A push is on to fluoridate Portland water

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A coalition of more than 50 health and other organizations is quietly lobbying the Portland City Council to fluoridate Portland’s water. The city is one of the largest in the country without fluoridation to prevent tooth decay. The Oregonian reports (http://is.gd/o8TUwP ) that voters have three times rejected fluoridation, most recently in 1980. City Commissioner Randy Leonard, who oversees the water bureau, supports fluoridation but says he doesn’t know whether there are enough votes on the five-member City Council to approve it. The American Dental Association says San Jose, Calif., is the largest city in the country without fluoride in the water, Portland the second-largest. The water district serving San Jose has voted to begin fluoridation, but money to do so hasn’t been raised.