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RIVER HOUSE OUTDOOR PROGRAM
S AILING I: Learn the basics and much more as you
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Classroom: Tue., Aug. 16, 6-8pm
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On the Water: Fri., Aug. 19 & 26, 9am-5pm,
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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,
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Classroom: Tue., Sept. 20, 6-8pm
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On the Water: Sat. & Sun., Sept. 24 & 25,
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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