Toronto votes in favour of fluoridation
The Toronto Board of Health has voted to continue adding fluoride to water supplies.
Yesterday, the board voted unanimously in favour of water fluoridation; the city’s water supplies have been fluoridated since 1963 but recently there has been a great deal of debate around the subject of fluoridation in communities across the province.
Dentists and public health experts fully support the use of fluoride and yesterday, at the meeting, members of the board were shown images comparing children from Eastern Europe, where there is no access to fluoridated water and children from Toronto, where the water supply is fluoridated. Representatives from dental health organisations agreed that fluoride helped to reduce rates of decay and strengthen the teeth.
In order to facilitate fair debate on the issue of fluoridation in Toronto, Councillor Frances Nunziata invited the Toronto Coalition Against Fluoridation to a meeting; the coalition campaigned for the end of fluoridation in the city. Councillors also asked Dr David McKeown to prepare a report on fluoridation; he compiled the report and urged the panel to vote in favour of the continued use of fluoride.
The current levels of fluoride in Toronto water are below the recommended levels; at the moment, the level is 0.6 milligrams per litre and the recommended quantities are between 0.7 and 1.5 milligrams per litre.
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