Letter to the Mayor of Los Angeles, City Council, and Board of Supervisors RE: Fluoridation

Honorable Samuel Yorty, Mayor of Los Angeles

Honorable Members of Los Angeles City Council

Honorable Members of Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors

Gentlemen:

Once again, with our tax dollars, the Public Health Service is attempting to herd the members of the Los Angeles City Council into adding artificial fluoridation to our community water supply. This is being urged in spite of the fact that many areas of the Los Angeles City water supply contain from 0.75 ppm to 1.0 ppm of fluorides.

This present drive is reminiscent of what happened in Riverside fifteen or twenty years ago, when there was a tremendous hue and cry for artificial fluoridation because of the deplorable condition of children’s teeth in that area. Naturally, the P.T.A.’s, and J.C.’s, and other well-meaning groups joined in the drive to fluoridate Riverside. Just as the City Council was about to give in and to advocate the addition of artificial fluorides to the water supply, it was discovered–much to the chagrin of the fluoridators–that the water already contained one part per million of fluorides. Naturally, the fluoridation drive disintegrated rapidly, but it still continues unabated in other areas such as Los Angeles.

Enclosed you will find a letter which was mailed to all members of the Los Angeles City Council when the last attempt to fluoridate Los Angeles took place. This expressed a common-sense approach to the problem and, hopefully, you will find it informative. It is still timely.

I sincerely hope that you will not allow the “bandwagon technique” to interfere with your common sense. The fundamental answer to the prevention of tooth decay is good nutrition and the avoidance of refined carbohydrates, such as sugar and white flour. If you wish any further information, I will be only too happy to respond and show you dramatic slides demonstrating the effects of poor nutrition in the production of dental caries.

 

Respectfully yours,

Granville F. Knight, M.D.
President
(Member of Los Angeles County Medical Association and Los Angeles County Medical Milk Commission)

 

P.S. Congratulations to the Board of Supervisors for their wisdom in suspending the use of herbicides in Los Angeles County until more information regarding their potential toxicity has been obtained. 

Congratulations also to the members of the Los Angeles City Council for endorsing legislation which would ban the use of diethyl-stilbesterol in the production of cattle and chickens because of its potential cancer inducing action even in minute doses.