Remove fluoride from Newport’s drinking water
Ahoy! A few years ago I attended a Newport City Council meeting to ask the Council to ban the sale of mylar balloons in Newport, as they seem to all end up being released to eventually float around on the ocean.
Another item on the docket that day was the issue of fluoride being added to our drinking water supply. The gentleman (I forget his name) who presented factual research that fluoride is carcinogenic and banned in most European countries presented a good case for eliminating this man-made compound from our water. (Fluorine is a natural compound that was found in a mountainous region of Mexico to prevent tooth decay, and apparently is not a carcinogen.) The Council did not take heed, and fluoride is still added to our drinking water.
On Dec. 17, USA Today had a front page story about toxins in our water supplies, focusing on PFOAs produced by 3M, DuPont and other companies. These compounds have been found in water supplies around the country and can form a unique bond with fluoride that does not biodegrade over time. Recent studies have shown that even the EPA’s limit of 70 parts per trillion present in drinking water elevates your chances of getting kidney cancer by 16%.
The risk outweighs the benefit, and since fluoride is readily available in toothpaste, there is no excuse for this carcinogen to be added to our drinking water. I urge my fellow citizens to pressure the City Council to come to its senses and stop adding fluoride to our water — unless you prefer kidney cancer over cavities?
Oh, by the way — the Council took no action to ban Mylar balloons, which are still floating around the ocean and washing up on our beaches.
Casey Fasciano, Newport