THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2012 • THE BULLETIN
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O N Portland approves fluoridation; Lane County opponents vow to keep up fight considers broad By Steven DuBois The Associated Press
PORTLAND — The City Council approved a plan Wednesday to add fluoride to Portland’s water, meaning Oregon’s biggest city is no longer the largest holdout in the U.S. The ordinance calls for city water to be fluoridated by March 2014. Dental experts say fluoride is effective in fighting cavities. Opponents of public fluoridation say it’s unsafe and violates an individual’s right to consent to medication. “Reasonable people can disagree, but the science is on the side of fluoridation,” Mayor Sam Adams said after the unanimous vote. Opponents also say council members rushed into action without a public vote. They plan to collect almost 20,000 signatures in the next 30 days to force a referendum early next year — before the mineral is added to a water supply that serves about 900,000 people in Portland and a few suburbs. “There is no question that we are going to need a lot of financial and volunteer support to make this happen, but we are seeing a major backlash to how the City Council has handled this,” said Kim Kaminski, executive director of Oregon Citizens for Safe Drinking Water. Public fluoridation remains an emotional topic in many parts of the country. The issue arose in Phoenix this week when a public stir prompted re-examination of a policy in place since 1989. After a contentious hearing Tuesday, council members voted to continue adding fluoride to the water in the nation’s sixthlargest city. Wichita, Kan., residents will vote in November whether to add fluoride to the city’s water supply. Portland’s drinking water already contains naturally occurring fluoride, though not at levels considered to be effective at fighting cavities. Voters in Portland twice rejected fluoridation before ap-
Don Ryan / The Associated Press
Angel Lambart holds her daughter, Gwendolyn, 18 months, as she gives a thumbs down Wednesday during a City Council vote on whether to add fluoride to city water in Portland. The City Council approved a plan Wednesday to add fluoride to Portland’s water, meaning Oregon’s biggest city is no longer the largest holdout in the U.S.
proving it in 1978. That plan was overturned before any fluoride was ever added to the water. Before announcing his vote, Commissioner Randy Leonard said the passion from both sides showed why previous councils sidestepped the matter: “This issue is not for the faint of heart.” Dozens of opponents turned out for the vote that went as expected. They booed, hissed and held signs that said “Public water, public vote.” When it became apparent that commissioners would indeed approve the ordinance, they stood with their backs turned. Regina LaRocca, who had her back turned, said the
“money and power” on the side of fluoridation was difficult to overcome, but commissioners might have altered their votes had more people flooded City Hall. “I’m disappointed in the people of Portland, and their apathy,” she said. Last week, 227 people — most of them opponents — signed up to testify at a public hearing that lasted 6 1⁄2 hours. Commissioners said now is the time to act because Portland children have more dental problems than kids from neighboring states that fluoridate, and adding the mineral to the water is the most safe, effective and affordable way
to address it. Seventy-three percent of the U.S. population drinks water treated with fluoride — more than three times the rate in Oregon. Fluoride opponents contend the dental benefits of fluoride are small and don’t outweigh the cons. Several pointed to a recent study by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, which appeared in Environmental Health Perspectives. It showed that Chinese children who had high levels of naturally occurring fluoride in their drinking water had lower IQs than those who lived in villages with less fluoride in their water. “These people are putting their children’s teeth above their children’s brains, and that’s ridiculous,” said Paul Connett, author of the book “The Case Against Fluoride,” who traveled to the meeting from New York. Residents with thyroid issues, kidney disease and multiple chemical sensitivity worry fluoridation will make their lives worse. Others are concerned it can cause cancer, autism and other problems. Commissioners counter that more than 200 million Americans drink water with added fluoride, and it doesn’t appear to have caused great harm. Moreover, it is endorsed by most health organizations, including the American Medical Association and Centers for Disease Control. Fluoride supporters and opponents agreed that fluoridation alone won’t solve Portland’s dental problems. They say parents must stress proper hygiene and stop giving their children drinks loaded with sugar. But the commissioners say fluoridation will at least give children, particularly those from families without money or education, some protection against tooth decay. “A 3-year-old child can’t be expected to take responsibility for their dental care,” Commissioner Dan Saltzman said, to which a frustrated member of the audience shouted: “Their parents can.”
Bath salts implicated in Talent man’s death By Chris Conrad Mail Tribune, Medford
TALENT — The Talent man who died after a violent struggle with police last week might have used the dangerous drug “bath salts” hours before his death, according to family members. The father of Christoph LaDue Jr., 23, said a baggie that contained bath salts was found in his home, suggesting LaDue had smoked the drug before his deadly encounter with police. “If he hadn’t have used that stuff, he would be alive today,” said an emotional Christoph LaDue Sr. “This bath salts stuff killed my boy.” Jackson County sheriff’s detectives did not return calls seeking comment. Police normally won’t divulge details of a case until after an investigation is completed. However, LaDue is convinced his son had used bath salts because his behavior that day was very much out of character. Police were called to LaDue’s home on Wagner Creek Road after a neighbor said he ran to the home and tried to enter. LaDue Sr. said his son did not mean any harm to the neighbor but was trying to seek help after experiencing the effects of the bath salts. “He kept screaming, ‘Dad, I’m on fire, Dad, I’m on fire,’ ” LaDue Sr. said. “He wasn’t trying to break into someone’s house to cause harm. He was a gentle soul.” The family struggled with LaDue before he broke free and ran to the neighbor’s house.
“... This is the classic description of what happens when someone does bath salts. You have the elevated temperature ... the violence. This is what we are seeing across the country.” — Dr. James Hammel, psychiatrist
Police arrived and battled with LaDue, using Tasers that seemed to have no effect. Finally, the officers fought LaDue to the ground and were able to handcuff him. Ladue’s heart stopped shortly afterward. Nearby medical personnel, who had come to the initial call for help and had been standing by, immediately attempted to resuscitate Ladue before transporting him to Rogue Regional Medical Center. He died an hour later. LaDue suffered from schizophrenia but had no history of violence, his father said. “He was a good kid and was doing so well,” LaDue Sr. said. “He was going to (Rogue Community College) and playing drums in a band.” LaDue did not understand his son’s bizarre behavior that day, at least not until the empty bath salts package was discovered. Bath salts are a type of designer drug created by backalley chemists and marketed to young people. The drug is a stimulant in the manner of methamphetamine, but also has the euphoric, hallucinogenic effects of Ecstasy. The drug can be smoked, snorted or injected. It has been known to cause severe agitation, paranoia, chest pains, suicidal thoughts and actions, and violence, and could lead to permanent brain damage.
The Oregon Pharmacy Board declared bath salts an illegal drug last April. The bath salts label is a marketing ploy to make the drug seem harmless. Hammel said the drug is easy to obtain on the Internet and that parents who find a package of it in their kids’ bedroom might be duped into thinking it’s harmless. Dr. James Hammel, a psychiatrist who graduated from Harvard Medical School, has seen the devastating effects of bath salts in a number of patients in recent years. Hammel said he has treated a steady flow of bath salts users since he arrived in the Rogue Valley last year. He said LaDue’s condition was common among bath salts patients. “I didn’t treat (LaDue), but this is the classic description of what happens when someone does bath salts,” Hammel said. “You have the elevated tem-
perature ... the violence. This is what we are seeing across the country.” A man admitted to Rogue Regional Medical Center who was believed to be under the influence of bath salts barricaded himself in a third-floor room and injured a police officer during an epic struggle earlier this year. Local police have said that bath salts users have abnormally high pain tolerance, making Tasers ineffective. They also have shown higherthan-average strength and overall bizarre behavior. Hammel said he has seen the drug raise someone’s body temperature to 107.5 degrees Fahrenheit, which is deadly. “This drug is going to be a problem in our community for years to come,” Hammel said. “It’s something we are going to struggle with.” LaDue Sr. is hoping an autopsy and a toxicology report scheduled on his son will provide some answers. Until then, the family has to face a new life without the young man. “We need to make sure no one else get a hold of this stuff,” LaDue said.
smoking bans The Associated Press EUGENE — Public health officials in Lane County are talking about broadening smoking bans on county property, including its 4,600 acres of parks, campgrounds and other recreation facilities. County officials acknowledged it would be hard to bar smoking in parks but said it’s in tune with other efforts to reduce tobacco use. “It is something that we are committed to,” said Jason Davis, a spokesman for the county health agency. It would be up to the county commission to approve any restrictions. The county has 73 parks and other recreation facilities. Among the heavily used open spaces is Wayne Morse Free Speech Plaza at its administration building in downtown Eugene. State law already bans smoking in enclosed workplaces statewide and within 10 feet of entrances, exits or windows of workplaces. Recent proposals have sought to broaden that area. The University of Oregon has banned smoking on its campus and other properties, including sports venues, starting Sept. 1. Lane Community College bans smok-
ing on campus except in two small designated areas in parking lots. Last month, Gov. John Kitzhaber issued an executive order banning tobacco use on all property surrounding state buildings. That ban currently doesn’t apply to college campuses or to places meant for the public, such as state parks. However, Kitzhaber is asking governing boards to ban or restrict tobacco in those places, too. In Lane County, nearly 17 percent of adults smoke; as do 15 percent of 11th-graders and 8 percent of eighth-graders. Health agency director Alicia Hays said the county already is moving toward smoke-free facilities and the intention is to expand that to all county properties. The agency is meeting with the public and the county staff to figure out how a tobacco ban should be implemented rather than whether it should happen, she said. “There’s a lot going on around tobacco-free. This is a chance for our community to come together and hear why and have discussions and voice their opinion,” she said. “We’re just one of many entities moving forward with this.”
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ijuana will be confiscated. Suspect sought in The Dalles killing Judge rules couple THE DALLES — Au- built pool in wetland thorities have identified a suspect in the slaying of a man in The Dalles. Police Chief Jay Waterbury said Wednesday an arrest warrant has been issued for 20-year-old Carlos Medina — the lone suspect in the death of Mark Labonte. The men reportedly got into a fight late Sunday in a Fred Meyer parking lot. Labonte was flown to a Portland hospital after the altercation and died early Monday.
Officers conduct medical pot raid VALE — Police in Eastern Oregon and Idaho say they’ve conducted 11 raids in an investigation of the misuse of Oregon’s medical marijuana law. The Ontario Argus-Observer reported that no arrests were made, and Malheur County Sheriff Brian Wolfe said none are expected this week. He said a substantial amount of mar-
WEST LINN — A threeyear battle over a swimming pool in the backyard of a West Linn home has ended with a municipal court judge ruling that the homeowners built the pool in a wetland without a permit. The next step is for the city and Troy and Gina Bundy to decide whether they have to remove the 1,100-square-foot pool and whether they will have to pay a fine of as much as $360,000. A judge may decide the matter at a Sept. 20 hearing. — From wire reports
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