I just can’t resist responding to a recent Herald letter by Nancy Phillips (Feb. 17). In it, she supported her opposition to fluoridation of municipal water with an impressive list of medical maladies for which she claimed fluoridation was a causative factor. Her proof was a Google search.
I did just that (a Google search) and I found she forgot to include hangnails and navel lint.
Here’s the problem: You can find support for any position you want on the internet. Rather than quoting fringe opinions published by individuals in non-peer reviewed publications, pay attention to what our health experts have found after 70 years of careful scientific study. One will find that the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Public Health Association, Center for Disease Control, World Health Organization and the American Dental Association, among others, all endorse fluoridation in community water supplies that do not contain sufficient naturally occurring fluoride.
These professionals, among others, believe fluoridation is a safe, economical and effective method to prevent dental caries. It is an established fact, not an opinion, that people ranging from children to the elderly benefit from fluoridation.
I must confess, I put the anti-fluoridation arguments in the same class as chemical poisoning from contrails, autism theories by a discredited physician in England, improvement of health after ingestion of blue algae, curing cancer with chiropractic manipulation and so forth.
What is important to know is that there are no human studies in reputable journals to prove these claims. To lift a quote from the “Ghost Busters” movie: “Who you gonna trust?” I choose to trust the conclusions reached by the vast majority of our medical community, rather than the unsupported conspiracy claims of a few. My vote is to limit my chances of tooth decay in a simple, effective and safe way.
But what do I know? I only have a Ph.D. degree in chemistry!
John Ritchey
Durango
