It astonishes me that Pinellas County commissioners made the decision for the rest of Pinellas County to ingest hydrofluorosilicic acid (fluoride).
Come on folks! Read up on this stuff. We have a plethora of information available to us now. Find out about this chemical that will be added to our diet (and your children's) on June 1.
Out of curiosity, I read about this three years ago. From what I found, most current proponents of fluoride are mostly regurgitating what was fed to them from the 1950s and '60s. I wasn't able to find any up-to-date scientific evidence to prove the benefits of ingestion. I did find, however, that more opponents have come out about the dangers of ingesting this stuff.
There have been no studies on the dangers/benefits of hydrofluorosilicic acid in our water, and there is no sound science one way or another on this chemical. And that's what commissioners have decided to add to our water.
We voted for these commissioners to look out for our best interests, but with their decision to add an untested chemical to our water, you have to ask yourself: Are they really looking out for us?
-- Tammy Cihak, Palm Harbor
Time to shout "No more!' to government encroachment
Soon a person at Pinellas County Utilities will open a valve and release hydrofluorosilicic acid into our drinking water to begin fluoridation in Pinellas County.
There seems to be a mountain of information and 50 years of experience that says fluoride is just the ticket to save you and me from tooth decay.
There also seems to a growing mountain of information that suggests that fluoridation is not particularly healthy for you and me. In other words, there is information and statistics to support both sides of the argument.
The real issue, then, is not whether to fluoridate, but who should have made the decision to expose every citizen in the county to fluoridated water. County commissioners believe the county charter gives them the power to make that choice for us. And therein lies the problem.
Whether it is fluoridation or seat belts or some other individual decision, our government is bound and determined to keep us safe from ourselves. We are not competent, I guess, to make those choices, so government will do it for us.
We, the citizens, should choose, by way of the ballot, how much power we choose to give the government. If we are complacent, bored or just don't care, then we will, indeed, get the government we deserve. On the other hand, if we are willing to shout "No more!" to the continuous encroachment of government into our lives, then perhaps we can return government to the people. And once again make it a government of the people, by the people, for the people.
-- David Plyer, Clearwater
Untested medication in water should raise alarm for citizens
I note that Pick Talley, director of Pinellas County Utilities, has responded to other citizens' outrage at having untested medication - hydrofluorosilicic acid - put into our drinking water by quoting the dental associations' press releases. I guess that shows who is influencing this decision.
It's the same old claim from 50 years ago, he admits. I would think that public officials would be scared to put anything untested like this phosphate mine waste into our water.
News flash: The hydrofluorosilicic acid that will go into our drinking water has never been subjected to the controlled experimental testing required of any other medication. Several highly respected agencies suddenly have recognized they need to establish some tests to prevent harm to humans that drink this additive for children's teeth.
If you don't think your Health Department and your County Commission have voted correctly to put this untested medication into your family's water, please call (727) 464-3022 and tell them to stop.
-- Elaine Nichols, Oldsmar
YOUR VOICE COUNTS
We invite readers to write letters for publication. To send a letter from your computer, go to www.sptimes.com/letters and fill in the required information. Type your letter in the space provided on the form, then submit your letter to the appropriate section of the newspaper. If you prefer, you may instead fax your letter to us at 727 445-4119, or mail it to Letter to the Editor, St. Petersburg Times, 710 Court St., Clearwater, FL 33756.
Letters should be brief and must include the writer's name, city of residence, mailing address and phone number. Letters may be edited for clarity, taste and length. We regret that not all letters can be printed.
