Lee County Utilities Begins Fluoridation

Lee County Utilities Begins Water Fluoridation *Joins Majority Of Nation In Fight Against Childhood and Adult Dental Cavities*
by Michael Barnaby
Beginning the first week of February, approximately 100,000 more Lee County residents can expect decreased levels of tooth decay in their children’s futures, thanks to the addition of fluoride to the Lee County Utilities water supply. Without fanfare, a small pump will begin mixing minute amounts of fluorosilicic acid with the water treated at the utility’s Olga and Alico Road (Corkscrew) plants, amounts so small that they’re measured in parts per million (ppm). (Note: former Florida Cities Water customers are not affected at this time). The addition of fluoride will bring levels in the drinking water up to standards considered by health authorities to be effective in fighting tooth decay, joining over 100 million other Americans with the protection of fluoridated water. "We’ve been living in the 1950’s here as far as children’s tooth decay goes," says Doctor Roy Green, a pediatric dentist with the Barkley Circle Dental Center, which specializes in children’s dental care. Doctor Green has "Florida’s east coast has had fluoridated water for the last 30-40 years," says the long time advocate of fluoridating water supplies when necessary. "I talk to colleagues over there and they tell me, for instance, that stainless steel crowns are almost unheard of, while here we could do 10 or 15 a day." As of 1995, 62 per cent of all Americans served by public water systems, or over 144 million people, were supplied with water containing enough fluoride to protect their teeth against decay.
	The addition of fluoride will bring levels in the drinking water up to standards considered by health authorities to be effective in fighting tooth decay, joining over 100 million other Americans with the protection of fluoridated water.
Health Department Spearheads Fluoridation Drive Florida Department of Health studies for many years have indicated very low fluoride levels in some county waters, with amounts as low as 0.04 ppm. In 1997 Dr. Judith Hartner, Lee County Health Department Director, joined with the Lee County Dental Society and Dr. Green in approaching Lee County Utilities and the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC). Together they requested that the water be fluoridated, and in July 1997 their request was approved by the board. "Water fluoridation is the most cost-effective and efficient means of preventing tooth decay," states Hartner, calling it "a remarkable achievement, one of the great preventive health measures of the twentieth century." In a memo sent to all area dentists this month, she notes that children living in areas served by Lee County Utilities or the City of Fort Myers should no longer take fluoride supplements, cautioning that families should monitor the amount of fluoridated toothpaste or mouth washes and rinses used by their children. From ‘Colorado Brown Stain’ To Dental Weapon Fluoride is the seventeenth most common element in the earth’s crust, present in groundwater naturally in trace concentrations. Its beneficial effects were first observed in 1901 by Doctor Frederick McKay, a Colorado dentist who began studying mysterious discoloration known locally as "Colorado Brown on area children’s teeth." Inexplicably, these children’s teeth were resistant to decay. Years of research by McKay and many others followed, until it was clearly understood that fluoride increases the resistance of tooth enamel to the acids that begin tooth decay in the mouth. In 1936 an optimum level of fluoride in water was established, and finally in 1945 Grand Rapids, Michigan became the first city in the world to fluoridate its drinking water. From the start, researchers began monitoring the rate of tooth decay among the city’s almost 30,000 schoolchildren. After eleven years, the dental caries, or cavity, rate of Grand Rapids children born after fluoridation began had dropped more than 60 per cent. Fluoridation had established itself as a major scientific breakthrough, making tooth decay, for the first time in history, a preventable disease for most people. Fluorosis and the Vocal Minority ‘Colorado Brown Stain’ was eventually traced to a condition known as fluorosis. Dental fluorosis - white or brown spots on tooth enamel - can develop on primary (baby) teeth that are exposed to excessively high levels of fluorine when the enamel is first forming. Once enamel has formed, fluorosis can no longer occur. Light spots on teeth that can be detected only by a dentist or dental hygienist represent its mildest forms. The American Dental Association reports that approximately 94 percent of all dental fluorosis is of the mild or very mild type, and is considered a minor cosmetic effect not considered harmful to health. Since the 1950s, opposition to public water fluoridation has ranged from those concerned that it limits freedom of choice to those claiming that fluoridation causes everything from cancer to Down Syndrome, heart disease, osteoporosis and AIDS, among other things. The Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), citing the work of the National Research Council, states that, "The safety and effectiveness of water fluoridation have been re-evaluated frequently, and no credible evidence supports an association between fluoridation and any of these conditions."
"a remarkable achievement, one of the great preventive health measures of the twentieth century."
Locally, Ken Case has been a long-time, vocal opponent to fluoridation. "I’m very concerned about the amounts of fluoride infants would receive if given formula reconstituted with fluoridated water," he says. A media specialist with North Fort Myers High, he’s compiled a large volume of materials on the subject. "My feeling is, if there’s a question – don’t do it [fluoridate]." Always Natural, Sometimes Supplemented Fluorine is a naturally occurring element, present in trace amounts in groundwater. Much of our area water contains sufficient levels, but not all. Sometimes this lack of fluoride is natural, but not always. "Natural fluoride levels in our local wells has dropped between 20 and 30 per cent over the past 20 years due to increased pumping and usage. The water doesn’t have an opportunity to recharge fluoride levels," explains Dr. Green. Levels of between 0.7 – 1.0 ppm have been shown repeatedly to be effective in decreasing tooth decay between eight and thirty seven per cent in adolescents and twenty to forty per cent in adults. These levels, or amounts considered sufficient, are present in water supplies tested in Bonita Springs and Cape Coral. The City of Fort Myers has fluoridated its drinking water for many years. Byron Weightman, Plant Superintendent at the Fort Myers treatment plant, says that their system services 48,000 individuals, "and I’ve never received a consumer fluoridation complaint in the sixteen years I’ve been here." Jerry Ma, a Professional Engineer at the health department’s Environmental Engineering division, reports that Lee County’s drinking water comes from two sources - wells and the Caloosahatchee River. He adds that at least ten different companies own and operate treatment plants. "We review the plants’ records on a monthly basis. If a water plant is fluoridating, they have to check fluorine levels every day. And monthly samples are sent to a Department of Health certified lab." Companies must also file monthly operating reports with the department; further, every year the county lists the varying fluoride levels in its Consumer Confidence Report. Keith Kibbey, Director of the Lee County Environmental Laboratory, will test samples from home owners who are concerned about the level of fluoride in their well water. Although there is a fee for the service, it offers valuable information for consumers. Their phone number is 278-7070.
For Further Information More information on fluoride can be found on these and many other websites: The American Dental Association (ADA) – http://www.ada.org Centers for Disease Control (CDC) - http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/oh/flintro.htm	Caloosahatchee River - Drinking Water Source