Fluoridation heads ballot issues Tuesday...
By KEVIN HARDEN
Of the Emerald
Twelve years after Eugene re
sidents voted to remove fluoride
from their water opponents of
Eugene's recent re-fluoridation
hope history will repeat itself in
Tuesday s special election.
Ballot Measure 51, probably
the most controversial measure
on Eugene s five-question ballot,
seeks to prohibit the Eugene
Water and Electric Board
(EWEB) from adding fluoride to
the city’s water supply. A similar
measure was approved by voters
in 1965 after it had been rejected
a year before.
Eugene area residents began
drinking fluoridated water in
January of this year after a
measure allowing fluoridation
was approved in last year’s gen
eral election.
Some 10,000 residents outside
Eugene also served by EWEB
didn't want fluoridated water and
brought a lawsuit against EWEB,
but failed when a demurrer stat
ing they had no legal grounds for
such a suit was granted to the
board.
The Citizen’s Council Against
Fluoridation (CCAF), a group
consisting of residents in the
Santa Clara, River Road, Oak
way and Glenwood areas went to
the Eugene City Council and
Fluoridation:
To some it’s poison
to others preventative
health, but the battle
lines are being drawn
— again
I___
asked that a special election be
called to give all voters in the area
a voice in the fluoridation deci
sion, because EWEB water is
used by people other than city re
sidents. Almost 11,000 petition
signatures later, the measure
was placed on the June 28 ballot.
To Christine Beltran, CCAF
representative, the fluoridation
J
issue is an infringement on the
rights of the people who live out
side Eugene s city limits and still
use EWEB water.
“It’s really a nutritional thing,’’
Beltran said. “Dentists should be
promoting good nutrition instead
of fluoridation because many
people think that if they get
enough fluoride in the water they
...while debate raqes on this week
Proponents of Eugene's water
fluoridation plan will have their
say tonight and Friday in two
meetings planned to present the
issue for debate between any
area doctor or dentist and Dr.
John Yiamouyiannis.
Dr. Yiamouyiannis, a
biochemist and noted anti
fluoridation speaker from Ohio,
will be speaking on campus to
night at 7:30 p.m in 123 Science.
According to Yiamouyiannis, the
meeting will be open to debate or
questions on fluoridation.
“I'd much rather have a meet
ing where both sides to the issue
were presented, he said. "But
the oppositoon wants to stop our
exposure by not debating us.
The science director of the Na
tional Health Federation based in
Monrovia, Calif., Yiamouyiannis
worked in Eugene's anti
fluroidation campaign with the
Citizens For Pure Water, (CPW),
last September when he spoke
against fluoridation and assisted
in a signature-gathering cam
paign.
Since the approval of fluorida
tion last November, CPW has
been working to have the city or
dinance repealed. Their efforts
have taken the form of a special
election measure forbidding
water fluoridation by the Eugene
Water and Electric Board.
The scheduled meetings, a
speech on campus and a debate
to be held in Harris Hall Friday
evening, are open to the public,
but Yiamouyiannis doesn t expect
much debate from area dentists
or doctors. Several times before,
he says, proponents of fluorida
tion have admitted they would
rather not debate. A similar de
bate scheduled last year in Col
orado found Yiamouyiannis with
out an opponent, although sev
Gentlewoman
I ini* clothes scnsibh priced.
eral noted pro-fluoridation speak
ers had been contacted some
four months in advance.
Speaking at a CPW meeting in
Harris Hall Monday night,
Yiamouyiannis pointed to the
connection between fluoridation
and cancer, amidst challenges
from two area dentists. Both ag
reed to meet Yiamouyiannis in
Friday's debate.
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don’t have to worry about sugar.”
"It's really a nutritional thing,”
Beltran said. “Dentists should be
promoting good nutrition instead
of fluoridation because many
people think that if they get
enough fluoride in the water they
don’t have to worry about sugar.”
Citing evidence of fluoride’s
dangers, Beltran pointed out that
the chemical isn’t a necessary
nutrient, as was once thought, but
a poison when taken in large
doses. "Fluoride is a perscription
drug and I can’t see letting people
put a prescription drug in our
water when they wouldn’t give it
to their children,” Beltran said.
A 1975 Oregon Legislature
measure to fluoridate all com
munity water supplies in the state
was rejected after testimony
taken before the House Human
Resources Committee stated that
fluoride was as dangerous as ar
senic or cyanide when given in
equivalent amounts. A similar
measure before this year’s Legis
lature was sent back to commit
tee last month. Beltran is confi
dent the measure will not reach
the Senate floor for a vote.
Beltran has no explanation as
to why fluoridation was approved
by the voters last year, “There
was a city measure and a state
measure on fluoridation, which
made the vote confusing,” she
said. “Almost 7,000 people didn’t
vote on it because they didn’t see
it” The measure was located at
the end of the ballot and was
vaguely worded, Beltran claims,
which may have added to the
confusion.
Efforts by CCAF to repeal the
city ordinance allowing fluorida
tion have taken a more educa
tional stance, according to Bel
tran. Nearly 60,000 copies of an
eight-page newspaper stating the
dangers of fluoridation were circu
iated in Eugene two weeks ago,
with the front page bearing the
signatures of 18 local doctors and
dentists who object to the use of
the chemical in the water supply.
Beltran thinks the CCAF cam
paign is more organized than the
Citizens Against Fluorides com
mittee which worked for the 5,992
to 5,364 defeat of a fluoridation
measure in 1965.
Other measures on the special
election ballot include seven
school district budgets and three
city budget questions for Lane
County.
The Eugene ballot, besides
containing measures on fluorida
tion and the city budget, also has
a measure to allow free parking in
the downtown area, which has
been approved every year since
1973.
Books needed
Lane County Library is in need
of books written in the Spanish
language.
The library is seeking dona
tions of Spanish-written novels
and other light reading material
which is geared to adults.
If you have books you wish to
donate, call the Lane County Lib
rary, 687-4449.
Buy 1 at the regular price
and get the second for only 1 cent.
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