Voters are now one step closer to deciding whether fluoride is added to their drinking water.
On Wednesday, the Louisiana Senate approved a bill 26-7 to allow any public water system to opt out of fluoridating drinking water if voters approve it. The bill will now head to the House of Representatives for a vote.
The bill says that while the Louisiana Department of Health will still oversee a fluoridation program and set recommended fluoride levels, if at least 15% of registered voters in a water district sign a petition, it would force a local election. If a majority of voters then approve the motion, a water system can stop fluoridation.
State law currently mandates that larger public water systems, or those with at least 5,000 service connections, add fluoride when natural levels are below the recommended range. But in the New Orleans area, fluoride levels still vary widely depending on where you live.
The subject has been heavily debated in the past several years. State Sen. Mike Fesi (R-Houma), who introduced the bill, called fluoride a “hazardous waste.”
“It’s been shown to be safe,” Tulane University Environmental Epidemiologist Dr. Felicia Rabito told WWL Louisiana last year. “It’s really a public health success story at very low cost and has helped a wide variety of people.”
Original article online at: https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/local/local-politics/bill-to-let-voters-eliminate-fluoride-in-water-advances-to-house/289-f7da0f8b-fc38-4528-b99d-946c7b15364c