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Students to raise fluoride awareness

College of the Rockies'Nursing students are aiming to raise awareness of fluoride in our drinking water.
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College of the Rockies’ Nursing students (left to right) Louis Gauer

College of the Rockies' first-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing students are aiming to raise awareness of fluoride in our drinking water.  As a requirement of their program, the students were tasked with planning a health-promotion project. They determined that increasing knowledge of the benefits and potential risks of fluoridation was important as Cranbrook is one of the few remaining communities in British Columbia that continues to fluoridate drinking water.

The students' campaign to raise awareness ties in with World Water Day on Friday, March 22, a day intended to celebrate global awareness of drinking water in communities. Currently, B.C. has the lowest incidence of fluoridated water in Canada with only six communities continuing to add fluoride to their water supply.

"In order to heighten understanding of the fluoridation issue, we are displaying posters within the College and around the community," Group member Jamie Sweet sid.  "We also encourage the public to listen to The Drive on Friday, March 22, when the station will be airing arguments on both sides of this issue."

The students will measure whether they were effective in raising awareness of this issue by conducting a poll targeting their fellow students within the college. It will be a simple questionnaire poll that will be conducted Monday, March 25th by the group.

To learn more about fluoridation of water go to the Healthy Living link on Health Canada's website at: www.hc-sc.gc.ca