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80 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, August 13, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend June 29, 2004 Fluoride supporters will staff booth at county fair By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune Organizers of an effort to put the question of water fluoridation on a Medford ballot will go public with their cause at next month’s Jackson County Fair. They want city voters to consider an initiative to add fluoride to the Big Butte Springs water system, which serves 100,000 customers in Medford and beyond. After more than a year of soliciting signatures in dentists’ offices, organizers still have only about one-third of the more than 3,600 verified names required. "We still need about 4,000 more signatures," said Anne Dennehy, a Medford dentist. Extra signatures are necessary in case some can’t be validated. This year’s Jackson County Fair, which runs July 20-25, will provide an opportunity to reach thousands of Medford residents with their message, Dennehy said. Supporters of the plan will staff a booth at the fair all week, answering questions and handing out literature on fluoridation. Advertisement "We’re still active, we’re still here," Dennehy said, noting that the group has targeted no particular ballot. The slow signature collection isn’t caused by lack of support for the cause, Dennehy said. Some dental office workers find it difficult to ask customers for signatures. Others have many clients who aren’t Medford residents. Under the initiative, only Medford voters would decide whether to authorize the city’s Water Commission to add fluoride to the Big Butte Springs Water System. If approved, fluoride would be added at a rate of .7 part per million to the system that serves Medford’s 66,000 residents and another 35,000 outside the city. In the 1950s and 1960s, Medford voters twice rejected fluoridation at the polls. Two more recent efforts never made it to an election. Proponents of fluoridation, including most mainstream medical and dental groups, argue that it is a safe, cheap, effective way to prevent painful and costly tooth decay, especially in children under age 6. Opponents of ingested fluoride claim that its safety and efficacy has not been proven by up-to-date medical and governmental studies. They also contend that medication shouldn’t be dispensed through the public water system. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities