The City Council yesterday ended the debate over whether O'ahu's water supply should be fluoridated, voting 7-2 to ban the cavity-fighting chemical.
Two dozen residents who supported the ban applauded the decision in the council chamber, while medical and dental professionals were disappointed.
"There's nothing wrong with our water. It's great. Let's keep it that way," said Hesh Goldstein, a community member who opposes fluoridation.
Honolulu is one of four cities among the nation's 50 largest cities to not have fluoridated water, according to the National Center for Fluoridation Policy and Research.
The bill bans the addition of fluoride and other chemicals to O'ahu's drinking water, except for substances needed to keep the water supply safe.
The Honolulu Board of Water Supply adds small amounts of chlorine to disinfect water from certain sources, spokeswoman Tracy Burgo said. The board adds 0.05 to 0.1 milligrams of chlorine per liter of water; by the time it comes out of the tap, it is no more than 0.05 milligrams per liter, Burgo said. Not all water is chlorinated.
Since there is no fluoridation bill under consideration at the state level, some health professionals urged the council to think longer before ending a debate that has spanned some 50 years.
"Voting no today does not mean tomorrow the water will be fluoridated," said Stacy Evenson of the Hawaii Medical Service Association, which opposed the bill.
Councilmen Charles Djou and Nestor Garcia voted against the fluoride ban, citing concerns by dentists and doctors.
However, the other seven council members were persuaded by residents who argued that fluoride could cause negative health effects and would affect water quality. Doris Dalldorf said that when she lived in Fresno, Calif., the fluoridated water "tasted like chlorine and worse."
Some fluoridation opponents pointed out that they object only to the chemical being added to drinking water, not to its use overall, such as in toothpaste or via prescription. "We're not saying fluoride does not prevent tooth decay," said resident Carol Lent. "We would just like the opportunity to apply it ourselves."
April Cockrell said nobody knows what kind of effect fluoride will have in the long term. Money that would be spent to add fluoride to the water supply would be better spent by subsidizing dental care or educating children about dental hygiene, Cockrell said.
Representatives from the Hawaii Dental Association, HMSA, the Dental Division of the state Department of Health, and the Academy of Pediatrics unsuccessfully tried to convince the council to keep its options open.
They pointed out there have been no proven health risks and great benefits. They argued that Honolulu should consider fluoridation as a passive method of preventing dental decay. Evensen called it "one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century."
But Councilwoman Barbara Marshall said the debate over fluoridation has been going on for decades. She pointed out that previously approved drugs, such as Thalidomide, have turned out to have very negative effects. "We need to rely on experts, but sometimes we also need to use common sense," she said.
adding medicine to the water is wrong. fluoride is a by product of making fertilizer, it is also used in some rodent poison. what are the effects of breathing the steam in a shower, what are the effect when ones baths in it, what is the amount children should drink, what is the effect on children that breathe the steam, what are the effects of children that bath in it( swim in it), what about pregnant woman should drink, breathe, bath. come on seriously do we need this in our water. does the city send out warning for infants and pregnant woman. seriously they put a chemical in the water that the Ada says that infants should not drink. what do you think mothers use to make formula with. do you have any proof that these issues have been studied. what about all the people that have wells do they have increased tooth decay because their water does not contain fluoride. show me the actaul studies on these questions, i bet you can not find any! seriously prove what you say! and what about the enviroment, with watering grass, gardens, washing houses and cars.
didn't they used lead paint, pencils, pipes, cans and asbestos (in our schools as a matter of fact) before they found out this stuff is bad to use. what about prescription drugs they used for years before they found out they harm us. every hear about how everyone has plastic in their bodies because of all the plastics we use in our food production. did they study if this was bad for us before they used it, NO they did not! that's my point. maybe we need to be responsible for our own health and not rely on the government to do if for us..
I'll not argue the chlorine but fluoride is not necessary for safe water, period! if you want healthy teeth take care of your own teeth and stop putting chemicals in our water! read your toothpaste package, if your child swallows more then a tooth brush full you are to call poison control. the only active ingredient is sodium fluoride! go on, go in your bathroom and read the tube of toothpaste. it has the poison control number right on the tube! how much fluoride is in a tooth brush full. how many bottles does a new born drink a day. seriously do you really think that we need this chemical in our water. with all the tooth care products out there.
