Adults benefit from fluoride, too
Several letters to your newspaper have incorrectly stated that community water fluoridation only benefits children. I am here to tell you that as a 66-year-old woman (I am not embarrassed to say my age!), I too will benefit! Those of us in the second half of our lives face all kinds of health challenges that come with age, and sadly often our dental health is put at the bottom of the list.
The truth is that everybody who drinks fluoridated water benefits from it. Fluoride is key for good oral health throughout a lifetime. Decay rates in areas with fluoridated water can be up to 40 percent less than decay rates in unfluoridated areas.
Drinking water with adequate fluoride is particularly important for us seniors because it helps us keep our teeth and reduces our need for expensive restorative care. We are at a high risk for many forms of dental disease because many of us suffer from receding gums or take medications that interfere with our body’s ability to bring minerals to the teeth. Fluoridated water is proven to substantially reduce decay under both conditions.
So, Skagit County PUD, when are you going to follow the will of the voters and the Board of Health? Fluoridation is not a question of “if”; it’s a matter of “when.” The PUD’s lack of action is costing all of us money and our health is being compromised! Start fluoridating now
Rita Vander Stoep
La Conner
PSE ownership: A matter of power
Points to ponder involving the sale of Puget Sound Energy:
As a former employee of said company, my opinion is that we are selling off the U.S. bit by bit. I was there during the confusing/frustrating downsizing trend. A foreign sale could make downsizing look like a cake walk. What happens to the shrinking value of the U.S. dollar (In God We Trust); environmental issues; resale options; workers injured on the job; retirement pensions, etc.?
Your vote determines the outcome of your future power options and resources.
Karen Smith
Concrete
Don’t litter in or along our rivers
This letter is regarding the fishermen and women who litter. They should carry out what they bring to the rivers. It seems that if they can carry out a fish, they can figure out how to carry out their garbage.
We all need to take care of where we live and play.
Gretchen Pickett
Bow
Crucial to stop fluoridation plan
Fluoride needs to be a choice, not forced consumption. Stopping the plan to put fluoride in all county water is the most important issue in Skagit County for me and many others. Thousands of people share my horror of fluoride, as evidenced by the people who turned out for a public meeting at Burlington-Edison High School.
My doctor strongly advocates against fluoride. My current water filter will need to be replaced with a special one that will cost more than $650. European countries are removing fluoride systems.
Even supporters of fluoride are not touting the benefits of us bathing in fluoride, which cannot be avoided if county water is fluoridated. Skin is an organ that absorbs. What about the effect of fluoride on pets or the elderly or those with compromised health such as kidney disease?
Children younger than 6 months old should not have fluoride, according to the American Dental Association. Formula mixed in tap water with fluoride causes fluorosis, discoloration of the teeth.
Haggen’s pharmacy provides free fluoride drops to anyone with a prescription. However, dosage is crucial in order to avoid fluorosis.
The fluoride issue is so important to me. I have been speaking to county commissioner candidates. Since your health is at stake, please speak up.
Sharon Dillon deserves our undying support as the only commissioner who voted against fluoride. I thank her and the PUD board, which wisely opposes it as well.
Let’s have clean water for Skagit County. No fluoride!
Bonnie Dawson
Mount Vernon
