Posted on 12 November 2014

Emily Oster writing for FiveThirtyEight, Nate Silver’s data-based journalism outfit:

“The bottom line is that if you want to build a case against water fluoridation — and, apparently, many people do — it is possible to do so. But the case is weak.”

There have been many comprehensive reviews on fluoride in mainstream media, most reaching similar conclusions. The thing is, much like other controversial issues it doesn’t seem like evidence has much power in the face of gut instincts and fear.
Here’s a story on the anti-fluoride movement from 2013:

“In many ways the rise of the grassroots anti-fluoride movement is similar to the anti-vaccine lobby, which has campaigned hard against the practice of vaccinating children on the grounds it causes autism. Those opposed to fluoride are equally organized and determined, driven by the belief that the medical establishment is ignoring recent research.”

Prince George was the first British Columbian city to put fluoride in its water, way back in the fifties. Decades of use hasn’t lessened the cries from those who want it removed, and it goes to referendum this Saturday. We’ve got experts being flown in from Health Canada, anti-fluoride lobbies, and everything in between. It’s the latest battleground in this ongoing fight. We’ll see how it turns out.

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