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Show Committee Will Fight Anti-Fluoride Proposition A citizens' committee has been formed to oppose proposition propo-sition H2 on the November ballot. That proposition would prohibit the addition of "fluoridation "fluor-idation or other medications" to the public water supplies. Charles W. Akerlow of Salt Lake City has been elected chairman of the committee which is composed of representatives repre-sentatives of the dental and medical societies, several women's wo-men's groups and many at-large citizens from throughout through-out Utah. Known as "Citizens for Good Health" the committee promises a vigorous campaign to defeat the referendum which Akerlow calls "a poorly drafted and potentially dangerous dan-gerous proposition." "We plan to campaign against this issue on two fronts. The first is that the wording of the referendum clearly intends not only to prohibit fluoride, but also to remove chlorine and other purifiers presently used from our drinking water. Only the most backward countries of the world do not treat their water since untreated water results in typhoid, cholera, dysentery and other major public health problems," Ak- erlow said. "We also plan to present the facts on the need to fluoridate our water system. More than half the population to the U.S. live in communities which fluoridate their water. Nationally, fluoridation has reduced cavities on an average of 60 to 65 per cent. An eight year study in Brigham City has shown a 63 per cent reduction in cavities since the fluoridation of that city's water supply. Fluoridation is completely safe. The American Dental Association, the American Medical Association and the U.S. Government, which rarely rare-ly all agree on any one thing, concur that fluorides do not endanger health or cause cancer. If Utah's water supply was fluoridated it is estimated that the average annual savings to a Utah family on dentist bills would be $100. The annual cost to that same family is about $2 to fluoridate the water supply," Akerlow said. Subcommittee chairmen also al-so elected are Howard Jorgen- sen, publicity; Orson Wright, D.D.S., speakers' bureau; Allan J. Moll, legal; Jean : Osborne, organizations; Joan Wilson, auxiliaries, and sever- ! al county chairmen. Represen- ting the various supporting -agencies are Dr. Robert K. Maddock of the Utah Medical Association; Dr. Newell Warr of the Utah Dental Associa- ; tion; Mike Murdock of the Utah Cancer Society; Joan Wilson of the Dental Auxiliary and Gail Wix of the Dental Hygienists. |