Top photo, staffers at Hixson Utility District raise a flag prior to a December 2016 board meeting at which utility overseers declared support for use of fluoride, a government-approved industrial waste additive in otherwise potable drinking water. (Photo David Tulis)

Top photo, staffers at Hixson Utility District raise a federal flag prior to a December 2016 board meeting at which utility overseers declare support for fluoride, a government-approved industrial waste additive in its sole product, potable water. Lower photo, from left, Jeff Davis, Greg Butler, Rebecca Hunter and Ken Rich. All are voting members except for Mr. Butler, who is general manager. (Photo David Tulis)

Hixson Utility District board

The logical fallacies embedded in the arguments of proponents of fluoridation are rooted in the misrepresentations of fact and the denial of volumes of peer reviewed 21st century science.

There are intelligent and educated people who have been convinced the outdated policy of community water fluoridation has ONLY BENEFITS for the teeth, while DENYING ANY RISK it may have for certain people.

By Karen Spencer

Let’s make it easy for Hixson residents and customers of Hixson Utility District: There is no doubt fluoridation is a harmful risk to many in the population.

If you believe that women deserve equal pay, then you should oppose fluoridation because fluoridation results in unequal doses of a poison based on personal water consumption, individual health status, age, and body size. Consequently, some bear a greater toxic burden and a higher risk of harm.

If you believe in civil rights, then you should oppose fluoridation because data provided by Centers for Disease Control shows that African Americans, indigenous peoples and Latinos suffer disproportional adverse effects of fluoride poisoning based on evidence of dental fluorosis. Non-whites have approximately twice the incidence of fluorosis (which by the way means poisoned by fluoride), as well as the greater severity, requiring extensive cosmetic dental corrections.

Pro-life, informed consent

If you are pro-life, then you should oppose fluoridation because fluoride crosses the placenta. Twenty years of science beginning in 1995 has proven exposure to fluoride in utero, during infancy and even during early childhood can subtly rewire the brain, resulting in learning disabilities such as hyperactivity, attention deficit disorder, and a slight lowering of IQ. There are also recent studies identifying genes which make a person more vulnerable to fluoride poisoning. In other words, your genes predict who will experience both those brain and dental deficits and who won’t, and the damage begins in utero.

If you are pro-choice, then you should oppose fluoridation because fluoridation is not being used to treat the water to make it clean. Instead, it is added to the water as a way to improve dental health in less than 1 percent of the population.

This is a direct violation of the decree of medical consent. In the dental clinic, a dentist cannot force a fluoride treatment on you against your will. Neither can a pediatrician force you to give your child fluoride supplements. They can pressure you, yes, but they can’t force compliance. For those who choose to ingest fluoride, there are numerous ways to get it without adding to the public water supply.

If you believe that smoking in public places should be banned, then you should oppose fluoridation because water, like air, is a shared resource that should be protected for the most vulnerable among us.

Clean water = equitable treatment of all

If you believe that our government should resist becoming a nanny state, tell people to brush their teeth and don’t vote for fluoridation.

If you believe that our government should care for the less fortunate, then you should oppose fluoridation because the poor, like everyone else, have autoimmune, endocrine and inflammatory diseases that are worsened by consumption of fluoridated water.

Not everyone can afford to buy fluoride-free bottled water or purchase a home filtration system. Despite marketing claims, even expensive filtration systems aren’t reliable. And do not forget bathing in Fluoridated water — this is a particular problem for any child or adult with eczema or other inflammatory skin condition.

If you believe in preventative and individualized medicine, then you should oppose fluoridation because fluoridation is an outdated, 1950s mass medication program known to inhibit normal glucose and calcium metabolism, as well as an immune system inhibitor. In some, it also worsens the symptoms of inflammatory diseases and thyroid function.

Be fair. Use fluoride yourself if you want, but no one has the right to decide fluoride is safe for their neighbor with kidney disease, a pregnant women at church, or a diabetic child struggling to keep their blood sugar stable.

— Karen Spencer, writing for TN Citizens for Safe Drinking Water, is a consultant in software development who is among the 15 percent of the American population suffering chemical sensitivities triggered by exposure to fluoridated food and drink.