Vernon said Tooele's proposal calls for boosting the water's naturally occurring fluoride level of 0.2 parts per million to the accepted standard of 1 part per million. He said people have been drinking fluoride in their water "since Day 1 of man's existence. Any time water passes through the ground it picks up minerals, and fluoride is one of those minerals."

In the early 1900s, many residents of the U.S. Southwest were drinking water that naturally had fluoride in amounts up to 8 parts per million. It stained their teeth, but it also kept them decay-resistent. He said research has since shown that 1 part per million maintains the anti-decay properties of fluoride without the teeth staining.

"Anything in excess or used incorrectly is harmful, whether it be food or a car or gasoline," Vernon said. "Time has proven (fluoride's) effectiveness, and I feel bad that there's a paranoia and scare tactics out there that make people afraid. There's no reason to be afraid of 1 part per million fluoride in the water."

But opponents like York say that fluoride, good or bad, should not be forced on people who don't want to drink it.

"I feel bad because I realize there are a lot of people who could benefit from it, but it just seems like it's taking away a lot of people's rights to not have it in the water by forcing it down our throats," she said. "There are other ways you can get it besides in the water."

She said that the most vocal proponents of fluoridation seem to be dentists. She believes those dentists should consider opening their offices on specific days to provide fluoride for children of poor families who couldn't afford it otherwise.

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E-mail: dsmeath@desnews.com