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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (July 21, 2005)
Sailing Instruction RIVER HOUSE OUTDOOR PROGRAM S AILING I: Learn the basics and much more as you Join our experienced staff on the water. Classroom: Tue., Aug. 16, 6-8pm at the River House On the Water: Fri., Aug. 19 & 26, 9am-5pm, #62927 Classroom: Tue., Aug. 16, 6-8pm at the River House On the Water: Sat. & Sun., Aug. 20 & 21, 9am-5pm #62898 Classroom: Tue., Sept. 6, 6-8pm at the River House On the Water: Sat. & Sun., Sept. 10 & 11, 9am-5pm, #62899 Classroom: Tue., Sept. 20, 6-8pm at the River House On the Water: Sat. & Sun., Sept. 24 & 25, 9am-5pm, #62925 FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 682-5329 OR EMAIL: roger.f.bailey@ci.eugene.or.us fluoridate is a local one. Salem, Beaverton, Tigard, Florence and Forest Grove fluoridate their public water supplies, while Eugene, Oakridge, Hood River, Medford, Ashland, Portland and Bend do not. The split reflects a larger ambivalence. While 70 percent of Americans say they support fluoridation, voters have rejected it in 60 percent of all fluoridation referenda since 1950. Eugene is no exception. In 1964, Eugene voters approved the addition of fluoride to the water supply. Eight months later, they a vote. But the issue promises to return to Salem in the future (see sidebar). FLUORIDE FOG What’s striking about the fluoridation debate is the near-religious conviction on both sides of the issue, a myopic adherence to the idea of Fluoride As Boon or Fluoride As Doom. Opinions are so disparate that few leading fluoridation activists seem willing to acknowledge the validity of the science on ‘The problem is, you’ve got competing scientists. You’ve got dentists on both sides of the issue. There are inconsistencies.’ — Sen. Frank Shields, co-sponsor, SB 852 changed course and banned fluoridation. The same thing happened in 1977: Eugene voters first approved, then rejected, fluoridation. “This is a polarized issue,” says Eugene Water and Electric Board spokesman John Mitchell. “Either you swear by fluoridation because you grew up in a place that had it and your teeth are the best around; or, if you are on the other side of the fence, it’s the worst thing possible.” Oregon continues to hold out against the national trend toward fluoridation, but pro- fluoride activists are putting mounting pres- sure on legislators to mandate fluoridation on a statewide level. Three bills to fluoridate Oregon’s public water supplies have come before the Legislature since 1999. None of them have passed, and the most recent, this session, never made it to the Senate floor for the other side of the argument. Proponents suggest that critics of fluorida- tion, most of them crazy as Kubrick’s General Ripper, are trying to use quack science to sab- otage the dental health of every man, woman and child in America. Opponents, for their part, imply that the entire fluoride scheme is a baseless mistake caused by corrupt, hasty sci- ence. In reality, valid science exists on both sides of the issue, and seldom in contradic- tion. Most new studies complement the old, providing more data sets for a 60-year exper- iment. The biggest gap between pro- and anti- fluoridation arguments is in the margin between a safe dose of fluoride and a toxic one — and that fine line becomes a wide rift over policy. ew NEXT WEEK: Two Oregon dentists spar over flouride. FLUORIDE OVERDOSE? A LOOK AT THE NUMBERS The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends that people consume .05 mil- ligrams of fluoride per kilogram (or about 0.023 milligrams per pound) of body weight per day. AGE Infants 0-6 months Infants 7-12 months Children 1-3 years Children 4-8 years Children 9-13 years Boys 14-18 years Girls 14-18 years Males 19+ years Females 19+ years ADEQUATE INTAKE PER DAY .01 mg 0.5 mg 0.7 mg 1.0 mg 2.0 mg 3.0 mg 3.0 mg 4.0 mg 3.0 mg TOLERABLE UPPER INTAKE PER DAY 0.7 mg 0.9 mg 1.3 mg 2.2 mg 10.0 mg 10.0 mg 10.0 mg 10.0 mg 10.0 mg Source: “Fluoridation Facts,” American Dental Association Oregon Citizens for Safe Drinking Water Director Lynne Campbell warns that many people ingest more than the “optimum” dose by drinking fluoridated water, using fluoridated toothpaste and consuming food with fluoride content. “[Water fluori- dation] seems like an irresponsible way of administering medicine, because there’s no control of dose,” she says. A 1-year-old child drinking four 8-ounce glasses of water consumes 0.95 mg fluo- ride — above the ADA’s upper limit. Add in food and toothpaste sources, Campbell says, and it’s easy for a child to overdose on fluoride. According to a chart prepared by the Parents of Fluoride Poisoned Children using data from lab tests and published studies, an 8-ounce serving of Gerber’s white grape juice contains 1.6 mg fluride; an 8-ounce Diet Coke, .53 mg fluoride; a cup of pre- pared black tea, 7.8 mg fluoride; a pound of shrimp, 61.7 mg fluoride. Soy-based infant formula contains about .5 mg fluoride per 8-ounce serving; just two servings could exceed the ADA’s “tolerable upper intake” of 0.9 mg fluoride per day for infants 7-12 months old. Other ingestable sources of fluoride are numerous. The pesticide cryolite, which is used on a wide array of fruits and vegetables, is made of aluminum, sodium and fluo- ride. The anti-depression drugs Prozac and Paxil contain the fluoride compound fluo- rophenyl. Fluoridated toothpastes contain about 0.5 mg fluoride per recommended “pea-sized” dose, and their tubes carry FDA-mandated warnings to call a poison con- trol center if accidentally swallowed. The ADA cautions that fluoride consumption levels above the “tolerable upper limit” put a person at risk of developing moderate to severe dental fluorosis. The EPA warns that fluoride overdose can cause debilitating bone conditions. — Kera Abraham 12 JULY 21, 2005
