So where are the fluoride zombies? Bob Lieb writes that toothpaste packaging contains a “warning” about fluoride; so I checked.
Well, seems he is engaged in the new national pastime of presenting “alternative facts.” I examined a dozen different brands and did not find a single fluoride warning.
But Mr. Lieb’s letter is emblematic of the conspiracy theorists and pseudo-scientists who claim that fluoride is killing us. Dozens of websites claim that fluoride causes, among other things: diabetes, AIDS, kidney disease, attention deficit disorder, heart disease, all manner of cancers, brittle bones, mental retardation, even flatulence!
Sound credible?
The American Dental Association endorses fluoride use. Which is weird because dozens of peer-reviewed scientific studies show that fluoride, when added to water supplies in minuscule amounts, prevents cavities.
In Durango, the amount of fluoride in the treated water is 0.7 parts per million.
Now why would a bunch of dentists endorse the use of fluoride if they could make 10 times more money treating more cavities?
I think it’s because dentists who belong to the ADA care about more than their pocketbooks or so-called “individual rights.”
Unequivocally, based on scientifically based studies worldwide, the use of minuscule amounts of fluoride saves millions of people from unnecessary health problems, and saves them billions of dollars they’d otherwise spend on dental care.
Since the 1950s, hundreds of millions of people in the U.S. alone have ingested water with fluoride. So, based on what fluoride opponents claim, why are we not seeing a populace walking around like zombies, dropping dead on the street, breaking bones when they stand?
Because of the simple, verifiable fact that fluoride doesn’t cause those problems.
I admit I’m old-fashioned: I believe in facts and research based on proven scientific methods, and I believe in the greater public good that fluoride provides.
If you don’t want fluoride, it’s easy to avoid. Buy bottled water, install a personal water-filtration system and for heaven’s sake, don’t drink margaritas or coffee made in Durango restaurants, or the beer made at our local breweries.
Please, vote against the fluoride initiative.
Joe Lewandowski
Durango
