BY DONNA WESTFALL

I met Jim Wood at a Democratic event a couple of years ago.  It was during the time of the great fluoride debate and prior to the ballot Measure A to put a moratorium on water fluoridation.  Mr. Wood is a dentist, a forensic dentist.  He’s also a Healdsburg City Council member and Mayor.

After he gave a presentation on free dental clinics, which was impressive, I went up and spoke to the man.  I asked him some very simple questions like; “What do you think about HFSA in the drinking water?”

He stared at me like I was speaking Greek.

“HFSA – hydrofluorosilicic acid – you know the stuff they put in our drinking water and call fluoride.”

He never heard of it or never admitted hearing of it.

It would have been wiser if I had just asked him, “What do you think about drinking arsenic and mercury?”  Maybe he heard of that.

At any rate, I’m thinking that if a man who specializes in dentistry doesn’t know the first think about water fluoridation what other issues that affect our lives will he not do his homework?