Allow me to pop in here and say that I strongly oppose this bill and I urge my Assemblymen to vote against it, or for the Governor to veto it if it comes his way. The costs aside, I oppose this primarily for health reasons. Consumption of fluoride has been linked to decreases in IQ, disruptions in the brain and kidney, deterioration of the bones, increases in fluorosis, and other nasty things. Fluoride is a poisonous substance to the body that shouldn't be consumed. Toothpaste use is fine and should be encouraged, but I wouldn't want this to be included in the region's water supply.
Your IQ study showed that children in high fluoride areas had lower IQ than those in low fluoride areas - specifically, if you live in an area where massive doses of fluoride seep into wells from the soil (like China) there is a negative impact on your mental health. Those levels are over 20 times what this legislation proposes. The idea that fluoride is toxic in massive doses far exceeding what's possible for you to ingest is not news. The International Agency for Research on Cancer, United States Public Health Service, National Research Council, National Health Service, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention all agree that fluoride is safe (and, because of the preventive health benefits, saves the government far more money than it costs to implement).
But that's just my two cents. Carry on.
