COLUMBIA — The McBaine Water Treatment Plant is getting a new addition to its facility: a chemical building that will be used to put in fluoride, chlorine and other disinfectants into the water.
Columbia Water and Light would normally add these chemicals in its administration building, which is on-site at the treatment plant. Yet, the construction of the Chemical Building would make the chemical addition process easier and more efficient.
“Some of the equipment was just getting older and wearing out so it’s time to upgrade,” Matt Nestor, the public information specialist for City of Columbia Utilities said. “Really just get the ability to treat 32 million gallons of water per day.”
On Sept. 11, Columbia Water and Light posted on Facebook that the construction of these buildings has continued to come together.
But the COMO Safe Water Coalition commented, claiming that the addition of fluoride is “unnecessary.”
Julie Ryan, the cofounder of the COMO Safe Water Coalition, says putting additional fluoride into Columbia’s water supply does more harm than good.
“We believe that water fluoridation is an outdated practice,” Ryan said. “It isn’t the best way to achieve dental health in our community, especially for our kids.”
Ryan referenced a study done by the National Toxicology Program with the United States Department of Health and Human Services for her reasoning.
“We are seeing increased incidents of lower IQ in children because of increased fluoride exposure,” Ryan said, “and that is something we want the city to evaluate.”
The study found with “moderate confidence” that higher levels of fluoride, such as those in drinking water, are associated with lower IQ.
The findings conclude that children’s exposure to fluoride at or more than 1.5 milligrams of fluoride per liter could lead to those side effects.
Nestor says Columbia Water & Light follows the Environmental Protection Agency’s guidelines for how much fluoride to put in, which is 0.7 mg per liter.
“We go by the EPA recommendations,” Nestor said. “We’re going to follow their guidelines to do what they believe is the right thing.”
The study explicitly said there was “insufficient data” to determine if the 0.7 mg per liter recommendation has a negative effect on children’s IQ and found no evidence that any fluoride ingestion would cause adverse effects on adults.
Dr. Kenneth Abramovitch is the chair of oral pathology, radiology and medicine with the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry. He says the use of fluoride is a necessity.
“From a public health point of view, it’s one of the least expensive ways to prevent dental caries in younger individuals; actually all individuals,” Abramovitch said. “A lot of underprivileged communities have higher rates of caries, and it reduces that for them.”
When it comes to these studies, Abramovitch says to critique them closely.
“I would have to really look at the studies and the merits of the studies as opposed to the conclusions,” Abramovitch said. “I would go with the studies that have been going on since the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s, if I may add.”
The addition of the Chemical Building is a part of the overarching McBaine Water Treatment Plant improvement project. Construction on the building is set to finish in the summer of 2026.