Largest U.S. cities favor fluoride
By ADAM CANDEE Sun Staff Reporter 10/21/2001

Will Flagstaff be rubbing shoulders and shaking hands with New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago? It certainly sounds unusual.

But that could be exactly where the city finds itself, should it choose to fluoridate its drinking water for the second time in city history on Nov. 6.

A recent study by the National Center for Fluoridation Policy and Research indicates that 86 percent of America's 50 largest cities either fluoridate their water or have plans to do so in the near future. From as far back as 1949 in Charlotte, N.C., all the way up to 2000 in San Diego, major communities throughout the country have accepted fluoride in their drinking water as safe and beneficial.

"Fluoridating the water will not entirely close the disparity between better-off and poorer people, but it is a help and doesn't cost much," said Dr. Brian Burt, a public health researcher at the University of Michigan who recently contributed to U.S. Centers for Disease Control Studies.

On a national level, the trend appears to be almost uniformly in favor of the addition of fluoride to water supplies. Currently, there are nearly 150 million Americans receiving fluoridated water through their faucets, and at least 7 million of those only began ingesting the fluoride within the past two years.

Almost 56 percent of the U.S. population drinks fluoridated water, and that number increases 6 percent for those receiving fluoridated water through public water systems.

This is in part according to the CDC's 1992 fluoridation census, the most recent sweeping look at fluoridation throughout the country.

Los Angeles, San Diego and San Antonio -- the second-, seventh- and ninth-largest American cities, respectively -- are among the new additions to the fluoride ranks in the past 24 months.

Endorsements from the CDC, the Environmental Protection Agency, and numerous dental and oral health groups appear to allay fears of negative effects of fluoride compounds in drinking water, according to the current national mode.

"If the people of Flagstaff do not wish to fluoridate their water, then I would ask them, 'Are they willing to pay more taxes to fund the local public health department to help look after the dental needs of their poor?'" Burt said.

Opposition to fluoride -- and its other forms, such as hydrofluosilicic acid -- has become more vocal and organized in recent years. 

National groups willing to step in on local levels, such as Citizens for Safe Drinking Water, are attempting to boost awareness of what they consider to be, among other things, an industrial pollutant pawned off on the populace by businesses and government unwilling to go through proper disposal.

Citizens for Safe Drinking Water is a national outfit based in San Diego, and it branches into the local group of Flagstaff Citizens for Safe Drinking Water.

Anti-fluoridation folks purport that ingestion of fluoride is not necessary to promote healthy teeth, but that topical application through toothpaste and excess fluoride received in food products is more than enough for people. There are also claims of links to injury and disease.

Jacksonville, Fla., the country's 14th-biggest city with more than 700,000 residents, is the most populous fluoride-free zone in the country. 

Reporter Adam Candee can be reached at 556-2262 or acandee@azdailysun.com.