If you drink water in Fort Myers, Bonita Springs, Naples – you already have fluoride added into your drinking water.

In May, The Greater Pine Island Water Association agreed they’d follow suit, but a large group of neighbors say no way.

It’s a healthy lifestyle Jack Mills strives for. “I watch what I eat,” Mills said “Gave up the beer I used to drink.”

To keep healthy, the 73-year-old drinks water – and a lot of it.

But Mills and his neighbors are worried about a big push to add fluoride to his drinking water.

“They’ve cleaned our water up wonderfully,” he said. “And we are happy with it. But now they want to dump fluoride back in.”

The Greater Pine Island Water Association approved a grant to add fluoride to the water of its 13,000 customers.

In a statement, the President Mike Faulkner says “The board wants our membership to enjoy the same benefits that the approximately 560,000 people in the surrounding neighborhoods do.”

Mills isn’t sold as he weighs the pros and cons- and there are plenty of them.

The U.S. Center for Disease Control says fluoride in your water can prevent tooth decay by up to 25%.

It also says fluoride can create a cheap alternative for those who can’t afford proper dental care.

But a group called the Fluoride Action Network says it can create long term negative effects on the brain.

FAN also claims fluoride can raise the risk of bone cancer.

Mills and his neighbors are set now – collecting signatures, and petitioning the G.P.I.W.A. for one thing:

“We should be allowed to vote on this,” he said.

Print PDF