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--> --> Sutherlin voters reject fluoride in water SUTHERLIN (AP) - Voters overwhelmingly rejected a measure Tuesday to add fluoride to the municipal water supply. Shanna Murphy, a dental hygienist who headed the pro-fluoride measure, said she doesn't plan to raise the issue again after voters beat it 68 percent to 32 percent. "This issue had unquestioned support from the medical and dental communities; I believe voters were confused by old wives' tales and the misextrapolation of scientific evidence by non-experts," Murphy said. "If the people of Sutherlin want the freedom of continued rampant (tooth decay), then they should have that freedom," she said. Only about 25 percent of Oregon residents use fluoridated water, one of the lowest percentages in the country. Salem, with 155,000 residents, ranks as the largest fluoridated public water system in the state. Other states with few fluoridated water systems are New Hampshire, New Jersey, Hawaii, Utah and Nevada. By contrast, all public water systems in Kentucky, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Washington, D.C., fluoridate their water. U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher has called fluoridation of water "one of the 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century." Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing