HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004-153-12/21/2004-SUBMITTING A CITIZEN-INITIATED ORDINANCE RELATING TO THE DISCONTINUATION OF FLUORIDATION OF THE CITY RESOLUTION 2004-153
OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS
SUBMITTING A CITIZEN-INITIATED ORDINANCE RELATING TO
THE DISCONTINUATION OF FLUORIDATION OF THE CITY WATER SUPPLIES
TO A VOTE OF THE REGISTERED ELECTORS OF THE CITY
AT THE NEXT REGULAR MUNICIPAL ELECTION ON APRIL 5, 2005
WHEREAS, under Article X, Section 1 of the Charter of the City of Fort Collins, the
registered electors of the City have the power to propose a measure to the Council,and if the Council
fails to adopt a measure so proposed,then to adopt or reject such ordinance or resolution at the polls;
and
WHEREAS, an initiative petition relating to the discontinuation of fluoridation of the City
water supplies has been submitted to the City, and the City Clerk has certified said petition as
sufficient for submission of the initiated ordinance to a vote of the people at a regular municipal
election; and
WHEREAS, the City Clerk has presented said petition to the City Council as provided in
Article X, Section 5(f)(4) of the City Charter; and
WHEREAS, under Article X, Section l(e) of the City Charter, upon presentation of an
initiative petition certified as to sufficiency by the City Clerk, the Council must either adopt the
citizen-initiated ordinance without alteration within thirty(30)days or submit said citizen-initiated
ordinance in the form petitioned for, to the registered electors of the city; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT
COLLINS as follows:
Section 1. That there is hereby submitted to the registered electors of the City of Fort
Collins at the next regular city election to be held on Tuesday,April 5,2005,the following proposed
citizen-initiated ordinance:
CITIZEN-INITIATED ORDINANCE NO. 001,2005
Whereas Fort Collins fluoridates its water with a toxic waste collected from the pollution scrubbers
of the phosphate fertilizer industry,hydrofluorosilicic acid(HFS),which contains contaminants such
as arsenic,lead, cadmium, and mercury, and is legally regulated as toxic waste and prohibited from
direct dispersal into the environment;and
Whereas hydrofluorosilicic acid(HFS)has never been approved as safe or effective by the U.S.FDA;
no regulatory agency has tested it for safety in drinking water;and
Whereas fluorides added to our drinking water constitute`medication'without personal or individual
consent and are without regard for dosage,of especial concern for persons with medical conditions
such as thyroid,kidney,and cancer;and
Whereas more than 80(as of August of 2004)health care professionals in Fort Collins have signed
a statement calling for the city to stop fluoridating its water;and
Whereas the Fort Collins Water Board has recommended in 2001 and again in 2003 after lengthy
research and consideration of public opinion that we stop fluoridating our city water due to its concern
for the source of fluoride being used to fluoridate (hazardous waste rather than reagent quality);
concern for the employees handling this waste product;acknowledgement that less than 1%of treated
water is ingested, but rather goes down toilets and onto lawns making questionable the costs of
$500,000 every 10 years and operating costs of$50-100,000/yr;acknowledgement also that there are
plenty of other sources of fluoride available to City residents; and their position that it is not
appropriate to deliver medicine through the water;and
Whereas the city of Fort Collins would save up to$1 million over 10 years in costs of chemicals and
improvements to the Water Treatment Plant-,and
Whereas the U.S. EPA Union of Scientists and Professionals has called for a moratorium on water
fluoridation due to its carcinogenicity(cancer-causing effects)and other adverse health effects,joining
14 Nobel Prize winning scientists and most of the countries in Europe;Belgium in 2002 became the
first country to ban all fluoride supplements from the market;and
Whereas the U.S. EPA Union of Scientists and Professionals has stated that political and industrial
interests have too often compromised the integrity of studies regarding fluoridation's health effects;
and
Whereas large subsets of the population, including the elderly,children,and pregnant women,may
be unusually susceptible to the toxic effects of fluoride,as reported in the U.S.Public Health Service
ATSDR 1993 report;and
Whereas babies up to 6 months of age are not recommended to receive/ingest any supplement of
fluoride(including drops,tablets,vitamins)even in unfluoridated communities,and up to 3 years of
age no more than.25 mg(1/4 the amount in fluoridated water),according to revised guidelines from
the American Dental Association and American Academy of Pediatrics, which means that even
without other exposure, our babies can be overdosed if their formula/juice/food is made with tap
water;and
Whereas there are no labeling requirements for fluoride content in foods or beverages that would allow
a discerning individual,or especially a parent of young children,to readily determine total fluoride
exposure;and
Whereas commonly available sodas,fruitjuices,teas,processed foods,cereals,and produce such as
lettuce,tomatoes,potatoes,cabbage,raisins,and citrus fruits contain significant amounts of fluoride;
and
Whereas scientific literature reports that the incidence of permanent scarring of children's teeth in the
form of dental fluorosis due to fluoride exposures has increased even in non-fluoridated communities
(due to other non-water sources such as those listed here), and is occurring in more than 60% of
children on at least one tooth in fluoridated communities;and
Whereas the Fort Collins Fluoride Technical Study Group(FTSG)document of 2003 included in it's
Executive Summary the comments that"there are gaps in the knowledge and uncertainties are inherent
in the ability to fully understand what may be subtle,yet important,health effects that are yet to be
detected"and cites"areas where additional research is needed to better understand the true benefits
and risks"of water fluoridation,invoking the Precautionary Principle(`when in doubt,leave it out');
and
Whereas only one of the studies considered by the FTSG actually used hydrofluorosilicic acid in its
study (rather than sodium fluoride) and that study (of 400,000 children in MA) showed increased
blood lead levels in children living in fluoridated cities; and
Whereas contrary to assertions that the health effects of fluoride ingestion already have been
scientifically proven to be safe and that there is no credible scientific concern,over the last fifteen
years the ingestion of fluoride has been linked in scientific peer-reviewed literature to neurotoxicity,
bone pathology, reproductive effects, interference with the pineal gland, gene mutations, thyroid
pathology,and the increasing incidence and severity of dental fluorosis,causing professionals who
once championed the uses of fluoride in preventing tooth decay,to reverse their position and call for
a halt to further exposures;and
Whereas the U.S. EPA's Office of Water acknowledges that when setting (safety) standards for
fluoride levels in water they did not consider all cumulative sources of fluorides and the full range of
actual consumption by all ages;in setting standards for all other drinking water contaminants,except
barium,EPA has considered exposure from many different sources, not just water;and
Whereas the largest epidemiological study every done in the U.S,. shows no statistical difference in
tooth decay between fluoridated vs.non-fluoridated cities,and no difference in tooth decay as children
age between fluoridated and non-fluoridated cities; indeed, cities such as Boston which have been
fluoridated for 30 years are reporting alarming increases in caries(cavities);
Whereas some recent studies indicate that rates of hip fracture are greater in fluoridated cities;and
Whereas,studies from China show decreases of 5-10 points in the I.Q.of children aged 8-13 years old
correlating with higher levels of fluoride exposure,studies which are not even being done in the U.S.;
and
Whereas the cover story of the July 2000 Journal of the American Dental Association has clarified that
any benefit of fluoride in reducing tooth decay, even from fluoridated water, is a result of topical
application/exposure to the surface of the tooth,rather than systemic ingestion(swallowing), which
new CDC literature reports;and
Because the free-fluoride ion is smaller than the water molecule and is not removed by filtration
devices,eliminating unwanted fluoride from tap water requires more expensive distillation or reverse
osmosis systems that are not generally economically available to all segments of the population;and
Whereas fluorides are persistent and are accumulating in our environment aggressively; the EPA
Union of Scientists and Professionals states its concern about the scarcity of environmental impact
studies;even organic gardens cannot be fully organic if using fluoridated water;the Environmental
Working Group has released a report of its findings of substantial levels of fluoride residue on organic
baby lettuces;and
Whereas new information uncovered in the declassified documents of the Manhattan Project and
recently released in the book 'The Fluoride Deception,' by Christopher Bryson exposes the
suppression of major medical studies demonstrating serious fluoride toxicity,the silencing of scientists
who try to expose fluoride's toxic effects,and recent studies showing clear neurotoxicity and chronic
systemic effects from constant exposures to fluorides throughout our environment today;therefore
Be it enacted by the voters of the City of Fort Collins:
In order to ensure that the public water of Fort Collins is safe for all citizens to drink,be it ordained
that Sec.26-50 of the Fort Collins City Code shall be repealed in its entirety;and it shall be unlawful
and a public nuisance for any person,agent,or any public or private water system,to add any fluoride
or fluorine-containing product,substance,or chemical to the public water supply which is intended
to cure,mitigate,treat or prevent any disease in man above the general purposes of making the water
more potable. All laws, regulations, resolutions, or ordinances of the City of Fort Collins to the
contrary are hereby repealed.
Section 2. That the foregoing proposed citizen-initiated ordinance is hereby submitted
to the registered electors of the City of Fort Collins at said regular municipal election in substantially
the following form:
CITIZEN-INITIATED ORDINANCE NO. 001, 2004
PROPOSED ORDINANCE
An ordinance repealing Section 26-50 of the City Code so as to prohibit any
person, agent or any public or private water system from adding any fluoride
or fluorine-containing product, substance or chemical to the public water
supply which is intended to cure, mitigate, treat or prevent any disease in man
above the general purpose of making the water more potable.
FOR THE ORDINANCE
AGAINST THE ORDINANCE
Passed and adopted at a regular meeting of the Council of the City of Fort Collins this 21st
day of December, A.D. 2004.
Mayor
ATTEST:
A
City Clerk