Evening star., 1952-03-24
FIuoride Equipment.
Expected 10 Arrive
In City This Week

The first equipment to help
|fiuoridate Washington's water is
Expected to arrive this week, it was
ldisclosed today.
3. Al. Schmitt. head engineer for
the Washington Aqueduct said
pneumatic conveyor euuipfnent Isl
due here within q few days. These
|conveyors win lift the fiourides 10
feet to q storage tower ct the
|Dalecarlia Reservoir.
Mr.. Schmitt gave the latest
|duoridation report to a House ap-I
preparations subcommittee study
ing the District budget. Mr..
|Schmitt, In testimony made public
today, said the equipment that di-
|rectly feeds fiuorides into the
water supply may not arrive for
|another month.
He explained that manufactur-
|ers Of the equipment have fallen
behind schedule.
Last year the Distrtct got $780,
900 to buy the equipment and
enough sodium silicofluoride to-
serve the city this year. Mr..
|Schmitt asked $91,195 for chem
|icals and operating expenses for
the fiscal year beginning July l.
win Fight Program.
Representative Miller, Republic
can, OF Nebraska opposed the.
appropriation at q public hearing
lon the budget. He particularly
| objected to the District using
sodium silicofiuoride instead Of
sodium fiuoride. the compound
that most cities have used in fiuo-
Iridating their water. At the public
hearings, Richard T. Sullivan OF
THE Federation Of Citizens Associ-
Iations and John A. O,Keefe Of the
District Dental Society spoke in
flavor Of luoridation.
Representative Miller. however.
promised to 60 to the House door,
Iif necessary, to oppose the fiuo-
lridation that he originally spon-
Isored for the District.
The House Appropriations Com
|mittee is expected to act on the
bin Tuesday. The House may
tackle II this week.
There was no indication how
members Of the Appropriation
ICommittee would rule on the
money for fluoridation here.
Adding fiuorides to drinking wa
tier helps reduce tooth decay
among children. Opponents, such
las Representative Miller. have
largued, however, that not enough
Experimental work has been done
Ito prove that the chemical win
mot harm. certain adults. includ-H
ling those with kidney trouble.
Program Set for June.
Mr.. Schmitt, asked to report on
progress Of fiuoridation here, esti-|
mated the program win begin in
June.
"The only place we had avail
|ahle (to store the f1uoride). he
testified, "was up about 20 feet
above the ground In o1t chemical
tower. We bought q pneumatic
conveying system to take It out
lot 4OO-pound drums from the
main floor and transport it up In
the air.
"It is delivered into one of our
bins III the chemical tower. From
the lower end Of that It passes
through chutes to 3 feeder that
We have purchased. From there
it Is measured into . solution
tank, after which hoses carry itl
to the two main water supplies Of
the city."
Mr.. Schmitt said the fiuorjdesl
already have been ordered butt
the District does not want delivery
until the conveyor equipment ISL
Installed.
District Water Supervisor David
V. Aud raised . technical point.
complaining that the cost Of
|fiuoridation now Is charged
against operations Of his depart
|ment. He said fiuoridation prop
|erly should be charged against
public health costs.