10 November 16 - 22, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents with Dallas County.” Lewis Jenkins said the investigation into the incident is ongoing and the county is continuing to work with law enforcement and cybersecurity experts to address the sit- uation. Generally, during a ransomware attack, hackers will steal data and encrypt it, lock- ing out the owners of the data. It becomes retrievable only if a ransom is paid. The county, however claims, it thwarted the at- tack, at least in part, and that its data wasn’t encrypted by the attackers. But that doesn’t mean the data is safe. If you ask Boyd Clewis, vice president of the Baxter Clewis Training Academy, which trains people in cybersecurity, the hackers aren’t bluffing about releasing data. “In this game in the cyber space, reputation is every- thing,” Clewis told the Observer after the hack last month. “They would not play with their reputation with bluffing. … Sometimes they’ll be so bold to just release a sample just to show that they’re not playing.” But, he said he wouldn’t suggest paying the ransom and that the county should work with local and federal law enforcement to retrieve its data. “It’s people behind this. It’s not comput- ers,” he said. “And what gets rewarded or in- centivized gets repeated. So if Dallas County pays them, what’s going to stop them from asking for more money or doing this again?” ▼ CITY HALL TEETH? WHO NEEDS ’EM? DALLAS CONTINUES ITS ‘DUMB CONVERSATIONS’ ABOUT FLUORIDE. BY JACOB VAUGHN D Magazine was right when it called a recent city discussion about water fluoridation “the dumbest conver- sation ever to take place at Dallas City Hall.” But fear not. The conversation got a lot dumber. It’s a topic that has cropped up at City Hall before. At least the Oct. 16 meeting of the city’s Quality of Life, Arts and Culture Com- mittee (to which D was referring) was led by experts who could debunk claims about wa- ter fluoridation and speak to its effectiveness. Last week’s committee discussion about wa- ter fluoridation will be led mostly by people who would likely prefer to see fluoride taken out of the city’s water supply. Alongside the director and assistant di- rector of Dallas Water Utilities, you had Dr. Griffin Cole with the International Acad- emy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology. In one video on Youtube, you can hear him talking about the supposed dangers of fluo- ride, including the claim that fluoride has been scientifically proven to lower IQs. Then, there’s Professor Bruce Lanphear with Simon Fraser University. He co au- thored an op-ed in 2020 titled “It is time to protect kids’ developing brains from fluo- ride,” which claimed there was mounting evidence that fluoride may hamper brain development and reduce IQs in children. Lastly, you had Dr. John Staniland of the Fluoride Action Network, an organization that is, according to its website, “dedicated to protecting public health by ending water fluoridation and other involuntary expo- sures to fluoride.” You need not to have watched the meet- ing. What these “experts” had to say about fluoride is laid out plainly in the presenta- tion they gave to the committee. And, man, it was a doozy. One slide simply called fluo- ridation “unnecessary, unproven and un- safe.” Another slide claimed that increased water fluoridation corresponded with lower IQs. Another claimed that fluoridation leads to more tooth decay, not less (as Big Fluo- ride would have you believe). These are all claims that were debunked during the committee’s last discussion on water fluoridation on Oct. 16. That discussion was led by a panel with the likes of Dr. Mary Swift with the Texas Dental Association, Dr. Johnny Johnson Jr. of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, and Dr. Philip Huang and Dr. Anh Nguyen with Dallas County Health and Human Services. [pullquote-1-center] Swift explained to the committee last month that fluoride can be found in drinking water, toothpaste, dental products such as mouth- wash and in some foods. She said that when bacteria present on teeth consume sugars, it produces acids that remove minerals from the surface of teeth. Fluoride can re-mineral- ize tooth surfaces by binding with tooth enamel to produce a much harder mineral. The harder the mineral, the more resistant to tooth decay and cavities. Fluoridation is most important to vulner- able communities, specifically children who don’t have access to quality dental care, Swift said. “In some households, a tooth- brush is a luxury,” she said. In August 1966, Dallas Water Utilities be- gan adding fluoride to all three of its treat- ment plants. Today, the city spends about $500,000 annually to fluoridate its water. About 73% of Americans served by commu- nity water systems receive water that is fluo- ridated. And it’s a good thing, too, because, according to Swift, fluoridated water reduces tooth decay by about 25% over a person’s life- time, benefitting both adults and children. We’ve also seen what happens when you don’t fluoridate water. In 2007, Juneau, the capital of Alaska, stopped fluoridating its water supply, Swift noted. However, the city of Anchorage kept the practice. Nine years later, the average per-child cost for cavity treatments had shot up 47% in Juneau but had increased by only 5% in Anchorage. Time and again, opponents of water fluo- ridation have blamed it for a long list of ills, including migraines, cancer, acne and lower IQs. However, these claims don’t hold up under scrutiny, Swift said. “Evidence shows that these claims are baseless and each time a fact checker has been sent to review a claim about the safety of fluoride, they have found it false or misleading,” Swift said. On top of that, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Pe- diatric Dentistry, the American Dental Asso- ciation and several other groups all recommend community water fluoridation. So, it was indeed a wacky topic to even entertain at City Hall. But if you’re going to listen to either discussion, maybe go back and tune in to the Oct. 16 committee meet- ing. Just turn off the video when City Coun- cil members start asking questions. ▼ CANNABIS MOM’S GUMMIES ONLY ARE KIDS GETTING HOLD OF DELTA-8? BY JACOB VAUGHN T he 2018 Farm Bill and Texas House Bill 1325 legalized hemp. Since then, a market for hemp-derived products, including ones that can get you high, has boomed. The two bills outlined a distinction be- tween hemp and marijuana. Hemp is canna- bis with less than 0.3% delta-9 THC, the chief psychoactive component in weed that gets users high. Cannabis with more than 0.3% delta-9 is considered illegal marijuana. Since the bills were passed, products like delta-8 and delta-10, variants of delta-9 that also have intoxicating effects, have cropped up on the scene. There are even intoxicating delta-9 products being sold in shops today. It’s arguably easier than ever to get high in the state. But are these new products safe and are they staying out of the hands of chil- dren? State Rep. Stephanie Klick, a Republi- can from Fort Worth, said she wants to ensure that they are with added regulation. She hopes to accomplish this through bills filed during a recent state’s special legisla- tive session, but there’s next to no chance of that happening. She might just have to wait for the next regular session. Still, she says there are problems in the hemp industry that need to be addressed. “The problem we have is this is un- tested product, and kids are getting a hold of it,” Klick said, referring to products like delta-8. “I think that we need to place more restrictions so that kids cannot get a hold of it. But I think if the product is go- ing to be consumed, it ought to undergo testing.” Some state lawmakers have tried to ban these products in the past. There has also been an effort by the Department of State Health Services to add them to the list of controlled substances. That effort is tied up in court at the moment, and the products remain arguably legal for now. But Klick said she thinks a ban on the products would be very difficult to pull off. Instead, she thinks they should be tested to ensure they aren’t contaminated with pesticides or heavy metals. According to the FDA, some of these products are made using harmful chemicals that could lead to contamination. Klick said if they were tested and if extra protections were in place to ensure kids don’t get their hands on them, she has no problem with adults using these products. The FDA received 104 reports of adverse events in patients who consumed delta-8 between Dec. 1, 2020, and Feb. 28, 2022. Of those, 8% involved patients younger than 18 years old. Additionally, national poison con- trol centers received 2,362 delta-8 exposure cases between Jan. 1, 2021, and February 28, 2022. Of those, 41% involved users younger than 18. Klick said there is some pushback against regulation because it could make producing these products more expensive. “Obviously, any time you’re having to comply with regu- lations, there’s added cost involved in pro- ducing your product,” she said. “I get that, but I also want safe products that are going to be consumed by consumers.” She claims she’s seen the products in places like nail salons, which may not be used to checking IDs. She also claimed she’s seen delta-8 vending machines across the street from grade schools, although she ad- mits she doesn’t know how they work or if ID is required for purchases. Still, she said: “We need to tighten up our regulations on this so that kids do not get a hold of these products. If they are caught using these products, they can be sentenced to alterna- tive education. I mean, it’s a pretty heavy burden for kids.” According to The Texas Tribune, one Texas teen was jailed on felony charges after being caught vaping delta-8 at school. Klick said she thinks the whole outlook on these products needs to change if they’re going to be kept away from children. “When you can buy these products just about anywhere, it leaves the impression to the public that they’re safe, and perhaps they’re not taking the care and consider- ation of keeping them out of the reach of children,” Klick said. Jacob Vaughn Products like delta-8 can be found in stores across the U.S. Unfair Park from p8
