Weighing in
A weekly look at reader comments and reactions to the news
The debate over fluoridated drinking water gushed to the surface last week, prompted in part by coverage of Sandpoint’s decision to stop treating its municipal water supplies. Find complete coverage and the full reader debate at www.spokesman.com.
fluoridefreenz: If you find it hard to understand why people object to fluoridation then you obviously have no idea about respect for other people. It is really very simple – most people do not want someone spiking their drink or telling them they have to take a medication because someone else thinks it’s good. You cannot walk into someone’s house and put a fluoride tablet in their drink without their permission, so why on earth would it be all right to do it through the public water supply?
Nyscof: Dosing people with anything via the water supply is foolish. Tooth decay crises are occurring in all fluoridated cities, states and countries. See: FluorideNews (dot) blogspot.
JimSchultz2: The ADA dental trade organization has but one main goal and all others are last place. Increasing dentist incomes is what they do best and fluoridation is a fantastic tool. Very, very few dentists actually treat poor kids on Medicaid and fluoridation is the smokescreen to hide that ugly fact.
Mikeln: It’s the sugar, plain and simple, that is responsible for cavities. Putting fluoride in the water is not a liberal thing, it’s rich corporations getting rid of a deadly poison and making us pay for it.
PlanB: Putting fluoride in the water takes away your choice. People are free to take fluoride tablets if they so choose right now, without passing the burden of the associated costs to the public.
Gato: If I have to choose who to believe here, I’m going with the CDC and the World Health Organization, and our state health department instead of someone on Blogspot.
Fishinjay: Even if fluoride is good for dental health (and I am inclined to agree with the science that says it is), spending tax dollars to force it on the populace is not the answer. If you want to be a toothless idiot that doesn’t take care of their health, that’s your choice. I’ll continue to brush my teeth with fluoride toothpaste and go on with my life without the need for government to make sure I have a pretty smile.
Zelda Krup: And why don’t people object to chlorine? It’s added to the drinking supply of many municipalities to kill bacteria. Why pick only on fluoride? What about all the naturally occurring trace minerals – selenium, manganese, iron, copper, etc.? If you think your body is a temple, quit eating Hot Pockets and dining at Taco Bell.