Note: Scroll down to see local news coverage of Wrangell's 1987 vote that rejected fluoridation for the second time

Fluoride vote fails 3-1

Wrangell Sentinel
October 1, 1979

Wrangell voters advised in no uncertain terms at yesterday's municipal election that they do not think the city water supply should be fluoridated.

On the advisory question Tuesday, October 2; 487 voted no and 141 voted yes on the water fluoridation issue, a better than 3-1 margin of defeat.

The City council is expected to take its official vote on fluoridation at a future date.

(Article continues, covering other election issues)

Battle lines drawn at forum
Fluoridation debate

Wrangell Sentinel
September 26, 1979

What' toxic, cancer-inducing and detrimental to children and adults?

Fluoridation.

What's safe, medically effective and beneficial to children and adults?

Fluoridation.

And so it went for 90 minutes at a public forum on fluoridation held Tuesday evening, Sept. 18, with three proponents and three opponents debating the issue before an audience of about 25 persons at city hall.

The forum was broadcast live over KSTK radio.

Wrangell voters Tuesday, Oct. 2 will be asked to give their opinion on whether the city water supply should be fluoridated.

The Oct. 2 vote on fluoridation is advisory in nature, according to the city attorney, with the city council expected to eventually decide on the issue.

Panelists speaking in favor of fluoridation Sept. 18 were Linda Kaer, Barbary Neyman and Dr. John Stolpe, a dentist and Alaska area dental director for the U.S. Public Health Service.

Panelists speaking against fluoridation were Sylvia Bennett, Rosemary Eastaugh and Patty Riach.

Bill Zeiger served as moderator, and Barb Maenhout was panel organizer.

Speaking as a proponent, Neyman noted the benefit of fluoridation in reducing tooth decay, and said "fluoride is trace mineral, not a blatant or synthetic poison."

The most recent test of the Wrangell water supply showed it contains 2 parts per million fluoride, she said, adding that the substance also is found in seawater, seafood and throughout our environment.

"After 30 years of extensive research," Neyman said, it has been determined that 1 part per million fluoride is the most beneficial in dental disease prevention, and said it is toxic only in "massive doses. It would take 10 people working all day to put enough fluoride into the hoppers to even make you sick."

She said "no reliable association" has found fluoride to be allergenic, and comparison studies between fluoridated and non-fluoridated communities have shown no evidence that fluoride causes cancer or birth defects.

Bennett, speaking in opposition, said, "I had been pro-fluoride before I became violently ill and allergic. I'm now violently against it, and allergic to it."

Riach, also an opponent, said, "The kidney, thyroid, heart, and the elderly are badly affected by fluoride." She also noted, "If we get it our of our tap, we have no choice but to use it."

Suggesting that alternatives to water fluoridation be encouraged, she cited dental hygiene programs in the schools, such as the Wrangell Toothkeeper Project, topical fluoride treatments, fluoride mouthwashes, free distribution of fluoride tablets, and the possibility of fluoride being added to bread or milk, similar to vitamin-enriched foods for iodized salt.

Explaining that she thinks nutrition is "the bottom line" in preventing tooth decay, opponent Eastaugh also said that as shown in Seattle studies and in others cities, fluoride is corrosive to plumbing, requiring the addition of anti-corrosive materials which may be dangerous.

Furthermore, she said, "laboratory tests on corrosion show astronomically high" levels of fluoride in corroded sections of pipe.

Eastaugh added that she thinks not enough research has been done on fluoridation, and said fluoride is insidious, harmful and cumulative in its effects."

She, and other opponents, also questioned the effectiveness of fluoridation in preventing tooth decay, particularly in adults.

Neyman, however, reported and environmental impact study on Seattle corrosion indicated fluoride played a minor part in the corrosion, and "nowhere in the report is there mention of lethal doses."

Stolpe, a proponent, said reports by corrosion engineers have cited the major causes of corrosion as acidity and alkalinity, temperature, bacteria and dissolved oxygen.

Opponents and proponents also clashed over which European countries had or had not banned or mandated fluoridation, and when.

Opponents further argued that fluoride as used in water systems, is a pollutant, and an industrial waste product of rubber, phosphate fertilizer and aluminum plants.

Stolpe, however, said what would be used to fluoridate the local water supply would be a natural crystalline substance "made from rock - a natural source."

In addition, he said, fluoride is a "ubiquitous" substance that "occurs in everything. It is difficult to see how anyone could survive on earth if they were intolerant to fluoride."

Fluoridation, he said, poses no "long term or short term harm."

Stolpe said that fluoride does not accumulate in the body except for teeth and bones and that the body secretes excess fluoride that the body does not use.

Accumulation in the teeth and bones, he said, provides the benefits of reduced tooth decay and bone disease.

He also said there are alternatives to water fluoridation, however, those alternatives are not as "effective, convenient or inexpensive" as fluoridation.

Several audience participants expressed concern that water fluoridation would deny them freedom of choice in what they consume, and others questioned why additional fluoride is needed in the water supply if there already is fluoride in food, water and the rest of the environment.

Stolpe said the 1 part per million recommended level was determined after observation of communities where residents "for generations" had been drinking water naturally high in fluoride.

Fluoridation issues to be on TV this week

Wrangell Sentinel
September 26, 1979

The fluoridation campaign - pro and con - will be televised to Wrangell voters this week, as each side in the debate has purchased 30 minutes of time on Wrangell TV cable.

The pro-fluoridation group will show its 30 minute videotape at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 27, on Channel 4.

The anti-fluoridation group will show its 30 minute show at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 27, also on Channel 4.

The 6:30 p.m. Thursday show, presented by supporters of fluoridation, is an edited tape from last week's public forum on fluoridation, held Sept. 18 at city hall.

The 7 p.m. Thursday show will be a 30-minute presentation by opponents of fluoridation, according to Rosemary Eastaugh, one of the organizers of the television show.

Eastaugh said Thursday's show, which is new and not taken from the public forum, would include "a lot of things that didn't get covered" at the Sept. 18 meeting.

Television time for both shows has been purchased by donations from private individuals.

Pro-fluoridation advocates brush up on election plans

Wrangell Sentinel
September 5, 1979

Supporters of the fluoridation question to be placed on the Oct. 2 city election ballot met last week to start planning for the vote.

"We have to show committed adult community involvement," explained Trudy Johnson, president of the Wrangell health planning board.

The health planning board supports fluoridation of the city's water supply and ranks it as a top community health priority to aid in the prevention of tooth decay.

Pro-fluoridation forces met Thursday night, Aug. 30 to discuss educational and get-out-the-vote campaigns for the Oct. 2 election.

Johnson said "We're here to develop a multi-pronged approach to the community of Wrangell on the benefits of fluoridation.

She said supporters of the question will not "force the proposition down people's throats." Their main goal she added, will be to educate residents on the benefits of fluoridated waster.

The city council in August voted to place the issue on the Oct. 2 municipal election ballot. The vote will be an informational referendum to show public opinion and will not be binding upon the council.

The issue of fluoridation was presented to the council earlier this summer by the Wrangell health planning board.

Among the campaign possibilities discussed last week by fluoridation supporters were:

Carole McConnell, public health nurse, said she has available a short film on fluoridation, which could be shown at community meetings.

At last week's meeting, it was tentatively scheduled for McConnell and one other member of the group to attend the Monday, Sept. 10 Emblem Club meeting to show the film and discuss fluoridation.

Supporters also tentatively are scheduled to speak at the Sept. 24 Lions Club meeting, and Dr. Harriet Schirmer will speak at a senior citizens nutrition program lunch sometime this month.

Barb Maenhout volunteered at the meeting to serve as organizer for a planned public forum on fluoridation, to be held the evening of Tuesday, Sept. 18.

Bill Zeiger will serve as moderator at the forum, to be held at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 18 at city hall council chambers.

Dr Gary Floyd said Dr. John Stolpe, Alaska area dental director for the U.S. Public Health Service, possibly would be able to attend the Sept. 18 public forum in Wrangell.

Stolpe spoke before the city council in June in support of fluoridation.

Johnson did note that the group would ask persons opposed to fluoridation to present their views at the public forum.

She also reported she would work with KSTK to have the public forum broadcast over the radio station.

The group scheduled its next planning session, which is open to anyone in support of fluoridation, for 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12, at the hospital library.

Fluoridation soundly defeated - again
Paragraph addressing the fluoride vote from "Neimeyer wins mayor's race; tax issue passes"

Wrangell Sentinel
October 8, 1987

According to unofficial tallies, Wrangell voters defeated an advisory question on fluoridation of the water supply. The 369-508 vote rejecting fluoridation was the second time in nine years Wrangellites have defeated such a question.

Campaigning for Oct. 6 city elections swings into gear

Wrangell Sentinel
October 1, 1987

(2 paragraphs related to other election issues omitted.)

Should the water in Wrangell be fluoridated? Should the sawmill be granted a property tax exemption? Should the City Charter provision allowing the sale of property be boosted to require voter approval at $75,000 instead of $25,000?

These were among the issues up for voter consideration Oct. 6.

The fluoride issue - on the ballot again after it was defeated by voters in 1979 - is submitted as an advisory question only. The City Council, no matter what the vote, retains the power to decide whether to add fluoride to Wrangell's drinking water supply.

Wrangell's dentists asked the council to approve fluoridation and have campaigned for its approval. Joining in the campaign for voter approval have been retired dentist Gary Floyd, Drs. Harriet Schirmer and Wayne Davenport and the Wrangell Health Planning Board. The Public Health Service also has offered financial and technical assistance to the community in installing a fluoridation system.

Opposition has surfaced in parts of the community, however. Some opponents contend fluoride added to the water supply is a form of pollution, "one of the most poisonous substances known to man." Local opponent Rosemary Eastaugh for example, also maintained fluoride placed in the water supply by government is an invasion of individual freedom of choice.

(Article continues, addressing other election issues.)

Vote for Nature's idea. Vote for Fluoridation
Fluoridation. Nature thought of it first.

Wrangell Sentinel
Paid Advertisement
October 1, 1987

You may not have realized it, but Nature puts fluoride into virtually all the world's drinking water. Some areas in the U.S. have enough fluoride in their water naturally to do the job of preventing tooth decay. Ours is not one of them.

Fluoridation simply means adjusting our water's natural level of fluoride to where it can give us the same benefits enjoyed by those communities that have been more favored by Nature. This simple, inexpensive measure has been proven safe and successful in communities around the world. Generations of children have grown up there with remarkably fewer cavities, the same as children in areas with enough natural fluoride. Now give our children the same chance. It's only natural that we should.

Municipal election '87
Proposition 1: Fluoridation

Wrangell Sentinel
October 1, 1987

The following is the position of Wrangell Medical Professionals Dr. Carol Ross, Dr. Walter Moorhead, Dr. Harriet Schirmer, Dr. Wayne Davenport and Retired Dr. Gary Floyd concerning Proposition No. 1 on the Oct. 6 ballot.

In the upcoming election, Wrangell voters will be asked to approve the adjustment of the level of fluoride in our city water supply. Currently the natural level of fluoride is not monitored and testing has shown it to be lower than the desirable optimum amount.

Fluoride is a naturally occurring compound of the 13th most common element in the Earth's crust. It is present in rocks, soil, and most water, including sea water. The presence of natural fluoride in the community water sources led to its detection as a helpful nutrient after it was noticed that people in those areas experienced less dental disease. Since the 1940's, numerous studies have been conducted over extended periods of time where the level of fluoride was adjusted to the optimum amount and the study population was closely monitored. The results have repeatedly shown marked decrease in the incidence of dental cavities and missing teeth. At prescribed levels of fluoride, no harmful effects have been found, even in populations that have been using water with natural fluoride for over a hundred years.

The mechanism for this effect is that the fluoride mineral is actually built into the structure of developing teeth when it is available in the diet. This imparts a greater resistance to acid attack in the tooth, which in turn leads to fewer cavities. The life-long protections from dietary fluoride is not duplicated by the more temporary surface treatments of topical fluoride gels, fluoride toothpastes, or fluoride mouth rinses.

With such thoroughly proven benefits, ease of administration and economical costs, community water fluoridation has become a natural choice of communities across the country as a means of protecting their dental health. Over half of the U.S. population now drinks fluoridated water, either natural or adjusted. Of the 50 largest cities in the U.S., 41 have fluoride levels in the optimum range. Here in Southeast Alaska, the cities which currently have fluoridation (and the year of adoption) are: Angoon-1982, Craig-1986, Hoonah-1984, Hydaburg-1982, Juneau-1975, Kake-1983, Kasaan-1985, Klawock-1986, Klukwan-1985, Petersburg-1987, saxman-1983, Sitka-1967 and Yakatut-1982.

Recently, as seen in the Sept. 18, 1987 issue of the Wrangell Sentinel, the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Corporation (SEARHC) offered to provide equipment, some supplies, and expertise to the city of Wrangell free of charge to accomplish water fluoridation. Obviously, SEARHC feels it is a good investment to donate these materials and services to Wrangell as a preventative measure, although only a portion of our population is eligible for SEARHC benefits.

In consideration of the extensive support for community water fluoridation, based upon decades of thorough research, we feel that this ballot issue is one which is not ambiguous. Without reservation, we can recommend to the voters of Wrangell to vote for nature's idea and vote YES in favor of fluoridation.

Government offers help for fluoridation work

Wrangell Sentinel
September 17, 1987

The Indian Health Service is offering financial and technical assistance to Wrangell if voters approve fluoridation of the water supply in balloting Oct. 6.

Mark Mattson of the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Corp. at Mt. Edgecumbe in a Sept. 9 letter to Mayor Bill Privett is offering the Indian Health Service's assistance in a fluoridation project.

Mattson in an interview with the Sentinel last week said Wrangell is one of very few small towns in Southeast that have not approved fluoridation of the local water supply.

The Indian Health Service can offer equipment and technical support to carry out the fluoridation project, his letter said. The federally funded organization could provide fluoridation equipment, assistance in installation, 1,000 pounds of sodium fluoride, safety equipment, testing supplies and a test kit, he said.

"However, before the Indian Health Service can provide technical and financial assistance for installation of a fluoridation system on the Wrangell water system, the city would have to agree to accept transfer of the facilities upon completion and to operate and maintain the fluoridation system," the letter said.

Mattson's letter said the city could expect to spend about 31 cents per person per month to run the fluoridation system, what he called "the total cost of greatly improved dental health for residences of Wrangell.

Voters are being asked Oct. 6 to cast ballots in an advisory question on the fluoridation issue. The final decision still would be up to the City Council.