Medford Mail Tribune –April 4, 2007
Fluoride bill back before Legislature
By Don Jepsen for the Mail Tribune
SALEM — The biennial battle over fluoridation to promote dental health surfaced again Tuesday in the Legislature.
The Health Care Subcommittee on Health Policy held the first public hearing on a bill mandating that municipal water systems serving 10,000 or more customers add fluoride to their drinking water. Invited testimony only was taken, with each side limited to approximately 50 minutes.
Opponents and proponents worked the halls of the Capitol prior to the hearing, offering up studies and position papers pro and con on the emotionally charged issue and giving media interviews.
The Department of Human Services is taking a more public role this session on fluoridation. The Office of Public Health, a division of DHS, is actively lobbying for passage of the measure.
Also heavily involved is the American Dental Association, which has hired a Portland consulting firm to push House Bill 3099. A similar bill passed the House in 2005 but never got out of committee on the Senate side.
At least one Jackson County legislator is not on board. Sen. Alan Bates, D-Ashland, a physician, said nothing prohibits cities from adding the chemical to drinking water.
"My real concern is that we are trying to pre-empt local governments," Bates said. He also cites conflicting reports on the efficacy of fluoride in preventing dental caries plus studies on potential health hazards.
The one cited most frequently by opponents is a Harvard University survey showing an increased risk of teenage boys developing bone cancer as a result of drinking fluoridated water.
City councils in Ashland and Medford have passed resolutions opposing fluoridation. Other large cities that do not treat their drinking water include Portland, Eugene and Bend.
"Until the conflicts are resolved, we should leave it up to local communities whether to add fluoride to their water supplies," Bates said.
Medford lobbyist Cindy Robert had signed up to testify in opposition to the bill, but was not called upon.
Later she predicted that it would clear the committee, but said it faces an uncertain future in the House. "And I don't believe the votes are there in the Senate," she said.
It would cost Medford between $2.5 and $3 million to install the proper treatment equipment, Robert said.
Local residents have been circulating petitions since 2003 to get the issue on the local ballot, but have yet to turn in the required number of signatures.
Dr. Howard Pollick, a clinical professor at the University of California San Francisco's Dental School, testified on behalf of the ADA. In an interview, Pollick said more than 100 health-related organizations support fluoridation.
Also opposing the bill was Oregon Citizens for Safe Drinking Water, a Lake Oswego organization, and a number of cardiologists and dentists from around the state.
