GRIZ BEAR COMMENTS: Should government be able to medicate our water?

— I’ve spent considerable time over the last week reading about fluoridation of drinking water and I have a number of concerns.

First of all, those of us who receive our water through the Benton-Washington County Public Water Authority - and that includes Decatur, Gentry and Gravette - have fluoridated water and have had it for a number of years.

That may be good and that may be bad, depending on who you talk to about the issue. It may help reduce tooth decay but it may also cause other health issues, and the whole process may add considerably to the price of the water we use.(My call to the Water Authority for information was not returned.)

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fluoride in the water remains in the mouth and saliva to reduce bacteria and prevent decay. It also bonds with tooth enamel to prevent cavities.

While the chemical may prevent tooth decay, I wonder what other effects it could have on the rest of the body.

Of major concern to me is the fact I have no choice in the matter. Whether it be dentists or dental insurance companies, they were able to persuade government officials to make fluoridation of water mandatory.Even if fluoridation is a good thing, that concerns me because I feel I should have a choice in what I eat and drink and what medications I take. If insurance companies feel it would save them money to add other drugs to my drinking water to treat or prevent certain medical ailments, should they be able to do so without my consent?

Of course, administering drugs or chemicals like fluoride by adding them to public water systems is not a very efficient way of accomplishing the goal, considering only a small portion of the water used each month in an average home is actually consumed. The rest is used for such things as washing, bathing and flushing and then has to have the chemicals removed to keep from polluting our streams, rivers and lakes and harming or killing wildlife. It may be OK to give us toxic chemicalsto drink, but let’s not give them to wildlife!

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, “exposure to excessive consumption of fluoride over a lifetime may lead to increased likelihood of bone fractures in adults and may result in effects on bone leading to pain and tenderness. Children aged 8 years and younger exposed to excessive amounts of fluoride have an increased chance of developing pits in the tooth enamel, along with a range of cosmetic effects to teeth.”

Yet, there is little option to give children water without fluoride when it is added to the water supply and in many bottled waters. Water purification systems don’t remove it unless the systems distill the water or use reverse osmosis.

According to the CDC, three additives - sodium fluoride, sodium fluorosilicate and fluorosilicic acid - may be used to adjust the natural fluoride levels in water to concentrations that prevent or control tooth decay.

All three are toxic to humans - at least in higher concentrations than are added to drinking water. Reading material safety data sheets on the chemicals makes me wonder why we would want to ingest the stuff even in small doses.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is proposing lowering the optimum levels of fluoride added to drinking water to prevent people from getting too much fluoride since it is also ingested from other drinks, toothpaste, some mouthwashes and other sources.

MSDS indicates the effects of the chemicals on animal life are not known. Some studies are connecting fluoride discharges into water systems with killing honeybees and affecting the health of other livestock.

So, what is the answer? Do we let insurance companies and government officials dictate what chemicals and medications we need and allow them to mandate the medication of the entire public by adding them to our water and food supplies? Wouldn’t it be less expensive if those medicines we truly need were administered in a more efficient way than adding them to a water supply where most ends up in a water-treatment plant? And do we really know the full effects of adding toxic chemicals which are waste products of fertilizer and aluminum plants (even if only in small amounts) to our water systems? What do you think?

Randy Moll is the managing editor of the Westside Eagle Observer. He may be contacted by email at [email protected].

Opinion, Pages 5 on 03/14/2012