This is to address the letters appearing in your paper questioning the County Commission's decision to fluoridate Pinellas County's public water supply.
To my knowledge, Pinellas County Utilities is the largest water utility in the southeastern United States that was not fluoridating its water supply. Approximately 163-million U.S. residents receive fluoridated water in the public water supply of their community.
Fluoridation began in public water supplies in the United States in 1945. Since that time, there has been an enormous amount of research on the health effects and benefits of fluoridation. Fluoridation has been found to benefit the public by reducing the size and number of dental cavities, particularly in children.
Studies recognized by the mainstream medical and regulatory authorities have not identified deleterious health effects for the general population.
The following organizations either recommend or support the addition of fluoride to public water supplies for the benefit of public health: World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control, American Medical Association, National Science Foundation, Florida Department of Health, American Cancer Society, U.S. surgeon general, American Heart Association, American Association of Public Health Dentistry, American Academy of Pediatrics, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Environmental Protection Agency, American Public Health Association, American Dental Hygienists Association, International Association for Dental Research and the Pinellas County Health Department.
In August 2003, the County Commission reviewed a request from the state and county health departments to fluoridate the water supply for the health of its residents. The commission reviewed the reports and recommendations of many of the organizations listed above. The commission held a public hearing, at which residents for and against fluoridation gave testimony.
The commission also reviewed a survey of 737 customers of the county water system. Fifty-one percent of the customers surveyed supported fluoridation, 12 percent opposed it and 37 percent did not know or had no opinion. The commission decided, based on the overwhelming preponderance of information provided, that Pinellas County's public water supply should be fluoridated.
There are a number of misunderstandings among those who have written in opposition. Additional information that may be helpful in reviewing this issue:
We cannot find any record of a referendum for Pinellas County Utilities on the issue of fluoridation of the county water supply.
The toxicity of fluoride is no more of a threat to humans in the concentrations included in a public water supply than other chemicals that are added to the water supply for the protection of public health.
There have been no reports of the alleged health concerns mentioned by those who oppose fluoridation in the communities around us or across the United States, where fluoridation has been a common practice for many years.
The county does no original research on the materials it uses to treat its water to improve public health.
It relies on the advice of agencies that have the best expertise and resources in the world to make these determinations. Only those materials meeting the most stringent scientific analysis are used, as recommended by those agencies.
Reports and studies that allege public health risks from fluoridation should go through the same level of scrutiny by agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and the National Academy of Sciences to prove the validity of their results. Should these studies stand up to strict scientific protocols, those agencies would notify the public and the public utilities of potential concerns.
Readers who may have concern about fluoridation should direct their questions to the agencies listed above for specific health information.
-- Pick Talley, director, Pinellas County Water System Utilities
Why is county using uncommon fluoride?
Re: County starts fluoridating water, June 7.
If Pinellas County is going to go to all of the trouble of fluoridating our water, then why are we not getting the type of fluoridation that is widely used? Why is Pinellas County getting a second-rate type of fluoridation, called hydrofluorosilicic acid? Neither the Centers for Disease Control nor the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has studied it for toxic effects yet.
Whose brilliant idea was this, anyway? Or perhaps the county got a good deal on this form of fluoride, because it is not as commonly used. Who knows, there may be a warehouse somewhere that is overstocked, just waiting to unload on some unsuspecting customer. Enter Pinellas County officials.
How come we never had a chance to vote on this issue? I just don't get it. If Pinellas County has a sudden increase in the number of residents being diagnosed with bone-related maladies, we will know where to point the finger. On second thought, just don't drink the water.
-- JoAnn Lee Frank, Clearwater
Fluoridating water is forced medication
Regardless of its stated benefits, the addition of hydrofluorosilicic acid to our water supply is raising enormous suspicion. No doubt the good people on the County Commission are convinced they are doing the right thing. But let's face it, folks, this is no longer about roads, deeds and birth certificates. This is about large-scale forced medication.
-- Steve Collbran, Palm Harbor
Hydrofluorosilicic acid is safe? Prove it
Re: County starts fluoridating water, June 7.
County commissioners say they're "comfortable" with their decision to add the fluoridating agent hydrofluorosilicic acid, a toxic waste product of the phosphate fertilizer industry, to our drinking water. This is a decision they implemented despite repeated citizen protests.
Commission Chairman Susan Latvala accuses fluoridation opponents of not having the facts and needlessly spreading fear. And because of the alarm these protests have caused, she has instructed her staff to review the information submitted by protesters. It would have been nice if the data had been reviewed before the fluoride was dumped in our water.
John Heilman, the county Health Department director, who "couldn't be reached for comment" for the Times article, was seen later on Channel 13 evening news proclaiming, "The source of the fluoride doesn't matter, as long as it is chemically purified." But it's not. What has gone into our drinking water is unprocessed pollution straight from the chimney scrubbers (pollution control devices) of the phosphate plants.
I challenge Dr. Heilman or Commissioner Latvala to prove otherwise and to provide proof of the safety of this substance.
-- Susan Stockton, Clearwater
[Last modified June 16, 2004, 01:00:39]
