I was a 10- or 11-year-old growing up in Durango when fluoride was first added to the city’s water supply.
At the time, I well remember, the action was pilloried by some of the community as being part of a communist plot to poison our brains.
My older sister and I have teeth that are monuments to the dental arts. My younger sister and brother, who had several more developmental years with fluoride, have very few cavities or other dental work.
This is anecdotal but quite a big deal in my growing-up family.
The biggest advances in health and longevity have come through public health measures. This country chose to depend upon qualified personnel to determine scientifically what would and would not aid the general health.
It seems there is a growing feeling that individual choice should be equated with the researched, critically reviewed and debated recommendations of health care professionals.
I cannot assume that my opinion, however much I value it, is equal to or should supersede the evidence-based conclusions of health researchers involved in the particular field in question, such as the American Dental Association.
I, however, join with the Durango City Council in believing that elimination of fluoride in our water will harm primarily the very children who need the community’s support the most.
Nancy Wilson Mills
Durango
