Health Advocates Win Fluoride Debate
City council
approves plan;
opponents want
public vote
(AP) — The City Council last
week approved a plan to add fluo
ride to Portland's water, meaning
Oregon's biggest city is no longer
the largest holdout in the U.S.
The ordinance calls for city water
to be fluoridated by March 2014.
Dental experts say fluoride is ef
fective in fighting cavities. Oppo Water flows from a Benson bubbler drinking fountain, downtown.
nents of public fluoridation say it's The City Council has approved a plan to add fluoride to Portland’s
unsafe and violates an individual's drinking water.
right to consent to medication.
"Reasonable people can dis said after the unanimous vote.
out a public vote. They plan to col-
agree, but the science is on the side
O pponents also say council lect almost 20,000 signatures in the
of fluoridation," Mayor Sam Adams members rushed into action with- next 30 days to force a referendum
r
Tabe the
Tabe
Every Tuesday
5 :3 0 - 7:15 p m
fu s t w a lk in
Northeast Health Center
5329 NE MLK Jr. Blvd.
2nd Floor
L
Bring or mention this ad to get a
FREE & A NO NYM O US or
C O N FID E N TIA L test for HIV!
Pubttr H ea lth
early next year— before the mineral
i s added to a water supply that serves
about 900,000 people in Portland
and a few suburbs.
Commissioners said now is the
time to act because Portland chil
dren have more dental problems than
kids from neighboring states that
fluoridate, and adding the mineral to
the water is the most safe, effective
and affordable way to address it.
Seventy-three percent of the U.S.
population drinks water treated with
fluoride— more than three times the
rate in Oregon.
Fluoride opponents contend the
dental benefits of fluoride are small
and don't outweigh the cons. Sev
eral pointed to a recent study by
researchers from the Harvard School
of Public Health, which appeared in
Environmental Health Perspectives.
It showed that Chinese children who
had high levels of naturally occur
ring fluoride in their drinking water
had lower IQs than those who lived
in villages with less fluoride in their
water.
Residents with thyroid issues,
kidney disease and multiple chemi
cal sensitivity worry fluoridation will
make their lives worse. Others are
concerned it can cause cancer, au
tism and other problems.
Commissioners counter that more
than 200 million Americans drink
water with added fluoride, and it
doesn't appear to have caused great
harm. Moreover, it is endorsed by
most health organizations, includ
ing the American Medical Associa
tion and Centers for Disease Con
trol.
Fluoride supporters and oppo
nents agreed that fluoridation alone
won't solve Portland's dental prob
lems. They say parents must stress
proper hygiene and stop giving their
children drinks loaded with sugar.
But the commissioners say fluo
ridation will at least give children,
particularly those from families with
out money or education, some pro
tection against tooth decay.
Coal Hazards Review Ordered
M ultnom ah County will con
duct its own review o f the poten
tial health hazards o f coal trains
headed to N orthw est shipping
terminals.
County Chairm an Jeff Cogen is
asking the county health depart
ment to focus on diesel em issions
and dust from uncovered coal
cars. He also wants the emergency
m anagem ent office to study po
tential delays caused by long coal
trains at crossings.
Cogen says the county can't
stop the trains or force railroads
to cover the cars, but it can de
m and protective measures.
Three o f the five proposed coal
term inals in W ashington and O r
egon would likely route coal trains
through Portland.
The trains would carry coal from
M ontana and W yoming to term i
nals for export to Asia.
Part 19. The Golden Years:
Keeping in full swing throughout
the autumn of life
: B ack w hen I w as
younger, I loved playing
Now some-thing is always
hurting so I don’t dare play! Could
you help?
: It is so unfor-tunate that
millions of our senior citi
zens have w orked and saved
give to their Com m unity only to
find the “golden y ears’ more
“old” than “gold”. Right at the
height o f their freedom , they
often find it d ifficu lt to get
around, their old activities. U n
fortunately, it is often thought
2
A
Dr. Billy R. Flowers (above center) and his skilled s ta ff are ready to help those in need.
that they must “learn to live with
it” or be given yet another pain
pill. A ctually that may be any
thing but true. In our office we
comm only see people in their sev
enties and eighties. And they love
the spring in their step and the
and
tw inkle in their eyes they get
through Chiropractic. Why d o n ’t
you get back in the swing of things
again? Give us a call today. Isn ’t
it time you stepped up to Chiro
practic? L ife ’s “golden years”
tru ly c an be g o ld e n o n c e
again!
Flowers' Chiropractic Office
2124N.E. Hancock Street, Portland Oregon97212
Phone: (5 0 3 ) 2 8 7 *5 5 0 4