SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — A bill to repeal requirements regarding water fluoridation in South Dakota has been heard in the South Dakota legislature.
The bill, Senate Bill 133, brought by Republican Sen. Carl Perry, does a handful of things.
First, the bill looks to enshrine 4.0 mg/L as the maximum allowable level of fluoride in a municipal water supply, which is in line with the current guidelines from the South Dakota Department of Ag and Natural Resources (DANR).
The next major change is a repeal of a section of law that states that the DANR shall perform all the functions of the Public Health Advisory Committee, the state health officer and the Department of Health with respect to water hygiene programs.
The final major change is a repeal of the section of state law which states that DANR shall require fluoridation in all municipal water supplies serving more than 500 people.
Perry, speaking with KELOLAND News on the phone, said he brought the bill at the request of an Aberdeen city councilor who had indicated that perhaps municipalities should be able to opt out of fluoridation.
Perry also cited a statement by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who claimed that the White House would issue guidance on January 20 to remove fluoride from all public water systems.
Trump has not made any announcement on fluoride since taking office, and his position on the matter has not been stated since then.
Perry said his main goal was to get people talking about the subject of fluoridation, and clarified that he did not claim to be an expert in the matter. He mentioned that fluoridation has been the practice for decades, and asked whether we should question the norm before asserting his belief that yes, we should.
Jim Auen, Operations Manager for Lewis and Clark Regional Water System, which covers a large swath of southeastern South Dakota, southwestern Minnesota and northwestern Iowa, spoke to KELOLAND News on the subject of water fluoridation.
“As water professionals, we’re just trying to stay within the goalposts,” said Auen. “We depend upon the regulatory folks at the state level and then ultimately the national level to figure out what optimum levels are for us.”
Right now, Auen says the consensus from the regulators is that the optimal amount of fluoride in a water system is 0.7 parts/million, or 0.7 mg/L.
One thing that Auen wanted to drive home to the public is there are naturally occurring levels of fluoride in both ground and surface water systems across the nation.
“In the case of Lewis and Clark, it’s about 0.5 mg/L,” said Auen, “We add very little [fluoride] to get it up to that optimum range.”
Auen also touched on why we fluoridate water.
“The research that the regulation is based upon has indicated that there’s an optimum level of fluoride to prevent tooth decay, especially in children,” said Auen, adding that research continues on this subject. The optimum level was considered to be 1.2 mg/L, which was later lowered to 0.7 mg/L.
“It’s not unusual for regulations to change in our industry,” he said.
Perry’s bill made it out of the committee, but just barely.
No proponents testified in favor of the bill, though Perry told KELOLAND News that the mayor of Aberdeen had planned to.
Following opposition testimony from the South Dakota Dental Association, South Dakota Dental Hygienists’ Association, Department of Health, Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations, South Dakota Municipal League, South Dakota Association of Rural Water Systems, Community Support Providers of South Dakota, Avera Health, South Dakota State Medical Association, SD Section of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, as well as a handful of independent dentists, the first action on the bill was a motion to kill it by deferring it to the end of session.
This motion failed on a 3-4 vote.
A do pass motion was made and seconded, but was not acted on.
Instead, a motion to send the bill on to the Senate without recommendation was made and this passed 6-1.
Original article online at: https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/south-dakota-news/fluoride-in-water-discussion-comes-to-south-dakota/