Flouride in water, offshore wind and fisheries
Fluoride added to water at the level recommended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is not toxic, a reader writes. Credit: Randee Daddona
No reason to fear fluoride in our water
I take issue with a reader saying that fluoride is not safe ["Clean water and flouride don't mix," Letters, Oct. 7]. The comments could lead people to fear what is actually a safe additive.
Fluoride is the most effective anti-cavity substance used to combat dental caries, the No. 1 childhood disease. It’s applied directly to teeth through toothpaste as well as by dental professionals. When present in water, it strengthens tooth enamel systemically. As a practicing dentist for 33 years, I have seenfluoride's benefits.
Added to water, fluoride is not “an arsenic-laced, never purified or safety-tested industrial waste product.” It is neither an essential nutrient nor a drug. Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that helps prevent cavities by promoting mineralization and making tooth enamel more resistant to acid. Fluoride added to water at the level recommended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is not toxic.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention named water fluoridation as one of the 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century for its role in reducing tooth decay. To imply unproven beliefs as a reason to negate fluoride's benefits isn't right.
Dr. Mark R. Herzog, Rockville Centre
Fisheries, offshore wind must coexist
People who fish for a living lead precarious and dangerous lives. We should honor them for the food they harvest and the economic benefits they bring to Long Island. Based on my communications with pro-offshore wind fishermen and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's concluding that there will be negligible to minor impact from cable construction, the buried cable nearly eliminates the feared electromagnetic fields [“Wind farm cable work readied,” News, Oct. 4]. A giant electric power cable already carries power to Long Island from New Jersey without damaging fish spawning routes or migration.
Further, no ill effects from offshore wind cables have been observed in the nation’s first offshore facility near Block Island. Warming ocean waters from fossil fuel pollution is the biggest threat to fisheries. Offshore wind power would greatly decrease that danger. Fisheries and offshore wind can and must coexist.
Amy Posner, Lido Beach
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