Thanks so much to the Daily Press for giving needed transparency to this local/regional water-medication challenge in your very fair and balanced report (“On the water front,” Jan. 19, page 1).
I think you’ve bravely helped raise public consciousness by your giving this excellent coverage for this health safety challenge and the mass-medication delivery system via our water supplies.
Along with many other citizens, unless this entire plan is abandoned — or is, at least, thoroughly scrutinized and budgeted for independent risk assessments (including costs) — I feel the City of Santa Monica government, the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) of Southern California, and our citizen population shall realize (too late?) that this entire (political) water process is a huge mistake. Call it a huge lapse in good judgment — something that could easily have been corrected? (Like ... right now?)
Evidence of such a perceived lapse, in my view, is the present metal-to-floor political machinery that apparently ignores new health safety warnings from the U.S. National Research Council (NRC).
As I believe your comprehensive article hints, the NRC found exposure of infants and young children to artificially fluoridated water entails more health risk. What’s equally amazing is even the American Dental Association’s quiet recommendation in November appears virtually ignored locally/regionally by local governments.
The ADA e-mail alert to its members clearly cautions about parents mixing fluoridated water with infant formula.
The potential legal liability for ignoring such NRC and ADA warnings appears in need of immediate assessment — in my non-attorney observation — by the city and the huge MWD water agency.
Continued complacency now could spell real trouble downstream — not to mention potential taxpayer expense?
A careful reading of your excellent article, I find, contains the necessary links for inspiring more needed inquiry/action about these urgent health and due diligence matters.
Gene Burke Founder, Santa Monicans for Safe Drinking Water Coalition
‘Rock’ solid information
Editor:
(Re: “On the water front,” Jan. 19, page 1)
Ninety-two percent of U.S. fluoridated water is treated with fluosilicic acid, a by-product collected in processes used to convert “phosphate rock” into phosphate fertilizer and recover uranium also in that rock.
M.J. Coplan Massachusetts registered professional engineer
