially vitamin D, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium among other minerals in diet. Nutrition alone can prevent and reverse tooth decay and not fluoride. Visit this website for more information about hazards of fluoride http://www.curetoothdecay.com/Dentistry/Fluoride.htm . For people who are against use of fluoride I suggest you read this book “Cure tooth decay” by Ramiel Nagel which strongly denounces the use of fluoride and supports use of healthy nutrition for prevention and reversal of tooth decay. It has already helped many people in preventing and treating tooth decay.
Hi Good day Dentist!
Yes too many suffering in dental decay i think its time solve this by the way you have a good article keep it up hooray!for the dentist in makati
We all know that the American Dental Association recommends brushing your teeth, thoroughly, twice a day and many of us have been begged by our dental hygienists to actually floss. Cosmetic dentist and Huffington Post blogger, Dr. Thomas P. Connelly, adds that a morning tongue scraping is a “huge” part of overall oral health. ;*
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