Mayor Charlie Hales expressed his disappointment in a statement. “The measure lost despite my own ‘yes’ vote.That’s sure disappointing, but I accept the will of the voters.”
Portland voters first turned down fluoridation when the process began in the 1950′s, and again during the 1960′s. It was briefly approved in 1978, however that plan was overturned two years later, before any fluoride was ever added to the water.
After rumors of backroom deals between the City Council and fluoridation supporters emerged, clean water activists sprung to action. In response to last years city council vote to begin fluoridating water serving 900,000 citizens, protestors organized efforts to bring the issue to the public for a vote. After gathering over 40,000 signatures the measure was brought forth.
The issue also wound up politicizing a statewide health report that showed falling cavity and tooth decay rates in the state over the past five years. One of the report’s authors said she felt pressure by Upstream Health, the group spearheading fluoridation efforts, to present the findings in a certain way.
“The percentage of children who already had a cavity fell from 64 to 52 statewide, according to the survey. That represents a drop of nearly one-fifth.
The percentage of children with untreated decay also declined from 36 to 20 statewide, the survey found. That’s down by nearly half.
And the other major measure, rampant decay — which is defined as seven treated or untreated cavities — fell from 20 percent to 14 percent statewide. That’s down by about one-third. “
With this latest rejection Portland becomes the largest city in the United States that does not add fluoride to the water. Speaking to the Portland Tribune, Kim Kaminski, leader of Clean Water Portland said, “At a very fundamental level, people understand that we don’t want more chemicals in our water.”
This year marks the 68th anniversary of fluoridation – the first U.S. city to adjust the fluoride levels in its water supply was Grand Rapids, Mich. on January 25, 1945, according to the American Dental Association.
Despite the fact that most mainstream health organizations, including the American Medical Association, endorse fluoridation over 200 communities have rejected the practice in recent years. Opponents of fluoridation in Portland worry by adding fluoride to the water it will ruin the city’s famously pristine water supply, as well as violate an individuals civil liberties, by forced medicating through the water.
Portlands stance against water fluoridation has become an attacking point for many publications around the country. Accusations of being anti-science, or a conspiracy theorist abound for those opposing the controversial practice.
Despite a recent Salon article that claims the Fluoride Free movement is “Without a study to stand on” there are a number of studies that show a variety of health concerns . The article also states, “The (fluoride) ion occurs naturally in ground water in varying levels, some that are in fact too high.” While this claim is true it is also misleading.
When a city chooses to add “fluoride” to the water supply they are actually adding the toxic substance hydrofluorosilic acid. Hydrofluorosilic acid is a by-product of phosphate mining, and if not for cities purchasing the substance for millions of dollars, it would have to be disposed of at a hefty cost to the producer.
The history books are filled with examples of medical and scientific practices that were seen as safe at one point only to be demonized later. The early critics of any common practice are often ridiculed until new evidence creates a shift in understanding and future practices. When it comes to water fluoridation we are dealing with a similar situation.
For more information on the dangers of water fluoridation and how you can get involved please check out the Fluoride Action Network. (www.fluoridealert.org)
1.3 million people do not have safe, clean drinking water after the city of Montreal issued a boil water advisory.
The water throughout most of the island — the entire borough of St. Laurent, from LaSalle to Pointe aux Trembles and everywhere in between — is not safe to drink.
Water throughout the boroughs of Anjou, Villeray and St. Leonard, while north of the Metropolitan, is also unsafe, as is water in the towns of Mount Royal, Hampstead, Westmount, Cote Saint Luc, Montreal East, Montreal West and the off-island town of Charlemagne.
The city is advising everyone affected to boil their water for 60 seconds before consuming, using it for brushing teeth, or for cooking or washing food.
Officials say any water that has been stored since last night, either in pitchers, used in ice cubes, or something similar should be thrown out.
Non-boiled water can be safely used for washing clothes or for bathing.
“This is strictly a preventative measure at this point. We didn’t notice any bacterial contamination the water — strictly turbidity, just sediment,” said Gordon Routley Division Chief of the Montreal fire department.
In what could be described as a victory for the health and well-being of our children, it has been reported in the Jerusalem Post that Israel will now stop forcing local authorities to add Fluoride into their drinking water supplies.
Israel’s Health Minister, Yael German, has taken this drastic step to ensure that the residents of Israel are not forced to ingest fluoride with every drop of water they drink, but rather use tools such as education as a means of protecting children’s teeth.
To read the article published by the Jerusalem Post in its entirety, click here.
For more information about the dangers water fluoridation process to our health and well-being,click here.
Author Bio
Andrew Puhanic is the founder of the Globalist Report. The aim of the GlobalistReport is to provide current, relevant and informative information about the Globalists and Globalist Agenda. You can contact Andrew directly by visiting the Globalist Report.
Research shows that fluoride chemicals added to U.S. public water supplies are not reducing tooth decay as promoted and promised by government agencies,
Using federal statistics, the West Virginia University Rural Health Research Center reports that urban U.S. children, with more exposure to fluoridated water and dental care, have just as many cavities as less fluoridation-exposed rural children. (1)
The researchers write: “For children’s dental health measures, it was found that fluoridation rates were not significantly related to the measures of either caries or overall condition of the teeth for urban or rural areas.”
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says fluoridation reduces tooth decay. But, this study and others shows it hasn’t. Tooth decay crises are occurring in all fluoridated cities, states and countries. And, the CDC reports the incidence and severity of children’s primary tooth decay recently increased.
“Fortunes are wasted on fluoridation schemes that fail to prevent cavities while unnecessarily exposing children to fluoride’s adverse drug effects,” says attorney Paul Beeber, NYSCOF President.
New York City spends millions of dollars annually on fluoridation. Yet another study proves fluoridation fails in NYC also.
NYC’s Chinese-American 2-to-11-year-olds, living in the low-income area of Manhattan’s Chinatown have much more primary tooth decay when compared to white and other minority groups nationally (NYS Dental Journal June/July 2011).
Most of NYC’s Chinese-American children are U.S. born – 63% have primary tooth decay compared to only 38% of children in a national study.
The authors write, “This high prevalence of caries in the primary dentition is also similar to a national survey of children in mainland China, where three out of four children were found to be affected by caries in primary teeth,” averaging about 5 decayed teeth.
Chinese-American children in fluoridated Oakland, California, suffer the same fate and can have from 6-20 cavities in their mouths. About 2,000 need costly sedation to be treated, according to the California Health Report. (April 15, 2012)
By now many of you are aware of the fluoridation of our water supply. Ottawa still fluoridates, but luckily there is a growing anti-fluoride movement. It may surprise some to learn that most of Europe has abandoned this practice.
Andrew Puhanic, Contributor |
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