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Show Should We Be Human Guinea Pigs? 4 A request was made at the City Council meeting last week to have councilmen contact the State Board of Health conceming de-tails de-tails involved in the installation of fluoridation units for Spring-ville's Spring-ville's water supply. The service, it was stated, is without cost to the city. But townspeople should not confuse the Iree survey with the cost of installing fluoridation which would undoubtly come high. But whether or not fluoridation is costly would be neither here nor there if it would do what some dentists claim it would do elim-inat elim-inat or practically eliminate tooth decay and not have any ill effects upon the individual. -. Long ago some philosopher wisely pointed out that, "there are some remedies worse than the disease." Today after only a comparatively compara-tively few years research and scientific experimentation, dental associations asso-ciations in some parts of the country strongly advocate the fluoridation fluorida-tion of city culinary water. We may well inquire as to whether any possible good effects of fluorine upon the teeth of our citizenry may not be out-weighed by attendant ills we know not of whether or not the remedy may be worse than the disease? Everyone, would certainly be in favor of any plan that would reduce dental caries and will at the same time have no ill effects or will improve the overall health of everyone. But some well informed men maintain that the long time effects of flourine in varying amounts upon the bones and vital organs of the human body, have not as yet been ascertained. Those in favor of fluoridation of city water, will point to the little Texas town which had natural flourine in the water and the teeth of its citizens had no cavities. But that was a natural condition and not a man-made synthetic treatment of the drinking water, which plan is presently being proposed. The people of that community com-munity may have built up an immunity through the years to any ill effects of fluorine. An excess of fluorides in drinking water has been known to mottle the teeth in various American communities. Who will guarantee guar-antee that if fluoride is diluted one part to a million of water as advocated by some public health officials, that it may not have some prolonged insidious effect? We do know that fluorides are extremely corrosive and are used in etching glass. Fluorides are also used as a highly potent rat poison. Supposing this very much diluted fluoride in the drinking water had an ill effect upon one's kidneys sending some to their graves. Would it be any comfort to say that he died with a perfect set of teeth? Putting fluorine in drinking water it seems would be treating an effect rather than eliminating a cause. The prime causes of tooth decay is believed to be lack of brushing and eating certain foods. Why not launch a drive for more brushing and to eliminate these foods instead of a program which would cost thousands of dollars on an experiment? . Why should Springville or the people of this community subscribe sub-scribe to a thing before it has been adequately and absolutely proven? When noted scientists, doctors and some dentists do not agree on the biochemical principals involved in water fluoridation, there seems to be plenty of time to adopt such a program. So long as we do not know the whole effects of fluoridation over a long period of time, there seems no logical reason in submitting the entire population popula-tion to wholesale drugging. There seems to be no logical reason for initiating a plan in which townspeople may become human guinea pigs. Wholesale fluoridation of culinary water would take away the people's freedom of choice so to speak. W'hether or not one believed in having the water fluoridated, he would have to drink it. He would have no other choice. At the present time, everyone has a choice of the kind of things he desires to eat and drink, but with fluoridation of all culinary- water, that freedom would be taken away. So long as such articles as, "Doctor Takes Slaps at Fluoridation." Fluorida-tion." by Dr. J. D. Nichols of Shreveport, La. ; "Some Health Authorities Author-ities Cautious on Fluoridation," from Pittsburg Union; "Dangers of Fluorine in Our Drinking Wrater," by Dr. C. T. Betts and other items expound the ill effects of fluorine, we believe the city should proceed with caution on the issue. |