Minutes 09-04-2014 - Laserfiche WebLink

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PUBLIC CHARGE Chair Jacobs dispensed with the reading of the public charge. 2. Public Comments a. Matters not on the Printed Aqenda Don O'Leary said fluoride is a neurotoxin, and it needs to be removed from their water supply. He discussed the dangers and the social implications of fluoridation. He asked the Commissioners to research this issue. Corey Stermer said he has lived in this area for 28 years. He said about 99 percent of the water he has ever drunk has been from the public water supply, and he cannot think of a more important issue to address than what is in that water. He said there is a total lack of moral, scientific, or medical study regarding adding fluoride to the water to prevent tooth decay. He said the precautionary principle states that if an action or policy has a suspected risk of causing harm to the public or the environment, in the absence of scientific proof that it is not harmful, the burden of proof falls on the Board or government taking the action. He said there are a lot of recent studies that indicate that fluoride might be harmful, and a recent journal added it to a list of potential neurotoxins for children. He said on a legal level there are criminal sanctions for those who distribute drugs for a medical purpose without a license, and fluoride is a drug. His point is that the County should not medicate people against their will. He said the responsibility is on the government to prove that this is not harmful. Zach Davidson said he attended an OWASA board meeting, and he witnessed a public admission that their fluoride products were acquired from the aluminum and fertilizer industries. He said these fluoride products are distributed under the auspices of a dental benefit. He said his main question is how public fluoridation is able to exist on the idea that it is innocuous when it is actually a chemical by-product. He said a lot of the chemicals that operate under the heading of fluoride are not simple compounds, and some of them are dangerous corrosive materials. He questioned why, amidst the plethora of conflicting scientific studies, fluoride is subsidized by public funds. He feels that this should be a civil rights issue. Mattie Rose Crowder referred to an article regarding overexposure to fluoride and the condition of dental fluorosis. She said the article also suggested that fluoride has no positive effect on teeth if ingested. She said the current form of fluoride that is used in water supplies is a by-product of the phosphate fertilizer industry. She cited multiple studies on the reasons for tooth decay. She said for multiple reasons, fluoride should be taken out of the water supply. b. Matters on the Printed Aqenda (These matters will be considered when the Board addresses that item on the agenda below.) 3. Petitions by Board Members Commissioner Price said she is opposed to war, and she feels it is an ugly part of humanity, but she still feels that the County should be honoring those who serve in the military and veterans. She said there is no space in Orange County that recognizes veterans or those who serve. She petitioned for the establishment of a task force or ad hoc committee to look at how the County could begin to show respect and honor to the members of the military who have served in wars and conflict to protect the United States. She suggested that this committee should be comprised of Orange County staff from the Veteran Services Office, family and community members.