Another California City Rejects Fluoridation as High-Profile Fluoride Advocate Reverses Field.

SAN DIEGO--(BW HealthWire)--April 28, 1999--

The City Council of El Cajon passed a resolution on April 27 to support the safe drinking water position taken by Helix Water District which services their community.

Helix Water District, which is listed as No. 1 on California's fluoridation priority list, by unanimous vote of their Board of Directors on April 7, formalized their intent to not accept any funding from any source for the purpose of fluoridation.

El Cajon Mayor Mark Lewis introduced his motion for a supportive resolution and reminded dissenting Council Members Todd Keegan and Dick Ramos that the main thrust of Helix's position is that their central mission and focus is to deliver the purest water economically possible to its customers. Period. End of statement.

The El Cajon resolution joins similar action prohibiting fluoridation enacted in San Diego county in the last month by the City of La Mesa; Helix, Lakeside and Riverview water districts; and an ordinance by Escondido, listed as No. 4 on the State's fluoridation priority list.

The northern California city of Santa Cruz (No. 12 on the list) led the way on March 2, with citizens voting in favor of the ballot initiative to prohibit the addition of any substance to the water that is intended to treat people rather than improve the drinkability of water.

The cities of San Diego (No. 18) and Sunnyvale (No. 81) have long-standing laws to prohibit fluoridation, which also conflict with a 1995 unfunded State law that calls for all public water suppliers with more than 10,000 connections to fluoridate as the funds become available.

Citizens of Canada awoke to a similarly refreshing no-nonsense view of fluoridation when they read articles published in the Toronto Star on April 25, and the Calgary Herald and Globe and Mail on April 28. All three newspapers detailed the outspoken statements by Dr. Hardy Limeback, long recognized and frequently cited as a leading advocate of fluoride.

Dr. Limeback, Ph.D, DDS operates his own dental clinic, and is previous Head of Preventive Dentistry at the University of Toronto, a consultant to the Canadian Dental Association, and the organizer of a special conference on fluoride supplements held in Toronto in November 1997.

Limeback's statements appear to be a continuation of the conclusions reached by the conference, which was attended by representatives of all of Canada's various dental health professional associations and agencies.

The purpose of the conference was to arrive at an appropriate nationwide policy for recommending fluoride supplements for children, given the extremely high incidence of visible signs of fluoride over-exposure (dental fluorosis in 30-to-65% of all Canadian children).

Both the conference and Limeback's personal opinion concluded that any reduction in dental caries was due to fluoride's topical effect rather than as a result of swallowing fluoride, and recommended that if a child used fluoride toothpaste that no additional exposure was necessary even in a non fluoridated community; however, both the conference and Limeback continued to support water fluoridation for the purpose of bathing the teeth with fluoride while drinking.

In an interview with Michael Downey of the Toronto Star, Limeback now rejects that conclusion, "We are now spending more money treating dental fluorosis than we would spend treating cavities if we were not fluoridated. Children under three should never use fluoridated toothpaste or drink fluoridated water. And baby formula must never be made up using Toronto tap water. Never. We tried to get (fluoride supplements) banned for children but (the dentists) wouldn't even look at the evidence we presented," said Limeback.

Limeback's concerns do not stop with the effects of over-exposure on the teeth. He concedes that fluoride may be destroying our bones, our teeth and our overall health. "We absolutely know about the tragic consequences of higher levels of fluoride, and we know it builds up over time."

Limeback is currently studying fluoride buildup in the body. "What we're finding indicates a trend: Torontonians have double the fluoride levels in their hip bones compared to Montreal, where water is not fluoridated."

To the proponents of fluoridation that state, "There is no proof that fluoride causes brittle bones or cancer" at current concentrations, Limeback responds, "These people haven't done any studies to find out what effect fluoride accumulation will have at current levels. How can they say it's safe when the studies haven't been done? Right now, we have people who have been ingesting fluoride for 35 years. What happens in another 50 years, when these people have been adding this poison to their bones for 85 years?"

Asked whether he drinks tap water, Limeback said, "I purchase distilled water at a local drugstore and we use it for all our beverage needs. Look, I've been drinking fluoride for 35 years and I'm worried."