General Fluoridation Law
Most states have the provision of allowing a
referendum public vote on the controversial program of fluoridation. In
fact, this public measure has been voted upon more than 4000 times in
the last 50 years with approximately 80% of the elections defeating
fluoridation.
Since 1990 more than 37 cities and towns in the United States have voted against fluoridation. (See Rejection of fl2 for a list of cities and towns.)
Massachusetts Fluoridation Law
Under the General Laws of Massachusetts,
fluoridation can be ordered by the Public Health Department, after which
they must wait 90 days before it is acted upon.
During that 90 days any individual in the town or
city which has been ordered by the local Health Department to fluoridate
can circulate a petition to have the issue placed on the ballot. Ten
per cent of registered voters is necessary to bring this measure to the
ballot box.
Cities or towns that share a common water supply
must have the support of the majority of all the involved Health
Departments before the issue to fluoridate can be acted upon. A copy of
this specific law can be viewed here.
Glitches in the Law
The Health Department and dental profession, in
our opinion, try to circumvent the public's rights on this issue by
putting restrictions on the public's ability to vote in this process.
For example, if two or more cities share the water supply, under the
current law they are considered a "water district" and the public is
circumvented from the right to voice their opinion through vote on this
issue. It is our opinion that if two or more cities share the same water
supply, both cities* should vote on this issue. The Metropolitan
District Commission (MDC) of Boston used this very rule to fluoridate,
without the vote of the public, the 33 cities and towns using the
Quabbin Reservoir for their water supply. In fact, the majority of
people in MA that are drinking fluoridated water today were forced to
drink it without a vote due to this "district rule".
*If the Boards of Health order it.See other sites regarding Fluoridation and the Law. Back to top
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