Town Gets Fluoridation Award Amid Rising Health Concerns
By DORIE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave
February 20, 2013
Cape Charles has again received an annual Water Fluoridation Quality Award for maintaining safe levels of fluoride in the drinking water.
Daily tests ensure that fluoride added to Town water is maintained between .6 to 1.2 parts per million.
Virginia Department of Health representative Dixon Tucker presented the award to Public Utilities Director Dave Fauber at the January 10 Town Council meeting.
The Department of Health encourages communities to fluoridate their water supplies to prevent tooth decay.
According to the Health Department, fluoridated water reaches 80 percent of the state’s residents.
Fluoride concentrations are generally low in wells on the Eastern Shore. But in some other areas, naturally occurring fluoride levels are so high that the water is not considered safe for children to drink. In those areas, bottled water is recommended for children.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that parents monitor the use of fluoride toothpaste by young children.
Consuming excessive fluoride either in the water or as toothpaste can cause dental fluorosis in children younger than nine years old. Effects can vary from barely perceptible off-white to light brown marks, pitting, enamel loss, and brown staining on permanent teeth.
CONTINUED FROM FIRST PAGE
Fluorosis cannot be seen until the permanent teeth appear, at which point the damage has already occurred.
Because of the potential for swallowing fluoride toothpaste, the Food & Drug Administration requires all fluoride toothpastes to state: “WARNING: Keep out of reach of children under 6 years of age. If you accidentally swallow more than used for brushing, seek professional help or contact a poison control center immediately.”
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has proposed lowering the recommended fluoride level in public water supplies to 0.7 parts per million due to increasing dental fluorosis in children and young adults.
The Environmental Protection Agency has announced plans to conduct further assessments of the benefits and risks associated with adding fluoride to drinking water. More information is at http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/basicinformation/fluoride.cfm
The Fluoride Action Network (FAN), an international coalition to end water fluoridation and alert people to fluoride’s environmental and health risks, opposes the use of fluoride in communities’ water supplies.
FAN argues that administering fluoride through the water supply denies individuals the right of informed consent when taking a substance that is a drug, not a nutrient. When fluoride is added to the water supply, there is no way to control the dose for each individual.
According to FAN, 97 percent of European countries have rejected water fluoridation, with England being an exception.
A list of communities that have rejected water fluoridation appears at http://www.fluoridealert.org/content/communities/
According to studies quoted by FAN, fluoride can damage a child’s developing brain. Parents are advised not to use fluoridated water for making baby formula. FAN notes that mothers’ milk contains almost no fluoride.
Adverse effects from too much fluoride for adults include increased risk of bone fractures, thyroid problems, some cancers, and aggravation of various illnesses.
Fluoride can be particularly harmful for people with kidney disease, who tend to store fluoride rather than excrete it quickly.
All I can say about the water in Cape Charles is that any water that goes into our food goes through a water filter first AND my dog gets very sick and vomits if he drinks the water. When I fill my washing machine using cold water it smells like bleach….UGH
We pay around $100.00 per month for water that we can’t even drink…….
Oh and when we wash our cars they have to be dried or they have white spots all over them.
I moved to Cape Charles from Onancock and they also have town water. Maybe Cape Charles should take a few lessons from Onancock because their water tastes fine, doesn’t smell and doesn’t leave white spots on the cars.
Just sayin…….
Why does the water stink in Cape Charles? I had an old water heater that had a bad heating element. The hot water from that heater smelled like rotten eggs. I replaced the heater with a brand new one and within 2 months the rotten egg smell came back in the hot water. I have talked to several other folks who live in Cape Charles and they said they have the same problem. Is this a wide spread problem in Cape Charles?
Well that didn’t take long. Something positive to report and people just tear it down. Such is life in the sprawling metropolis of Cape Charles. I think it is great the water works staff is doing such a fine job.
By the way, people here have been dealing with the smell of their hot water for ever, talk to a plumber who will remove the electrolysis rod from the water heater and the smell should go away.
Thanks WAVE for giving your readers the full scope of the pro’s and con’s of fluoridation. I for one use a Berkey water filter for my home and don’t even consider drinking well water or for that matter Cape Charles city water. There are too many potential contaminants and my health is worth too much to me. I highly recommend the table top Berkey water filters. The filters clean 6000 gallons of drinking water before needing to be replaced and can filter well, rain or pond water (a real plus when electricity goes out and no pump for the well). You can find more info on the dangers of fluoridation and on how the Berkey water filters work on the Internet. Please be an informed citizen. It helps all of us.
The rotten egg smell comes from bacteria in the water (hydrogen/oxygen) combining with the aluminum/magnesium sacrificial anode (protects your heating elements from corrosion) to produce hydrogen sulphide gas. It’s not really a water quality issue as all water contains trace amounts of bacteria. This is common in part time homes where the water sits in the tank for a long time. My guess is fulltime residents don’t experience this (we don’t). I did smell it in some houses we looked at when we bought our house. Some plumbers offer all kinds of ‘fixes’ for this. They have one thing in common; they don’t usually work. The simplest thing is to add a pint or two of hydrogen peroxide to your tank. Note! your tank is under pressure so don’t try this if you don’t know what you are doing. Any plumber could do this in 30 minutes.
I have been in Cape Charles since the 1980’s and the water has always been undrinkable. Why can’t the town provide its citizens with drinkable water?
We too have experienced the sulfur smell in the hot water at our part-time Cape Charles home. We find that draining the hot water tank and then running the hot water taps for about 10 minutes, at the start of our visits, seems to solve the problem.
Thanks to everyone for the helpful suggestions! I love how the WAVE gives me the opportunity to discuss issues from all sides. I don’t think it is bashing anyone. In fact, I learned a lot about how to fix the water smell problem. Thank you neighbors!
FLUORIDEGATE is a new documentary that reveals the tragedy of how government, industry and trade associations protect and promote a policy known to cause harm to our country and especially to small children who suffer more than any other segment of the population. While their motivation remains uncertain, the outcome is crystal clear: it is destroying our nation!
http://www.fluoridegate.org/