Mr. Welton wrote the Mayor of the negative health effects from putting fluoride in our drinking water. Below, is the Mayor's response and a copy of Mr. Welton's letter.
Mr. Welton,
Thank you for the article you sent for review along with your request for
the City of Redmond to reconsider adding fluoride to its drinking water. I want
to assure you that I do appreciate your concern.
Staff and I understand that
fluoride has been controversial for many years, with countless studies and
activists both for and against the ionic compound being added to water. In
reviewing the article you provided, the basis of concerns comes from studies
conducted in China on the effect of naturally occurring fluoride in drinking
water where concentrations are much greater than 1.0 mg/l.
As you may know, the City’s well water that serves roughly 40 percent of
Redmond has naturally occurring fluoride
, as most natural water does.
A small
amount is added to reach a level of 0.7 mg/l, which meets the City’s community
fluoridation objective set forth by the Department of Health.
Recently, the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Environmental Protection
Agency issued a news release to recommend a slightly lower optimal level (from
1.0 mg/l to 0.7 mg/l) of fluoride in drinking water because Americans now have
increased access to fluoride from other sources such as toothpaste and
mouthwash.
Redmond follows the guiding principles of the Primary Drinking Water
Regulations to meet the guidelines of the Department of Health, the Center for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Environmental Protection Agency.
The safety and effectiveness of fluoridation of public drinking water has
been studied for over 65 years, and the City has been adding fluoride to its
drinking water since 1975. (About 60 percent of Redmond's drinking water is
purchased from Seattle, and a 1968 referendum vote directed Seattle to
fluoridate its drinking water.)
The fluoride used in treatment meets the
quality and safety standards of the American National Standards Institute and
the American Water Works Association. The most respected health agencies in the
world, including The American Dental Association, the American Medical
Association, the American Water Works Association, the CDC, and the World
Health Association, continue to support this public health practice. The CDC
encourages all public water systems to fluoridate to protect people from tooth
decay and dental disease. Nationally, just shy of 80 percent of all drinking
water is fluoridated.
The City will continue to monitor the research and required standards to see
if the recommended concentration of fluoride in drinking water is lowered and
will respond accordingly.
John Marchione, Mayor, City of Redmond
###
Dear Mayor Marchione,
First of all, thank you for answering this E-Mail about the negatives of fluoride in our drinking water. I’m skeptical as to whether the any efficacy or safety studies have
been performed since:
1) Study after study is coming out, numerous of them I have sent to you in the
past, showing the harm that is caused by fluoride including dentalfluorosis and
osteofluorosis as well as may be linked to Hashimoto’s Disease causing elevated
cholesterol and underactive thyroid.
As a child I was riddled with cavities and had three root canals. As an adult, I continued with issues until I started taking better care of my teeth but still had a cavity or two a year. About 7 years ago I quit drinking city water, quit using fluoridated toothpaste, and started a regular regimen of brushing and flossing twice a day. My first visit to a dentist in well over four years resulted in significantly reduced Periodontal Pockets and no cavities. Yes this is anecdotal evidence but it is the case. I take thyroid replacement medication daily for treatment of Hashimoto’s Disease, my thyroid has returned to normal activity and cholesterol is down significantly. Elevated Cholesterol led me to take Crestor which is a Statin Drug. There are numerous Statin Drugs on the market and they all have the same possible side effect, Type II Diabetes. Since being Diagnosed with Type II Diabetes I’ve quit taking Statin Drugs but I believe it is too late and the harm caused is permanent. So to recap, since being off most of the fluoride in the average American’s life I have less cavities. I have Hashimoto’s Disease that could have been caused by fluoride, the Hashimoto’s Disease caused elevated Cholesterol which caused me to be prescribed a statin drug that most likely caused Type II diabetes.