City leaders in Fairhope have been discussing the possibility of removing fluoride from the city’s drinking water.
During a city council meeting on Oct. 13, Fairhope Mayor Sherry Sullivan said she was in the process of gathering information and talking to local health professionals about the impact of fluoride in the city’s water system.
Sullivan told GCM that she has had several people reach out to her about the situation, both for and against the use of fluoride, but said that this would not be a quick process, saying they would have to put out a public notice before any decision is made.
Reasons for a proposed removal of fluoride include its potentially harmful effects to city staff and workers who handle it as well as the chemical costing the city as much as $100,000 per year.
Fairhope, whose water system serves roughly 22,000 people, has previously discussed the idea of removing fluoride from its water system for several years now. In 2015, then Fairhope Mayor Tim Kant discussed potentially researching the pros and cons of fluoride usage after hearing concerns from local residents, but council at the time was not convinced that there was enough justification to remove it.
In 2022, city leaders once again discussed the possibility of removing fluoride during a city council meeting, with the council agenda including an ordinance to remove fluoride. However, council tabled the ordinance so they could gather more information on the issue.
Fluoride has been implemented in water systems across the country, as well as in oral hygiene products, such as toothpaste, to help prevent tooth decay. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) named the fluoridation of drinking water as “one of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century” due to a dramatic decline in cavities since community water fluoridation began in 1945.
The issue reflects a growing national debate over fluoride’s safety and effectiveness in drinking water. U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced plans earlier this year to ask the CDC to stop recommending fluoride, saying that fluoride makes people “stupider.”
At least two states have already banned the use of fluoride in drinking water. In May, both Utah and Florida signed legislation into law prohibiting the use of fluoride in public water systems.
Fairhope, if it decides to move forward with its proposal, could become the second city within Baldwin County to remove fluoride from its water systems, as well as the seventh within Alabama to do so since 2024. Orange Beach halted the use of fluoride in its water systems in March.
Critics have warned about the potential negative effects the removal of fluoride would have on communities, with Alabama ranking in the bottom half among states in both dental hygiene and oral health care access.
Original article online at: https://gulfcoastmedia.com/stories/fairhope-discussing-removing-fluoride-from-water-system,294933