NO It's not worth the risk!!! Vote NO!

[panamaniac]

Yes, fight the global conspiracy to harm us all. Get the chlorine out of the public water supply as well.

[Razzie]

I lived in Waterloo for 26 years, and if I had a cavity, it was one or two and it would need freezing first. I've lived in Kitchener for 11 months, and I'm going in today to fix SIX tiny cavities that don't need freezing. My dentist said when she used to work at another clinic closer to Kitchener she could tell where the patients lived just by looking at the charts. Part of me wonders if the lack of fluoride is partly to blame for what I get to have fixed today.

Say what you want about it, but fluoride helps prevent tooth decay, which in the end helps prevent lots of diseases which can enter the body just because of said decay. The Record published an article a while back (http://news.therecord.com/article/295178) that has a few facts. I've also heard from some that what we call fluoride is actually a different kind of fluoride which is actually toxic waste. Part of me wonders why nobody has tried for decades to change this, and if it is toxic waste, how come we aren't trying to switch to actual fluoride and are instead focusing all our efforts on removing fluoride altogether.

[garthdanlor]

The "fluoride" that is added to our drinking water is not the same as what is in our toothpaste. Adding this stuff to our water is like adding an antibiotic to the water for the few folks who need an antibiotic. It works topically, that's why we do not swallow sunscreen.

Adding fluoride to the water supply is simply NOT the same as adding antibiotics to water as NO water management authority anywhere does this. It isn't even analogous to the use of antibiotics in livestock. Rather, it is akin to the fortification of flour, milk, and commercials cereals, etc. Support it or don't support it, but can't we ever have a discussion in the public sphere without this sort or wild rhetoric?

BTW, the CDC thinks quite highly of the practice...

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00056796.htm

[plam]

Yes, fight the global conspiracy to harm us all. Get the chlorine out of the public water supply as well.

Montreal does not flouridate water. It also does not treat water with chlorine, but instead ozonates the water. It does use some chlorine to preserve the water from the treatment centre to the tap.

I don't know about the drinking water treatment here.

I do feel that the flouridation debate is often founded on emotion, not facts.

[Peter]

On this thread, I'm reading comments from folks who repeat endorsements and opinions from dentists and others, all without facts to back up their statements. The science to prove that fluoride added to drinking water reduces cavities does not exist or is never brought forth for anyone to verify. However, science pointing to genuine risks does exist. You can read it on WaterlooWatch.com. The debate will be won or lost on verifiable science, not opinion.

[Spokes]

I lived in Waterloo for 26 years, and if I had a cavity, it was one or two and it would need freezing first. I've lived in Kitchener for 11 months, and I'm going in today to fix SIX tiny cavities that don't need freezing. My dentist said when she used to work at another clinic closer to Kitchener she could tell where the patients lived just by looking at the charts. Part of me wonders if the lack of fluoride is partly to blame for what I get to have fixed today.

Sorry but that's ridiculous. I've lived in Kitchener just about all my life and I've never had a cavity. Im not sure I'd draw that connection, but that's just me.

[zanate]

Interesting discussion, but this is probably a case of "Don't Feed The Trolls".

[WatDot]

On this thread, I'm reading comments from folks who repeat endorsements and opinions from dentists and others, all without facts to back up their statements.

Actually many dentists do not support the flouridation of water, although the Associations still stand behind it. It's an old ideology that needs re-evaluation. In the City of Waterloo a great deal of public money is spent on the flouride (industrial grade), the monitoring of it, and the replacement of treatment/distribution infrastructure because of its corrosiveness. The City of Waterloo is not one of Canada'a lower income cities where this old ideology "may potentially" make a difference. Wouldn't the money be better spent reallocating to Public Dental Health Clinics for effective dental care opposed to the hypothetical treatment of mass population which is "assumed" to consume a significant amount of tap water. It is important to note that bottled/reverse osmosis water does not have the industrial flouride within it that the City of Waterloo adds.

[Waterlooer]

Montreal does not flouridate water. It also does not treat water with chlorine, but instead ozonates the water. It does use some chlorine to preserve the water from the treatment centre to the tap.

I don't know about the drinking water treatment here.

I do feel that the flouridation debate is often founded on emotion, not facts.

I was in Montreal 2 years ago and drank some of the water from there tap... it was by far the best tasting water I've ever had from the tap, it was better than spring water. They must have done something over the last year or so to the water, because last year the tap water left a really strong/bad aftertaste and now it's not as bad. I don't like having chemicals put into my water, and it having a bad aftertaste so thats why I vote NO.

[Urban_Enthusiast86]

Yes, fight the global conspiracy to harm us all. Get the chlorine out of the public water supply as well.

Oh how I love the internet. lol

[kenneth37]

I have tested my water at an independent lab and I can tell you the dentists are lieing when they say that trace elements are undetectable in the water.
Arsenic, lead and mercury is in the water and you and I have to drink it and so do little children as well.
If you support fluoride then go to the drug store and get it.

[Urbanomicon]

I have tested my water at an independent lab and I can tell you the dentists are lieing when they say that trace elements are undetectable in the water.
Arsenic, lead and mercury is in the water and you and I have to drink it and so do little children as well.
If you support fluoride then go to the drug store and get it.

I assume you are a resident of Waterloo where the water is currently being flouridated. Have you tested the water in Kitchener (currently not flouridated) to see if the same heavy metal levels exist? Just because those elemets are present in the water system does not necessarily mean that they are the result of the flouride additive. Ground water often has traces of these and many other metals. Correlation does not establish causation.

[WatDot]

I assume you are a resident of Waterloo where the water is currently being flouridated. Have you tested the water in Kitchener (currently not flouridated) to see if the same heavy metal levels exist? Just because those elemets are present in the water system does not necessarily mean that they are the result of the flouride additive. Ground water often has traces of these and many other metals. Correlation does not establish causation.

The only problem is that the Region's water system isn't definitive. Kitchener "occassionally" receives flouridated water as does Cambridge. I have a close friend that works in the Region's water treatment. That being said, I have no opinion on the claim by Kenneth. I personally think we only need to look at the cost and rate of return to realize flouridation of water in the City of Waterloo is pointless. It's wasted money that can be better used to improve dental health of the local community through public clinics. Heck I think we'd even see a savings in tax dollars going that route.

[2kaa2]

If people are so concerned about cavities (and general overall health), they need to take some personal responsibility and actively become informed about proper oral care rather than putting their faith in in water fluoridation which, since it's inception in the 1950's, has shown little to no meaningful impact on preventing tooth decay in any epidemiological study. The dentist I go to in Stratford doesn't even recommend fluoride. Cutting edge oral care is way beyond the notion of fluoridation, topical (which has some scientific merit) or ingested through water supplies (which is ludicrous concept). People need to clean house: get proper fat soluble vitamins in their diet while stop eating/drinking so much garbage that puts their body into a state of disarray and depletes their mineral reserves. I realize this is not as easy as it once was since the government's lopsided (i.e. corn-happy) food subsidies have considerably weakened the quality of our food supply. Read Weston Price's work, all indigenous tribes he studied in the early 1900's suffered no tooth decay, however they didn't have anywhere close to the scientific knowledge and tools as we have at our disposal today. Upon adopting western lifestyle of refined carbs (i.e. white flour, sugar), their tooth decay grew rapidly. The failure of individual people to not educate themselves is no excuse to medicate the whole public, especially given that the medication in question (fluoridation) has proven utterly worthless while promoting other health damaging side effects. In the same principle, it should be reasonable to state that just because a large percentage of people are overweight with high cholesterol because of poor lifestyle, does not make it right to force everyone to take statins. By the way, to Garthdanlor who feels that the CDC's endorsements should blindly be trusted: H1N1 fiasco!! Wake up, get used to the idea that the priorities of governing health bodies do not always align with its citizens. Don't pretend that the government has never lied to us before. It's time we became a lot less passive and a lot more discerning of what we are fed through government and media.

[neonjoe]

I think this is almost a non issue, who in this day and age actually drinks tap water as is. The water is really not too good tasting, albeit worse in Waterloo than Kitchener. I live in South Kitchener and I myself do not drink the water untreated, heck my cat won't either, she just sticks her nose up to it unless it bottled or water from my filtered faucett. If an animal with a stronger sense of smell doesn't like it, there's something wrong, and this is water without fluoridation. I had my tap water tested and eventually installed an RO system.

All in all I would say it probably doesn't matter if it's fluoridated or not, the water is foul either way, one just a bit worse than the other. In this region since the water is so hard you should really treat it yourself before consuming it.

[garthdanlor]

By the way, to Garthdanlor who feels that the CDC's endorsements should blindly be trusted: H1N1 fiasco!! Wake up, get used to the idea that the priorities of governing health bodies do not always align with its citizens. Don't pretend that the government has never lied to us before. It's time we became a lot less passive and a lot more discerning of what we are fed through government and media.

I'm actually undecided on the issue as I am attempting to look at the evidence, pro and contra, before deciding. It gets quite difficult to do this with all the hyperbole flying about (most of it coming from the single issue, first time posters like you). You don't like the CDC endorsement, then that is fine, but don't you think your arguments would hold more weight without the government conspiracy angle???

[fin2limb]

I think this is almost a non issue, who in this day and age actually drinks tap water as is. The water is really not too good tasting, albeit worse in Waterloo than Kitchener. I live in South Kitchener and I myself do not drink the water untreated, heck my cat won't either, she just sticks her nose up to it unless it bottled or water from my filtered faucett. If an animal with a stronger sense of smell doesn't like it, there's something wrong, and this is water without fluoridation. I had my tap water tested and eventually installed an RO system.

All in all I would say it probably doesn't matter if it's fluoridated or not, the water is foul either way, one just a bit worse than the other. In this region since the water is so hard you should really treat it yourself before consuming it.

Oh c'mon. Kitchener's water is not that bad. I drink the tap water all the time. And this is coming from a guy that survived the Walkerton E Coli tragedy. I don't claim to be an expert on this subject. Actually I'll admit I don't know too much about it. But in my opinion, drinking water should only be treated for bacteria and any pathogens that may be harmful to our health. Like someone said above, preventative oral care should be your responsibility not the City's, i.e., brush and floss your teeth daily, rinse with Listerine and visit your dentist regularly.

[plam]

I realize this is not as easy as it once was since the government's lopsided (i.e. corn-happy) food subsidies have considerably weakened the quality of our food supply.

Corn subsidies are in the US, not here, which is partly why the box of Smarties in front of me does not contain high-fructose corn syrup. There have been trade disputes where Canadian farmers have complained about US corn subsidies (and we put a tariff on imported US corn). CDC is also American.

On another note, I do drink tap water. Works fine for me. It's one of those things people like to complain about, it seems. I don't think that filters actually do anything, and one should definitely not drink water that's been through a water softener, since that water is high in sodium. Reverse osmosis should be fine (but I don't think it's particularly useful).

[Osiris]

Oh c'mon. Kitchener's water is not that bad. I drink the tap water all the time. And this is coming from a guy that survived the Walkerton E Coli tragedy. I don't claim to be an expert on this subject. Actually I'll admit I don't know too much about it. But in my opinion, drinking water should only be treated for bacteria and any pathogens that may be harmful to our health. Like someone said above, preventative oral care should be your responsibility not the City's, i.e., brush and floss your teeth daily, rinse with Listerine and visit your dentist regularly.

Nice to see a fellow Walkertonian around here. I also drink tap water all the time and agree with your basic point - the onus is on us to keep ourselves healthy.

Also to the "Who drinks tap water anymore?" folk - most of you who buy bottled water do. Unless you've got your own RO system installed, there is a really good chance you're simply overpaying for a company to bottle and deliver another town's water.