BG 3-10-24

J O I N U S I N C E L E B R A T I N G

A N D H O N O R I N G O U R

V E T E R A N S WI T H A D O N A T I O N

WH E R E :

L O WE L L V F W

3 1 1 6 A L D E N N A S H A V E S E

L O WE L L , MI 4 9 3 3 1

PANCAKE

BREAKFAST

WHEN:

SATURDAY, MARCH 16TH

8AM-12PM

100% of proceeds will be donated to the Lowell

VFW to support our local Veterans

Sponsored by Cornerstone Caregiving

Grand Rapids and Lowell VFW

Scan QR code to make a donation

7965 Potters Road, Saranac

616-642-

Mon.-Fri. 8 to 5; Sat. 8 to 1

WE ACCEPT

BRIDGE CARDS

FAMILY OWNED FOR SIX GENERATIONS

JonesFarmMeats.com

Enjoy a

wholesome

meal with our

fresh meats &

cheeses!

- USDA INSPECTED PLANT •
All custom processing is vacuum packed

Custom ButChering &

ProCessing

Jones

Farm Meats, LLC.

It’s Time to Order Your

Easter Hams!

Bone-in

or

Boneless

Retail Sales Room Open Daily • Full Service Retail Meat Counter

Custom Butchering & Processing

Daily federal USDA slaughter &

processing inspection

It takes two to three
hours for Kevin Villalta to
filter and distill a gallon of
tap water, and he says the
process is as expensive as it
is time-consuming.
But it’s worth it, said
the Lansing environmental
engineer, who works
for the Department of
Environment, Great Lakes
and Energy.
A couple of months
ago, Villalta moved from
Texas to the very state that
launched the nationwide
practice he refuses to
participate in: water
fluoridation. “Sometimes
you can’t avoid it — for
example, restaurants and
soft drinks, etc.,” Villalta
said. “But I try to.” Villalta
doesn’t work in water
fluoridation and said his
personal views don’t reflect
the department’s views.
In 1945, Grand Rapids
became the first city in
the world to add fluoride

• a form of the naturally-
  occurring element, fluorine


• to its water supply. The
  city immediately began
  seeing improvements in
  residents’ dental health.
  Since then, more and more
  communities across the
  world have added fluoride
  to their water supply.
  As of 2020, 89.3%
  of Michigan’s population
  was served by community

water systems that

have fluoridated water,

according to the United

Health Foundation. Among

those that don’t fluoridate

are Cadillac, Gladwin,

Oxford, Three Rivers, Iron

Mountain and Saugatuck,

according to the Centers

for Disease Control and

Prevention, or CDC.

While public health

officials have long-boasted

of fluoride’s benefits

— downtown Grand

Rapids has a statue and

plaque commemorating

the achievement — the

chemical has been the

source of debate for

decades.

Proponents say

medical evidence shows

that fluoridation is the best

measure a community can

take to prevent tooth decay

and improve oral health.

But a lawsuit in federal

court in California has

reinvigorated concerns over

fluoride’s effects. Villata

said, “I began to read

about the history, the pros

and cons of fluoridation.

I became aware of the

lawsuit and decided to start

following it.”

The Fluoride Action

Network, or FAN, first

sued the Environmental

Protection Agency in 2017,

seeking to end fluoridation

altogether. The second and

final phase of the nonjury

trial started Jan. 31, and

anti-fluoride activists

expect a final ruling soon.

“This reinvigoration,

continuation of the lawsuit

has definitely attracted a lot

of attention,” said Stuart

Cooper, the Executive

Director of the fluoride

opposition group. “We’ve

been having over 40,

views on our website daily

now, over the past week.”

The California trial

focuses on a 2022 National

Toxicology Program report

that provides an overview

of fluoride’s neurotoxicity,

based on multiple studies.

It found, at a “moderate

confidence” level, that

drinking water containing

high levels of fluoride is

“consistently associated

with lower IQ in children.”

The program is run by the

U.S. Department of Health

and Human Services.

FAN argues the finding

is the reason to get rid of

fluoride altogether. Some

Michigan residents agree.

Valerie Olson, the

owner of the Wellness

Center of Marquette,

says she’s been telling

city commissioners about

fluoride’s harmful effects

for years. She says that a

ruling against fluoride will

help spur action.

So far, commissioners

haven’t been receptive

to her pleas, she said.

“See, everybody’s a

follower,” Olsen said. “The

commissioners don’t want

to make waves. They don’t

want to ruffle the feathers

of the dentists.”

Olson and Cooper

express no doubts that the

judge will rule in FAN’s

favor. “We’re all feeling

very confident,” Cooper

said. “The science is on our

side.”

But Margherita

Fontana, the Director of the

Global Initiatives Program

in Oral and Craniofacial

Health at the University

of Michigan School of

Dentistry, disagrees.

She says findings from

the National Toxicology

Program report show

the effects of fluoride at

levels double that used

in community water

fluoridation in the United

States.

The levels currently

allowed have “always

been shown to be safe,”

she said. “Existing data

on communities that

have stopped fluoridation

show an increased caries

prevalence,” Fontana said,

referring to an increase

in dental decay. “When

weighing benefits and risks,

every health organization

clearly supports this

important public health

method.”

Villalta says that isn’t

Fluoridating drinking water began in

Michigan. Some residents want an end.

enough. “Whenever there’s

a risk, there must be a

choice,” he said.

Fluoride levels vary

across Michigan, with

some surpassing the levels

the report says has negative

This statue commemorates the status of Grand

Rapids as the first city to fluoridate its drinking water.

(Courtesy of Grand Rapids Historical Commission)

side effects, according to

CDC data. Among them

are Petoskey, Akron in

Tuscola County and Brown

City in Lapeer and Sanilac

counties, the CDC data

shows.