I’m voting against 1A because it would prohibit fluoride from being added to the city water system. Fluoride has been studied for 70 years and is safe for children, working people and seniors.
In 1956, Durango City Council approved fluoride in the municipal water. It is cost-effective and safe in preventing cavities, regardless of age or income. The minimum amount of 0.7 parts per million gallons of water is beneficial to all.
Supporters of fluoride in municipal water include the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s dental director, American Academy of Pediatrics, World Health Organization, American Medical Association, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, San Juan Basin Health, Mercy Regional Medical Center, Axis Health System’s Oral Health Director, Public Health Services, Southwest Colorado Area Health Education Center, 9-R School Board, Dr. Kay Welch, Dr. Ryan Willman, Dr. Carl Johnson, Dr. Angela Pinkerton, Dr. Mark Blue, Dr. Kathleen McKenna, Dr. Tyler Holland, Dr. James Sutherland, Dr. Bill Plauth, Dr. Preston Knight and speech pathologist Pamela Fuller.
All of these organizations and individuals support the minimum amount of 0.7 parts per million gallons of water to protect teeth from cavities. The city fluoride was tested by Laboratory Inc. from Pennsylvania. The sodium fluoride used is 98.64 percent pure with no heavy metals. It is not a poison or medical ingredient, as claimed by others. It is an element.
Scare tactics do not protect the children in our community. Please don’t return Durango to the 1950s and take away the protection supported by the medical and dental community. Vote against 1A.