Kalispell, Billings to vote on fluoridation

By the Associated Press
Missoulian News

BILLINGS, Montana - 10/28/02 - Voters here, as in Kalispell, are being asked whether their drinking water should be augmented with fluoride, touching off a debate on the additive.

Some dentists say fluoride is an easy public health fix, while opponents say it subjects city residents to forced medication.

Proponents say fluoride has been used safely for 50 years to reduce tooth decay. The worst danger, if ingested in higher dosages than is recommended, is some staining of teeth.

Opponents say water fluoridation does not reduce tooth decay, adds to already high levels of fluoride most people get and makes use of a toxic waste.

The people of Billings and Kalispell have less than two weeks to sort through the mountains of conflicting claims before voting Nov. 5.

In Billings, the matter was referred to voters after a city council decision to add fluoride to the water drew criticism.

Billings voters have defeated fluoridation proposals twice before - by 3,070 votes in 1967 and by 555 votes in 1982.

Kris Decker said she joined opposition to the plan after reading in a parents magazine about the high levels of fluoride already present in some foods like fruit juices.

"It really goes against my ethics of trying to lead a simple life, a good, clean, simple life," she said.

Mae Woo, a retired dentist, said fluoridation is a vast con job being foisted on the American public by government and industry.

"Unnecessary forced medication, especially with untested industrial waste, is immoral and is a disservice to our community," she said.

Fluoride is naturally present in the Yellowstone River, the source of city water at about 0.4 parts per million. The fluoridation program would boost that to 0.7-1.2 parts per million.

In Kalispell, the question appears as a ballot initiative. And as in Billings, both sides are citing scientific studies to support their respective positions.

"What people are getting from the American Dental Association is only part of the picture," said Ann Waltz, a naturopathic physician in Kalispell.

But many dentists support the idea.

"In any community, the whole strategy of fluoride opponents is to bring up multiple issues that create doubts and fears," said Bill Jones, the Kalispell dentist who spearheaded the petition drive that put fluoridation on the ballot. "I'd like to see these people get off their brooms and stop scaring everyone."