Gloversville, New York, to Reassess Water Fluoridation

January 30th, 2016

Awake Goy

nsnbc : The city of Gloversville, New York, will reassess the fluoridation of potable water. The decision to reassess the situation comes in the wake of a possible deal to sell water to the neighboring city of Johnstown. The city abolished fluoridation after a referendum and notes that it would find another solution if Gloversville wouldn’t deliver water without fluoride.

A deal to deliver potable water from Gloversville to Johnstown has been held up since Johnstown, in 1999, decided against the use of fluoride in its drinking water supply. Several epidemiological studies have correlated drinking water fluoridation to a cohort of neurodevelopmental disorders.

The practice has been abolished in most European countries, with The Netherlands going as far as to change its Constitution to assure that the practice could never be introduced again.

The reassessment in Gloversville came after the Johnstown Water Department had approached Gloversville about buying excess water to increase pressure for residents and businesses in the area of Bloomingdale Avenue and Route 30 near the Gloversville border, stated Water Board Chairman Nicholas Cannizzo. The deal was complicated and halted due to the fluoride issue.

Gloversville Mayor Dayton King commented on the reassessment of the situation, saying that he was not just going to change what Gloversville does because Johnstown wants it. He added, however, that the situation provides an opportunity to reconsider the issue. Water fluoridation is endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a means to mitigate tooth decay. The practice is also endorsed by Dental Associations in the United States.

Gloversville Mayor King’s “Research” and “Conspiracy Theory” Allegations.

Fluoride levels in New York are capped at 2.2 milligrams per liter which is lower than the federal standard of 4 milligrams per liter, informs the State Department of Health. Gloversville Mayor Dayton King noted that:

“My research has been so far that a lot of communities throughout the United States do put fluoride in the water and it certainly doesn’t hurt. …And typically the people who think it does are really kind of conspiracy theorists and think it’s messing with your brain. But I’m open-minded and I’ll continue to educate myself and I think the council will do the same.”

Mayor Dayton’s “research” and “conspiracy theorist” allegations are among others contradicted by a study conducted by Philippe Grandjean MD from the Department of Environmental Health at the Harvard School of Public Health, and Philip Landrigan MD, from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt Sinai, New York. The scientists state that industrial chemicals, including fluoride, injure the developing brain and are among the known causes for the rise in the prevalence of neurodevelopmental disorders such as dyslexia, ADHD, and autism.

Water Board Chairman Nicholas Cannizzo commented that extra water from Gloversville would increase pressure for residential users along Bloomingdale Avenue, who currently experience low pressure during times of high use, as well as provide an opportunity for greater commercial development along Route 30. Cannizo added that the city would be looking for another solution if Gloversville doesn’t agree to remove the fluoride. Johnstown Mayor Michael Julius stressed that he is not planning to revisit the idea of fluoridating the city’s water. Julius noted that the city had a referendum on the issue, that residents voted against fluoridation and that “this is the position I am taking”.

CH/L – nsnbc 30.01.2016

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