Ashlee Sanchez, along with a group of concerned Red Deerians, will be protesting the use of a type of fluoride that is added to the City’s water supply.

The protest will take place on July 1 at City Hall from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. and the public is invited to join to get more information or to express their concerns.

“People are confused about the types of fluoride. Hexafluorosilicic Acid (H2SiF6) is the one we are trying to get out,” said Sanchez.

While fluoride does occur naturally in our water, as pointed out by Mayor Morris Flewwelling, H2SiF6 is an added product that has had no additional testing done regarding toxicity.

The issue of whether or not fluoride should be added to the water was put into the public’s hands and Sanchez said that is why a group of like-minded community members have acted now.

“This is to make people aware so that they can choose to drink the water, wash their food in it and bathe in it.”

Sanchez knows where she stands on the issue but said that people need to research it for themselves and decide what their stance might be.

The group taking part in the protest is Citizens United to Remove Fluoride From Red Deer’s Water Supply, which was created in 2009.

Another member of the group, Diane Hermary explained that the allowed fluoridation levels were .8 ppm but Health Canada has recently changed the allowed amount to .7 ppm.

“An option we could look at would be to lower it instead of taking it out,” said Hermary.

She also said that an idea would be to take the $60,000 that is used to add the fluoride to the water and create a fluoride clinic where Red Deerians who want fluoride could get tablets.

“You have a medication given to the public en mass and dosages differ based on lifestyle so there is really no way to regulate it,” said Hermary.

Flewwelling pointed out that some types of fluoride fall in the same categories as iodine, which is in salt and chlorine, which is added to the water to clean it.

“For some people it’s the lack of choice that they find offensive and I understand that,” he said.

In earlier years fluoride was added to water because access to fluoride in toothpaste, drinks and dental procedures was not as readily available.

“We know from dentists that the fluoride application preserves your teeth,” said Flewwelling.

As it stands now even if 50% of the population was against fluoridation, one side of the issue would always be unhappy with the way things were done, said Flewwelling.

“I’m not going to tell you not to use it, I’m going to tell you to research it,” said Hermary.

For more information visit facebook and type in ‘Red Deer Against Fluoride’.

kpalardy@reddeerexpress.com