Fluoride Free Windsor-Essex

After a long night of delegations, council voted 8 to 3 to end the artificial fluoridation of Windsor’s water.  Thank you to the progressive forward thinking council members that could see through the unproven opinions and endorsements of the fluoridation lobbyists.

Voters need to seek and support those candidates that are not afraid to challenge the status quo and who listen to the will of the people.

In the end, many councillors said they couldn’t support the mass medication of the population against their will and made reference to the many other methods of obtaining good oral health that don’t involve dumping hazardous waste into our drinking water.

Councillor Dilkens advised that when fluoridation began, fluoridated toothpaste was not available.

Councillor Jones cited several experts who are allowed to have independent opinions and who are opposed to fluoridation, implying that the public health and dental community are required to promote fluoridation as ‘safe and effective’.  He also brought up research that attributes improved oral health from naturally occurring calcium fluoride to the calcium and not the fluoride.

Councillor Payne and Valentinis thought councillors should follow the advice of Public Health.  Councillor Gignac offered very little to the discussion and stuck to the out-dated propaganda that the CDC claims fluoridation is a top 10 public health measure – these folks were not interested in addressing the lack of proof of safety nor the scientific evidence that fluoridation is unnecessary.

Mayor Francis questioned that if this policy was so important why hasn’t public health ever lobbied Kingsville or Leamington to start fluoridation.

Councillor Maghnieh said he couldn’t support a policy that wasn’t protective of formula fed infants.

Councillor Marra pointed to the fact that all the legislation is provincial and that health care was a provincial issue, not a water systems one.

Councillor Hatfield said that the choice to ingest fluoride should be up to the individual.

Councillor Halberstadt called fluoridation a paternalistic policy and questioned Peter Cooney’s lobbying for continued use of mercury fillings; mercury is a known neuro-toxin that our chief dental officer claims is a good alternative for the poor.

Indeed it seems these toxic health policies are often targeting the poor.   Mercury fillings for the poor but if you can afford it you can get fillings without this toxin.  Water treated with hydrofluorosilicic acid for the poor but if you can afford it you can protect your family with expensive filter systems.

Local dentists attempted to use fear-mongering claiming that dental decay will increase significantly.  However their own statistics showed less than one cavity difference between fluoridated and non-fluoridated communities and several studies were provided to the council that proves when fluoridation ends, dental decay does not increase.  However, dental fluorosis rates decrease.

A mother of a child with dental fluorosis who is also the wife of a dentist made this remark about the meeting:

I personally found the minimization of dental fluorosis insulting and disconcerting.  The medical and dental folks completely avoided any reference to the costs involved (and for which dentists profit) to remedy the cosmetic issues.  My own husband has struggled with it in dealing with our own son.  Bleaching was ineffective, and I believe he has lately resorted to some manner of micro abrasion.  I don’t even want to ask him how much an off-the-street patient would be paying out of pocket for that treatment. Let it suffice to say it would be punitive over and above knowing that your child was exposed to toxic levels of any compound.

There were several parents in attendance with children that have been diagnosed with dental fluorosis, the visible sign of fluoride poisoning.  There were also those that are sensitive to fluoride that can’t ingest fluoridated water.  Going forward, parents in Windsor, Tecumseh and Lasalle will be better able to monitor their children’s fluoride exposure now that their drinking, cooking and bathing water will be free of it and the water will be safe for everyone.

Congrats to all the safe water advocates and citizens that let it be known that they want water to just be water and not a vehicle for unregulated drugs.

Video of the meeting will be available soon.