Reader voting against fluoride in Tacoma, Washington

To the Editor,

In 1998, when my town was considering fluoridation, I phoned the Chicago headquarters of the ADA and they connected me to their science person. He was selling me all the benefits of fluoride when he added, “Mother’s milk has little or negligible fluoride levels as mothers’ breasts filter out fluoride.”
This bombshell fact astonished me. I asked him where did he get this information and he told me La Leche League. So I verified breastmilk to contain 5-17 mcgs/L—100 times lower than fluoride 1ppm water.
I asked him, “Do you realize the importance of this fact? God or nature, whoever we wish to give credit to, is protecting newborn brains and kidneys.”
There was a long pause on both our parts and he then told me solemnly “Go vote against it.”

Official position: fluoride is not for newborns, babies and young children. WIC does not provide vouchers for purified bottled water so that formula feeding mothers can follow the guidelines for their babies.

Sincerely,

Judy Ritchie

Tacoma WA