On Monday night outside Newburyport’s City Hall, there were protesters with anti-fluoride signs and people screaming “poison.”
Inside City Hall were there were a stream of people, from all over the region (a couple who actually lived in Newburyport) speaking about the evils of fluoride in Newburyport’s drinking water.
Daniel Eyink of Dr. Dan’s Natural Healing Center on High Street, is a leader of the anti-fluoride opponents. Dr. Dan worked as an internist and primary care doctor in Newburyport starting in 1998 and started his healing center in 2009.
Dr. Dan probably has the best bedside manner of any doctor around. If all doctors followed his example on his bedside manner, the medical profession would be a far better place. My understanding is that Dr. Dan is often the person of last resort when medical professionals cannot figure out how to help a patient. And Dr. Dan is well loved and respected by many people in the community. However, if my doctor helped lead a movement against something that every world health organization enthusiastically endorses, I wouldn’t even say a peep, I’d just find another doctor.
The American Medical Association (AMA), the American Dental Association (ADA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the World Health Organization (WHO), American Academy of Family Physicians, and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which named the measure one of the 10 greatest public health achievements of the 20th century–all of these organizations are in agreement that fluoride in the water supply is not only safe, but also extremely effective and important in preventing tooth decay. For the anti-fluoride folks, this does not matter. Fluoride is “poison.” And for me this point of view is not unlike some people not getting vaccinated for measles, mumps and chickenpox, and thereby putting a whole new population at risk.
Newburyport City Councilors Meghan Kinsey and Ari Herzog have put a proposal to the Newburyport City Council to put banning fluoride on this November ballot. If the Newburyport City Council decides to put this issue on the ballot, it will make the 50 year fight over Newburyport’s Waterfront, and the fight over the Local Historic District look positively civilized.
Slate documented what happened in Portland when this issue came to a vote. The anti-fluoride folks went for a black and white, no holds barred approach based on fear, hysteria and faulty science, and successfully persuaded the people of Portland to vote against having fluoride in the water system–fear and doubt, out did reason and good medical science (the article can be read here).
Newburyport City Councilors Meghan Kinsey and Ari Herzog have put the rest of the City Council between a rock and a hard place. Does the City Council let the people of Newburyport vote, democracy and all, or do they say this is absolutely ridiculous, we are not subjecting the city of Newburyport to voting on such nonsense, and dividing the community over hysteria, fear and misguided science.
If they do decide to put it on the ballot, judging by Monday night–Wow.