Tonight's fluoride panel debate features five speakers, four of them pro-fluoride
But the single anti-fluoridation speaker will get equal time
Please try to attend tonight’s informational City Council workshop about the fluoridation of Longview drinking water. Your family’s oral health — particularly that of your children — is at stake.
The city has added minute amounts of fluoride — a naturally occurring mineral — to its water since 1968 because fluoride is a proven to be an effective preventer of cavities and tooth decay.
Virtually all U.S. dental and medical associations endorse it as safe and effective, and it has been a staple of municipal water treatment for decades. The Centers for Disease Control reports that almost two-thirds of the U.S. population uses fluoridated drinking water, according to CDC data.
The Longview City Council is considering a proposal from member Erik Halvorson to discontinue its use.
A federal judge last fall ordered U.S. regulators to consider the risk that fluoride in water could cause lower IQ in kids.
The ruling followed an August report by the federal government’s National Toxicology Program that reviewed studies conducted in Canada, China, India, Iran, Pakistan and Mexico. It concluded that drinking water containing more than 1.5 milligrams of fluoride per liter was associated with slight decreases in IQs in kids.
However, the U.S. recommended level of fluoride in drinking water — 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per liter — is less than half the the level those studies found harmful. And fluoride advocates say many of the studies considered in the NTP’s review were flawed.
Studying whether a substance can cause minor changes in IQ is a huge scientific challenge because so many factors — such as heredity, social, economic and educational background — also are play.
Longview is organizing a three-hour informational workshop on the subject tonight, Jan. 30. It starts at 6 p.m at Longview City Hall and will be broadcast live on KLTV. A panel of advocates from both sides of the issue will make presentations. They are:
Erin Harnish, MD, Community Pediatrician
Harnish has been a physician for 30 years and community pediatrician in Longview for 27 years, according to a city news release. She is an advocate for continued fluoridation of city water.
Harnish serves on numerous community boards, chaired Safe Kids Coalition for 10 years and helped established the city’s nationally recognized bike helmet and car seat safety programs.
She is the founding president of our Children’s Discovery Museum. She is also involved at a state level and is on the Board for the Washington State Medical Association and legislative committee for the Washington chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and is a delegate representing Washington nationally at the American Medical association.
Harnish received a degree in biology with a minor in chemistry and a degree in International and Japanese studies from Earlham College in Indiana. She went to medical school at a combined program with Notre Dame and Indiana University and did her internship and residency at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC., area.
David Meyers, DDS, Dental Director, Cowlitz Family Health Center, Longview
Dr. David J. Meyers has been a dentist in Longview since graduating from the University of Washington Dental School in June of 1995.
He was in private practice in Longview for 20 years. He now serves as the Dental Director for the Cowlitz Family Health Center.
He and his wife have six children and six grandchildren
Blaine Tolby, MD, PhD, Pediatrician
Tolby is a trained research scientist. He received a PhD. in biology from the University of Oregon then went on to complete his medical degree and pediatric residency at Oregon Health Sciences University. During his time at OHSU, Tolby also completed a one-year fellowship in Clinical Genetics. Tolby spent four years practicing in McMinnville, Oregon, before coming to Longview. He practiced in Longview for 41 years, retiring in 2024. He has been active in such organizations as the Progress Center, Head Start, A Child's Place, and the Child's Advocacy and Justice Center, to name a few. Together, he and his wife have seven children as well as several grandkids who live in Longview.
Sean Moriarty, Community Member
Sean Moriarty is a Longview resident of 18 years, a father, and a volunteer coach in the community. In his role as a sales executive with Furrow Pump, Inc., he brings a knowledge of metering pumps used for micro dosing as well as the pump accessories used by various industries including water treatment plants.
Moriarty has been in equipment sales for over 20 years and has had the opportunity to work with many of the water districts and water treatment centers throughout the greater Pacific Northwest. According to the city, Moriarty brings a unique perspective of the business of water treatment including the mechanics of fluoridation that ensure that communities receive the proper amount of fluoride in their water.
Kurt Ferre, DDS, Dentist, Retired
Ferre is a 1976 graduate of Northwestern University Dental School in Chicago. He completed a one year general practice residency at Rush Presbyterian St. Luke's Hospital in Chicago and relocated to Portland in 1980.
He retired in 2008, after a 28 ½ year career with Permanente Dental Associates in Portland. He is past president of the Multnomah Dental Society, and he currently serves on the dental advisory board for Medical Teams International.
He volunteers his time with Medical Teams International, giving between 35 and 40 free dental clinics per year an advocates for community water fluoridation through the American Fluoridation Society (AFS) Ferre' was one of five individuals who formed this organization to educate and advocate for water fluoridation.
Dr. Bill Osmunson, DDS
Osmunson, a Puget Sound-area resident, is a seasoned dentist with over 40 years of experience in general and cosmetic dentistry. He holds a DDS from Loma Linda University, where he was recognized for exceptional interest in the development of the orofacial complex, along with a master’s in public health specializing in nutrition and health education.
Osmunson has practiced in diverse settings, including remote towns in Canada and Idaho, Native American reservations, and urban clinics. He has provided a comprehensive range of dental services, from routine cleanings to advanced procedures such as implants, orthodontics, oral surgery, and full mouth reconstructions. Her has taught at the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies, instructing courses on occlusion, aesthetics, and comprehensive dental techniques.
In addition to his clinical and teaching contributions, Osmunson is a researcher and author. He has published papers on topics including fluoride, dental fluorosis, occlusion, and public health considerations in dentistry. His work has influenced industry practices, including the development of dental equipment and techniques. Osmunson holds multiple active and inactive dental licenses across the U.S. and Canada.
He participated in professional organizations, including the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry and the International College of Cranio-Mandibular Orthopedics.
Tonight’s meeting starts with a 20-minute public comment period, in which each speaker will be given a maximum of one minute to comment.
The panel discussion of experts will follow. Each side will get 45 minutes to make a presentation, and each will get a 10-minute opportunity for rebuttal.
Halvorson chose Osmunson as only single speaker for the anti-fluoride presentation (Osmunson); Councilwoman Ruth Kendall chose the four speakers for the pro-fluoride presentation. Still, each side must keep their presentations within the 45-minute and 10-minute limits.
The council will not take action tonight. It will hold a public hearing on Feb. 27 at which it will decide whether to drop the matter, submit it to a public vote or outrigtht notify the state that the city will discontinue fluoride use.
David Futcher, an accountant and former mayor of Kelso who now lives in Longview, will moderate tonight’s discussion.
Fluoride at the level used in municipal water supplies simply are safe whether some folks want to believe it or not and in fact---benefit folks as a preventative therapeutic---dental care wise. Billions of folks have consumed municipal water around the world. There isn't a lot of data showing problems I've seen---with the caveat that high levels seen to be a concern but then excessive exposure to gasoline fumes or even exposure to sunlight can as well. And there's plenty of evidence that unprotected exposure to sunlight can in fact kill you---uh, think skin cancer---and the death rate or even in the case of treatable skin cancers---the numbers certainly indicate you oughta stay out of the sun or use a screen while the numbers for fluoride issues don't quite prove anywhere near the risk even after decades of consumption.
If folks were honest, they'd look at themselves---if you live in any city in America from childhood to adulthood in say the last 40 years or longer, its highly likely you consumed fluoride every time you took a drink of H2O---so what adverse effect have you suffered?
Some folks, and they're entitled to their thoughts about fluoride, just oppose its addition to municipal water. Even though it's been part of their life from birth and would if honest own up to they've suffered no ill effects.
Longview’s fluoride is well below dangerous limits. It’s in the safe and effective range. There’s no good reason to change it.