FAIRBANKS — The Fairbanks City Council voted 5-1 Monday to ban additional fluoride from Fairbanks’ drinking water.
Ordinance 5849, prohibiting the addition of fluoride to community water systems, was introduced by Mayor Jerry Cleworth on May 23 after recommendations made by the Fairbanks Fluoride Task Force. The task force was created by the City Council to study the fluoridation issue and included experts in the fields of chemistry, geochemistry, microbiology, medicine and dentistry.
Councilwoman Emily Bratcher cast the only no vote.
Bratcher pointed out the task force recommended the ban even though experts such as the American Dental Association, The Alaska Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention support the use of fluoride in public water supplies.
“I don’t feel comfortable voting yes,” said Bratcher.
Fairbanks water contains natural fluoride levels of 0.3 parts per million, and city utilities increased that to 0.7 ppm.
The vote came after more than an hour of pubic testimony, most of it in favor of passing the ordinance.
The reasons for opposition to fluoride varied.
One woman maintained that fluoride was used by the Nazis to sterilize people in concentration camps and make them docile.
Many people pointed out that fluoridated toothpaste and mouthwash is available in stores, while others said fluoride should not be added to drinking water without the consent of the public.
Coert Olmsted quoted a prominent pharmacologist as saying that fluoride has toxic effects if taken internally.
“There is no way to control how much a person drinks,” said Olmsted, pointing out the possibility of accidental fluoride overdose because of something as simple as thirst.
A blonde woman holding an infant drew applause after she cited the task force report stating that higher fluoride puts non-nursing infants at risk.
“It’s harmful for non-nursing babies. Harwyn here is not a non-nursing baby — he’s a heavily nursing baby and momma has to drink a lot of water to keep up with his demand.”
The original language of the ordinance was amended to state the ordinance would be effective July 1. The original start date was January 1, 2012, a date intended to give Golden Heart Utilities time to purge the water system of fluoride. Mayor Cleworth stated the utility company notified the city that it would be able to remove the fluoride in the space of several days, though they weren’t sure what they would do to adjust the change in pH levels that would result from the fluoride removal.
Contact staff writer Dorothy Chomicz at 459-7590.
What's next, tin foil hatters? Untreated water? All that crap and bacteria is natural, right?
The so called 'experts' in the ADA, the Alaska Department of Public Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, seem to have suspect motivations for retaining the mass medications other than for the well-being of the water drinking public and the environment.
What could those motivation be? Perhaps, falling down on the job and ridiculing the science, well-documented, indicating detrimental side effects? Educated and able readers in those organizations being too lazy to question and think for themselves and following along with the herd instinct? All those so called experts, to me, are not to be trusted. Shame on them!
I am forever thankful to the FTF for uncovering the facts and to the five Council members voting to remove a 50 year mistake. As for the one no vote, well, that person can easily be removed from office for not thinking or caring for the public who supported her position on the Council and who chose the easy route of following the false lead of the members of those organizations supporting continual stupidification of the public.
How about your brain?
These are important questions as we move on to the next panic parade.
My praises to the City Council for stepping up to the plate and getting rid of one more government mandate. That's one less toxin to be worried about now, and of course it will lower our costs.
Those who like fluoride are able to buy all they want themselves instead of having the rest of us subsidize them.
My point is this: if you want me to listen to your point, using silly comments like "Tin Foil Hat" wearing, delusional, mentally ill fluoride paranoids does nothing for your side of the argument. If you want to rant, so be it. Just don't expect anyone to take you seriously.
Most of the posts here on the DNM website, that are in favor of removing fluoride, come from people that do not even live in Alaska.
They are outside interests trying to ban fluoride one town at a time. They have all organized to "pepper" the comment board with favorable talk to end fluoridation.
Let's start by recalling Jerry Cleworth and get this poor decision reversed.
and is registered to a national organization in New York with the express purpose of creating hysteria among the general public one small town at a time. Their web site users have come to the DNM web site and registered to post how nasty and terrible fluoride is to the public's health, based on their feelings. Well maybe what we do in Alaska is none of your business since you don't even drink the water and you should just stick to New York until you can get some legitimate scientific evidence that it is harmful.
Domain Name:FLUORIDEALERT.ORG
Created On:27-Mar-2000 20:39:41 UTC
Last Updated On:08-Dec-2009 17:54:55 UTC
Expiration Date:27-Mar-2012 20:39:41 UTC
Sponsoring Registrar:GoDaddy.com, Inc. (R91-LROR)
Status:CLIENT DELETE PROHIBITED
Status:CLIENT RENEW PROHIBITED
Status:CLIENT TRANSFER PROHIBITED
Status:CLIENT UPDATE PROHIBITED
Registrant ID:CR31788374
Registrant Name:Ellen Connett
Registrant Organization:AEHSP
Registrant Street1:82 Judson Street
Registrant Street2:
Registrant Street3:
Registrant City:Canton
Registrant State/Province:New York
Registrant Postal Code:13617
Registrant Country:US
Registrant Phone: 1.3153799200
All you folks leaving comments about ''tin foil hats'', please direct your attention to this site:
http://www.fluoridealert.org/
**
“Over the past ten years a large body of peer-reviewed science has raised concerns that fluoride may present unreasonable health risks, particularly among children, at levels routinely added to tap water in American cities.”
ENVIRONMENTAL WORKING GROUP, July 2005.
"In summary, we hold that fluoridation is an unreasonable risk."
US ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY HEADQUARTERS' UNION, 2001.
“Carefully conducted studies of exposure to fluoride and emerging health parameters of interest (e.g., endocrine effects and brain function) should be performed in populations in the United States exposed to various concentrations of fluoride.”
US NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL, 2006
"I am quite convinced that water fluoridation, in a not-too-distant future, will be consigned to medical history."
Dr. ARVID CARLSSON, Pharmacologist, Nobel Laureate in Physiology and Medicine, 2000.
This "witch hunt" has been a perfect example of using random scientific studies to exaggerate concern (not one example of fluorosis has ever been documented as having been associated with fluoride in the water here in Fairbanks... NOT ONE!) to support an emotional cause. What's next? Banning cell phones cause they might cause brain cancer?
"Dark Ages superstition and fear. Fluoride has been in drinking water for decades, with huge health benefits, and ZERO documented side effects. Yet we have a mayor and council willing to buy into a hysterical myth."
There is actually some information out there that flouride can be detrimental to developing children. Also there have been comparison studies between the US and countries in Europe that banned Flouridation of water in the 70's. The results show that cavity rates are comparable between both countries. What's the point of putting flouride in the water? If you don't want your kids teeth to rot out try limiting sugar intake.
Since the City Council has neglected more important city issues and has done the public a huge disservice with their 5-1 'Ban Fluoride' vote, it is time to get political.
I think the best start would be a recall campaign for Mayor Jerry Cleworth. After he is removed we can revisit another fluoride vote for common sense.