Perhaps sensing that a majority of city council may be siding with advocates of ending the long-standing practice of adding fluoride to Windsor’s drinking water to fight cavities, local health authorities are fighting back.
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit is hosting a news conference today at 1 p.m. on the issue of fluoridation of Windsor’s water. Health unit CEO and acting associate medical officer Dr. Gary Kirk and Dr. Frank Charles, a local dentist and past president and senior advisor to the Essex County Dental Society, will be answering questions from the media.
A large turnout is expected on Monday night when city council hosts a special meeting to decide on whether Windsor joins a growing number of municipalities opting out of the 60-year-old practice. The Windsor Utilities Commission board is recommending an end.
In a news release dated Thursday, the health unit said it’s “position is that fluoridating a community’s water supply is a safe, effective, economical, equitable, and ethical practice, and should be continued. It’s the least expensive way to help the at-risk population meet their dental care needs, as 33 per cent of the local population has no dental insurance.”
It says a local anti-fluoride group “has been very vocal on the topic, especially through social media. The concern is that this small advocacy group in social media (364 Liked on Facebook) may influence a decision that will impact hundreds of thousands of Windsor, Tecumseh, and LaSalle residents.”
The health unit claims that “a lot of information being shared through our community isn’t supported by research.” It recommends that people read “the scientific evidence on our website that disputes anti-fluoride claims.”
Mayor Eddie Francis, Ward 8 Coun. Bill Marra, who chairs WUC, and a number of other city councillors have already stated publicly they will vote for an end to fluoridation.
Opponents claim the fluoride compound being used in Windsor’s water, hydrofluorosilicic acid, which is sourced from industrial scrubbers, has never been properly tested for its health impacts when ingested by humans. They also point to research indicating a range of potential negative health impacts.
Read more about the opposition (and join the lively debate in the comments section that follows) in Anne Jarvis’s column in today’s Windsor Star, “The yucky origin of fluoride.”
Kirk and local medical officer of health Dr. Allen Heimann will be among the proponents speaking at Monday’s special meeting.
“They will recommend that the City of Windsor continue to add fluoride to the city’s public water supply,” says the health unit’s media release.
dschmidt@windsorstar. com or: @schmidtcity
