Staff

Commentary by Dr. Alex White As a public health dentist with nearly 35 years of experience, I would like to respond to the Commentary last week from the “Fluoride Free Chapel Hill/Carrboro” campaign. For more than 70 years, community water fluoridation has been used to prevent tooth decay and improve oral health.   Millions of Americans – children, adults, and seniors – benefit from fluoridation each year.  In 2014, more than 211 million people, or 75% of the U.S. population, were served by community water systems that contain enough fluoride to protect their teeth. Community water fluoridation is not only...

Commentary by Daria Barazandeh As a resident of Chapel Hill and consumer of OWASA water who is deeply concerned about the effects of the commonly accepted practice of putting a toxic chemical in our water supply known as hydrofluorosilicic acid, or more commonly called fluoride, I have launched a local movement to have it stopped. The FDA classifies fluoride as a drug when used to treat or prevent disease and when added to the water, it is being used with the belief that it will prevent tooth decay. What happened to informed consent? Do we not have the right...

Commentary by Richard Chady The Durham Orange Light Rail Transit (DOLRT) plan is the unicorn destined to become a white elephant. When proposed years ago, perhaps it seemed to be the ideal response to growth, even a status symbol for our expanding metropolitan area. But the plan always provided a limited benefit to Orange County.  Light rail only serves a tiny sliver of the county and doesn’t provide any direct benefit to most of the area from Carrboro to Mebane.  It doesn’t run to the airport or the Research Triangle Park. Now after many delays and changes in the...