Evening star., 1952-03-02
What FIuorine Does

Committee on Chemicals in Food
reached dead center last week. For
two weeks the group has been hear
: ing testimony on the value-and
possible dangers-of fiuoridating
water supplies as a way to help
prevent tooth decay.
No witness doubted that f1uorine
would reduce tooth decay. The
question was whether 1t might
harm other parts of the body, or
add to the physical troubles of the
Ill or aged. A series of witnesses
raised unexpected doubts, even
fears, on these issues. They said
fiuoridation might-and the word
almost always was "might"-harm
some people.
Other witnesses Scoffed at these
suggestions and urged cities to
start fiuoridation now to help save
the teeth Of the coming generation.
Overwhelming Evidence
There was overwhelming evidence
that fluorine, an element once con.
sidered menace to teeth, actually
could help preserve them. The
basic discovery was made some
years ago when scientists In Colo
rado and O few other areas found
that children raised on naturally
fiuoridated water had better teeth
than most children.
Since then, evidence has con-
ttnued to mount. Some tests indi-
cate that children who drink water
containing fiuorine compounds have
only one-third as many tooth cavi-
ties as children drinking ordinary
water. Adding fiuorides to the
water of Newburgh, N. Y, reduced
children's tooth decay 80 per cent.
For the youngsters of Grand Rapids,
Mich, tooth decay dropped from IL
to 81 per cent-depending on age
after huorides were added I'd the
water.
The United States Public Health
Service has given fluoridation "un-
qualified Endorsement" Assistant
Surg. Gen. Bruce D. Forsyth
was almost lyrical as he told the
committee: "Never before has a
public health measure been sub
jected to such thorough scientific
scrutiny before being recommended
as a standard procedure. No
community can afford to postpone
water duoridation."
On the Bondwoeon
The American Medical Associa-
ton, the American Dental Associa-
ton and other groups have leaped
on the fluoridation bandwagon.
The impressive evidence of what
f1uoridation can do has helped
touch off a great movement to
f1ouridate drinking water. Already,
1874 communities in 81 States add
fluorides to their water. Another
270 communities plan to do so. In
all, more than IS million persons
soon will be getting water with
f1uorides added. Cities planning to
start the program include Phila-
delphia, San Francisco, Cleveland,
Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee,
st. Paul, Baltimore and Washington.
The Districts program is sched-
uled to start this spring-as soon
as the necessary equipment arrives.
So great is the demand that manu-
facturers are having a hard time
keeping up with orders for equip
nlent and chemicals. The equip
ment and chemicals for the first
year of operation will cost the
District $130,000. A mechanical
device will feed into the water a
chemical powder, sodium silico-
fluoride, so there will be one part
of fluorine to a million parts of
water.
What Fluorine Is
Sodium silicofiuoride is one of
several f1uorine compounds which
the House Committee has had
under scrutiny. All are chemical
children of the most active Of the
earth's 90-odd elements-fiuorine.
This element, o greenish- yellow
gas, never found alone In nature,
is o next-door neighbor to oxygen
In the chemists periodic table. It
Is allied chemically with another
greenish gas, chlorine, which al
ready Is used In our drinking water.
Flourine and chlorine have this
in common: Alone, they are
poisonous; allied with some other
substance such as sodium, they
can be beneficial to man.
The argument over iiuoridation OF
water has nothing TO do with the
undisputed fact that fiuorine, mis-
used, is O poison. Opponents Of
nuoridation admit that It's use In
the proportion Of one part to q
million parts Of water will not