Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, March 13, 2013, Page 5, Image 5

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    MarchO,2013________________________________W
Fluoride
c o n t i n u e d f r o m page 3
saw a dentist at age 17.
She said without individual and daily dose
amounts based on their body weight, those
who consume fluoridated water, especially
babies and children whose kidneys are un­
derdeveloped, are at risk of toxicity.
African-American babies, she said, are
more likely to be fed formula with fluoridated
water. African Americans also have the high­
est rates of kidney disease associated with
other diseases like diabetes and hyperten­
sion, she said.
Whyte also argues that once fluoride is
swallowed, those who consume it are at risk
o f systemic side effects such as dental fluo­
rosis, a discoloration of tooth enamel, and
skeletal fluorosis, which can result in any
degree of arthritis or osteoporosis.
Instead of fluoridation, Whyte suggests
reducing consumption of sugar and starchy
food products, which she attributed as rea-
jjjn r tla n ò
workers, the school nurse— if they believe
adding fluoride to the water is a safe and
useful step.
According to the Healthy Kids Healthy
Portland “ Yes on 26-151” campaign, the city
measure to fluoridate water, there is more
than 80 local organizations that support fluo­
( © H s c r U c r _______________________________________ Pages
ridating our water, a majority of which are
health organizations.
This is not the first time Portlanders have
been presented the issue. Voters twice re­
jected fluoridation before approving it in
1978.
Although Portland City Council mem-
bers unanim ously approved a w ater fluo­
ridation plan earlier this year, opponents
were able to gather m ore than 30,000 sig­
natures from the public, leading to a refer­
endum .
Portland is the largest city in the nation
that does not fluoridate its water.
.
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The historic Washington Park Reservoir
in southwest Portland is one o f the
city’s storage sites for drinking water.
sons to her poor dental health as a teenager.
To strengthen teeth and bones, she sug­
gests multivitamins like Vitamin D, calcium,
magnesium, as well as a healthy dose of
exercise.
For more information on the topic, Whyte
also recommends reading Fluoride in Drink­
ing Water: A Scientific Review of EPA's
Standards published in 2006 by the National
Research Council.
Urban League’s Alexander also grew up
in New York with fluoridated water from
which he said both he and his children ben­
efited from. He points to the statistics show­
ing much lower dental decay among commu­
nities with fluoridation compared to those
without.
He said data shows that poorer children
suffer from dental decay at twice the rate of
children just one zip code away in Beaverton
or Vancouver who drink fluoridated water.
“Those are the numbers, but at the base of
numbers are children and adults, who are
suffering in pain,” he said. “Poor dental
health follows you through life.”
“When I see statistics about the number
of children with rampant decay— that’s more
than 7 cavities, I am appalled because that is
not my experience in any of the communities
that I or any of my children have experi­
enced,” said Alexander.
He recommends for those still undecided
to ask folks in the healthcare profession who
they trust—doctors, dentists, medical social
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