Fluoride foes try new tactic

A “water quality assurance” ordinance now before the Spokane City Council may be more than the feel-good legislation its title implies.

It is actually an effort to block the possible fluoridation of Spokane’s water, according to the county health officer and others.

The ordinance declares that “the public drinking water supply should be maintained for the safety and enjoyment of the entire population of Spokane.” But it would prevent the introduction of a common fluoride compound into city water unless the compound is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The problem is the FDA does not regulate additives to water supplies. That’s the job of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, officials said.

“It’s definitely an attempt to block fluoridation straight out,” said John Robideaux, chairman of Fluoridation Works, a group that sought an unsuccessful initiative earlier this year to fluoridate Spokane’s water.

Council members Cherie Rodgers and Bob Apple are sponsoring the ordinance, which is being promoted by fluoridation opponents. The measure will come up for a public hearing and a possible vote at the City Council’s regular meeting on Sept. 27 at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall.

Both pro- and anti-fluoridation forces are expected to appear.

The measure would require that any substances added to city water to treat physical or mental functions of the body be approved as safe by the FDA.

“Community water fluoridation has been used for promoting oral health in the United States for more than 50 years,” said Dr. Kim Thorburn, health officer of the Spokane Regional Health District, in a letter to Spokane city officials.

“Through fear-mongering misinformation, anti-fluoridationists have successfully prevented the introduction of water fluoridation in many U.S. communities, including Spokane. The proposed ordinance is yet another attempt by local anti-fluoridationists to prevent our community from accessing this highly effective and safe intervention for improving oral health status in Spokane,” she said in the letter last week.

In Spokane, 66 percent of all second- and third-graders have dental decay compared with 57 percent statewide, Thorburn said. The rate of dental decay is 71 percent among second- and third-graders from low-income families. Her agency has found that dental disease is a major cause of school absenteeism.

Proponents of fluoridation failed to make the November ballot this year when petitions they submitted fell short of the threshold. The group is expected to launch a new petition drive next year to get the measure on the November 2005 ballot.

Angie Petro, one of the proponents of the water quality ordinance, said the goal is to protect residents from contaminants that might accompany a commonly used fluoride additive, fluorosilicic acid.

She and Don Caron are arguing that the compound contains contaminants such as lead, mercury and arsenic.

“Our goal is simply to establish safe and reasonable criteria for health claims made for water additives intended to treat humans,” Caron, of the Safe Water Coalition of Washington, said in a press release.

They said the ordinance is endorsed by Spokane Tilth, Positive Education and Action for Children’s Health (PEACH) and other local groups.

Councilwoman Rodgers said she is concerned about the application of fluoridated water on the landscape. She said she also is concerned about corrosion of copper pipes, and an increase in the amount of copper coming out of the tap.

“I am not anti-fluoride,” she said, adding she believes in topical or at-home applications. “To me, the bigger problem is access to dental care.”

A report conducted for the city by the independent engineering firm CH2M Hill indicated that fluorosilicic acid would not increase lead concentrations, and that any increase in copper in water would not be a health concern.

Thorburn said tests on two commonly used fluoride compounds showed that traces of lead, mercury and arsenic would be extremely low and far below the threshold of concern.

Robideaux of Fluoridation Works said the water quality ordinance is not facing the initiative process like the fluoridation measure has, and that isn’t fair.

Councilman Brad Stark called it “a backdoor approach to eliminating the fluoride debate,” and said the council majority will vote it down.

In a letter to Rodgers, Dr. Lawrence Lawton, a Mead dentist and president of the Washington State Dental Association, said that the “need for this resolution is not supported by any scientific findings and it incorrectly represents the federal government’s regulation of public water supplies.”