I cannot help but get the impression, from your newspaper and the way the majority of county commissioners handled the meeting, that fluoridation is being forced on the residents of Pinellas County despite the potential problems and liability associated with fluoridating the water supply.
My wife, Betty, was a speaker against fluoridation at the meeting. Despite the fact she arrived early, other speakers were given preferential treatment to speak ahead of my wife. Because they may be a doctor or dentist, does that mean their opinion may be more important than another citizen's opinion? We have all seen opinions expressed by respected experts, only to find out their statements were later proved wrong.
The statement was made by Commissioner Susan Latvala that the American Dental Association, the American Medical Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention all recommend adding fluoride to the water.
How many times have we seen these associations and the CDC recommend new drugs or procedures and then reverse themselves because of problems that developed and outweighed the initial benefit? What about the other cities across the United States that have removed fluoride from the water supply?
People who want fluoride can certainly have access to it. There are many products available to them. However, other citizens young and old may be seriously affected by the fluoride treatment. With newer technology, we should be looking for ways to make our water more pure, not adding supplements to it.
In my opinion, Commissioner Calvin Harris' statement about fluoridation and finding bogeymen is irresponsible. It is my hope that our county commissioners will fairly evaluate the potential problems associated with fluoridation before they cast their final votes.
-- Von G. Taylor Jr., Safety Harbor
[Last modified August 20, 2003, 02:07:29]
