<center>Letters to the Editor</center>

Editor,

There are many facets and a century’s experience with water fluoridation that cannot be fully reported in any media. Suffice it to say, as on many issues, all is not “gold that glitters.”

My comments and the information sources below would help in a city vote on a written ballot for the Special City Election of November 6.  I have personally called out at the reservation to confirm that the reservation has already been fluoridated—either naturally in some sections, or artificially since 1970.  If dental health is not now occurring in Native American families, we should begin asking “why”.

Also, fluoride’s presence now pervades the food and beverage chain for humans and domestic animals, and it is impossible to take into account the dosage levels various people are already ingesting that may influence different dosages for different people—also affected by their diets; this has not been evaluated by a non-biased poll in northern Arizona cities or counties, let alone Flagstaff and some Native Americans who have already been drinking fluoridated water on the rez for 20 years. 

Therefore, I personally feel it is not prudent nor fair to force everyone:  babies, young, old, infirm (and their more vulnerable pets and livestock) to drink and cook with city water medicated with a questionable volatile fluoride—being a halogen (aggressive) according to Webster’s Dictionary and chemists.  Protection through drug-use is usually granted through a required prescription; water fluoridation: (a) unfairly bypasses this protection for some very susceptible sectors of the population and (b) is against the Federal Safe Water Drinking Act guidelines which apparently have also been bypassed and not adhered to.

Flagstaff’s Main Library has books available. I have found three websites to be helpful in providing national and international data about artificial, industrial grade fluorides and the heavy metal contaminants that come in with one type being considered—hydydrofluosilicic acid (proved by historical testimony available):

These are www. fluoridation. com, www.FluorideAlert.org and www.NTEU280.org (which is the position of EPA scientists and researchers, who publicly opposed EPA management’s pro-fluoridation nationwide stance).

For an historical perspective culled from a century of fluoridation, see http://www.zerowasteamerica.org/fluoride.htm.

Flagstaff Citizens for Safe Drinking Water is a local educational source for questions and requests for an overview of a century of fluoride history, comments and reports from researchers, chemistry professors and other professionals.   The “INFORMATION SOURCES” available here lists websites and titles of books in the Flagstaff Main Library. For this information e-mail FCSDW: citizens@infomagic.net voice-mail: (520) 525-1679, “Snail-mail” requests should include a stamped return envelope to: FCSDW, P.O. Box 30281, Flagstaff, AZ 86003.”

Irina Froning

Flagstaff, AZ