In regard to the recent Daily Camera article concerning water fluoridation in the city of Boulder (Sept. 3), as well as Randall Weiner’s letter to the editor (Sept. 9), I feel compelled to respond with some facts to help voters arrive at the truth for themselves.
The article, as well as Clean Water Advocates of Boulder, suggests that ballot initiative 2B is fluoride-neutral. However, Randall Weiner, the principal author of initiative 2B, and Clean Water Advocates of Boulder are anything but fluoride-neutral. If you visit their Web site, you will find that 21 of 22 links listed take you immediately to anti-fluoridation Web sites. The wording of initiative 2B is blatantly misleading and dishonest in an effort to deceive voters, with the ultimate goal being the discontinuation of water fluoridation in Boulder.
Mr. Weiner has stated in the Boulder Weekly (Nov. 4, 2004) that he objects to medicating people on a mass scale. He has expressed concern about the remote possibility that Boulder’s current water fluoridation method might increase the risk of developing cancer. And yet the American Cancer Society, American Medical Association, World Health Organization and American Dental Society all agree that the method employed by Boulder is safe and effective for reducing tooth decay.
Mr. Weiner most recently stated (Sept. 9) that the “Camera’s article reflected the consensus of health practitioners in our community that this particular additive does not improve physical or dental health.” This is an outlandish claim to make. In a recent Daily Camera Open Forum letter (April 1) he claims more than 30 Boulder health professionals have signed in support of his initiative. There are currently more than 600 licensed health professionals in Boulder. Thirty out of 600 is hardly a consensus!
Mr. Weiner recently agreed to participate in KGNU’s Thursday call-in show (on July 20) to discuss his initiative with Maeve Conran, the host, and KGNU’s listeners. However, on the day the program was to air, he informed KGNU he would not participate because he learned there would be an opposing point of view from the dental community. What was he afraid of? Perhaps it was the overwhelming amount of information that stands in opposition to the claims made by Clean Water Advocates of Boulder.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently cited community water fluoridation as one of the 10 greatest public health achievements of the 20th century. The method of fluoridation the city of Boulder currently uses has been in practice for over 45 years, and is currently used by over 10,000 communities in the country.
It has been deemed safe and effective by reputable organizations such as the American Cancer Society, American Medical Association, World Health Organization and American Dental Association. Whom do you want to believe and trust? Is it a local attorney who has no formal training in public health issues or medical science and makes unsubstantiated claims that mislead people? Or, would you rather believe your family physician and dentist as well as the overwhelming majority of local and national health organizations that support water fluoridation?
David Jackson, DDS, practices in Boulder and lives in Longmont
The preceding was originally published as a guest opinion in the Boulder Daily Camera on September 16, 2006.
This message is from the Vote No on 2B Committee,
supported by the many very concerned health professionals serving the people of Boulder.
