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City removes fluoride from water
Published September 13, 2006
Fluoride will no longer be
added to Del Rio’s drinking water.
The Del Rio City Council made that decision Tuesday
night after a presentation by John Morony, a retired
college biology professor, who characterized
fluoride as a poison and showed the council numerous
research references that link fluoride to higher
rates of cancer and other health hazards.
Following Morony’s presentation and a brief
discussion by the council, Councilman Pat Cole said,
“I make the motion that we cease immediately adding
fluoride to our beautiful San Felipe Springs water.”
In his letter to the city requesting time to address
the council, Morony recommended “that Del Rio cease
fluoridating its water supply.”
Morony in his letter noted that in the U.S.,
more than 70
communities have stopped adding
fluoride to their water.
He also pointed out
that most European countries, Japan and China do not
add fluoride to their water supplies.
“Why? Basically for two reasons: fluoridated water
cannot be shown to significantly reduce dental
caries (tooth decay) and it has proved to be far
more toxic than previously thought,” Morony wrote.
Morony during Tuesday night’s meeting also presented
the council with a paper titled “Scientific Facts on
the Biological Effects of Fluorides.”
The paper listed research references linking
fluoride to a variety of medical problems, including
the development of bone cancer and premature aging.
The paper stated, “Fluoride consumption by human
beings increases the general cancer death rate.”
Morony noted that although some fluoride occurs
naturally in all water, the fluoride being added to
the city’s water supply “is a waste product of the
phosphate fertilizer industry.”
“I’m just trying to get the fluoride out of our
water,” Morony told the council.
At the end of Morony’s presentation, Cole asked him,
“So let me clarify: if we continue adding fluoride,
we are putting in our water a byproduct of the
fertilizer industry?”
“That’s right,” Morony said.
Councilman Mike Wrob asked, “At what point did we
start putting fluoride in our water?”
City administrators asked Mitch Lomas, manager of
the city’s water treatment plant, to answer Wrob’s
question.
“We started fluoridating in 1990 as a result of a
decision by the city council,” Lomas replied.
“At the time we did not have all the information
about fluoride that we do now,” he added.
Wrob then asked Lomas to give the council his
opinion of adding fluoride to the city’s drinking
water, a question Lomas did not answer directly.
Mayor Efrain Valdez noted that the city spends about
$20,000 a year buying the fluoride to add to the
city water.
Cole asked Lomas, “How do employees at the water
plant feel about handling fluoride?”
“It’s a very corrosive chemical. It eats through
concrete and metal. When they handle it, they have
to wear respirators and chemical-proof suits,” Lomas
said.
“But how do they feel about handling it?” Cole
asked.
“They really would rather not handle it,” Lomas
replied.
Cole then made her motion to cease fluoridation of
the city’s water, with Wrob giving the second.
After the council had voted unanimously to approve
Cole’s motion, Morony told the News-Herald as he had
left the council chambers, “The council’s decision
is very gratifying. Now we can go back to drinking
Del Rio water.”
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