Got Flouride?
Interesting article on what I'm sure will soon be called a crisis in dental health for kids here. Interesting that there's no mention of flouride in the story, unless I missed it. I was under the impression that flouride is added to most municipal water supplies nowadays. If so, flouride must not be the panacea for kids dental health that health officials claim. Maybe my impression is wrong? Either that or dental carries are more a result of children's diet and eating habits than from what has or hasn't been added to their water?
posted by Fred Mangels @ 8:04 AM
11 comments
11 Comments:
"In the United States during 2000, approximately 162 million persons (65.8% of the population served by public water systems received optimally fluoridated water compared with 144 million (62.1%) in 1992."
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5107a2.htm
If you want to help kids, stop selling them soda and candy at school, and certainly ban it at home. Incompetent parenting isn't a reason to expose the adult population to the risks of fluoride.
I've gone on record as being opposed to flouridation of municipal water supplies. Not because of any perceived risks with flouride, but because it's akin to forced medication.
If people want to drink water with flouride in it, go buy some flouride somewhere and add it yourself. People who would rather not drink flouride shouldn't have to go out and buy a $300 water filter to cleanse their water (although, being a mineral, I don't believe the vast majority of water filters remove flouride anyway as the filter we use doesn't).
Hey, for that matter, subsidize flouride additives for low income families. Or for the same money, teach parents how to brush teeth so they can pass this knowledge onto their children.
OH GOD WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE FROM THE FLUORIDE MONSTER.
How about we try and think about these the taxpayer free way. Which is cheaper, pouring a bag of fluoride into the water supply, or covering the costs for Koolaid Timmy getting all his teeth filled because his ma and pa don't know squat, and only have MediCal? What is cheaper in the long run for the taxpayers?
The Birch Society in 1961 tagged the floridation "plot" as a "communist plan to poison" the U.S. population. During a visit to Mrs. Leonidas' school chum in Sweden in 1987 (who is/was a member of the Communist Party of Sweden) she stated that "floridation of water is a capitalist/imperialist scheme to achieve mind control over Swedish citizens".
Take your pick.
Well leonidas, you know how the saying goes, "Damned if you do........"
Yes, "win" arguments by pulling out a big ridiculous straw man. How 'bout we look at this from a fiscal perspective. Big. Waste. Of. Money.
Teach parents to feed their kids properly. Teach parents to instruct their kids in proper dental care. Teach parents how to be good parents.
Treat the cause, not the symptom. It's always less expensive.
Well, I for one am a scientist, and I find chlorine to be delicious.
I remember reading a few things over the years claiming chlorine was a threat to people's health for some reason or another. Of course, there's always someone somewhere that will claim a health hazard exists in just about anything.
The reason they use chlorine in water is to help ensure that drinking water is clear of pathogens of various sorts. It's an interesting question because what about some folks who might fear chlorine in their water? Should they have to buy a water filter (Many water filters do filter out chlorine, like mine does) because everyone else wants chlorine in their water?
Well, chlorine is simply a measure to ensure potability and if it's one thing the vast majority of us want, it's water that contains as few hazards as possible. Doesn't actually ensure it because there are things I don't think are neutralized by chlorine, like choliforms, I believe. But flourine isn't necessary to ensure potability. It's purpose goes way beyond that. It's used for mass medication.
Well, except the effectiveness of chlorine is clear. The effectiveness of fluoridated water has been in question for decades.
Thank god for Bell Labs and their awesome movies.
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