Naples leaders are stopping the practice of adding fluoride into the city’s drinking water.
The Naples City Council made the decision in a 4-to-3 vote following a public hearing Wednesday with at least a dozen speakers on both sides of the issue.
Council members Ray Christman and Beth Petrunoff had asked for the decision to be delayed. Christman called for the issue to be sent to a workshop, and Petrunoff suggested the city hire an expert because of conflicting opinions.
Council member Linda Penniman did not air her position yet was the third vote against the ordinance amendment to stop fluoridating the water.
Fluoridation of the city’s water will end Jan. 1 or earlier if possible.
The debate was spurred months ago by members of Stand for Health Freedomwhich helped convince the Collier County Commission in February to stop fluoridating the county’s water.
The group also was instrumental in the county commission’s decision in April 2023 to adopt a “health freedom bill of rights” to protect personal liberties in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and what they said was government overreach with shut-downs, mask mandates and vaccine requirements.
The city’s discussion on fluoridation began before a Nov. 22 guidance from state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, who recommends that fluoride not be added to public drinking water.
Ladapo has held public health views that are contrary to the U.S. Centers and Disease Control, namely his position against the COVID-19 vaccine for infants and the elderly.
More recently gaining the spotlight is Robert F. Kennedy Jr., president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of the U.S. Health and Human Services, who vows to have fluoride removed from drinking water nationwide if he gets the appointment.
Both Marco Island and Everglades City do not add fluoride to their jurisdiction’s drinking water.
What is the background for the decision?
The city council in October heard from members of Stand for Health Freedom and others who called for the fluoridation practice to stop. They reference various studies that it lowers the IQ of children, causes thyroid problems and other medical issues despite the benefits of preventing tooth decay.
In October, the city council asked the city attorney to prepare an amendment to the city ordinance to stop fluoridation. A first vote was held Nov. 6 with the same 4-to-3 results as Wednesday to stop the practice.
More:Collier leaders pass ‘health freedom’ ordinance to protect individual liberties
Many speaking Wednesday had addressed the council previously.
Scott Kiley, with Stand for Health Freedom, spoke about a California court ruling in September that has fueled a growing anti-fluoridation movement. He also spoke about a Florida law requiring informed consent and right to opt out of any medical treatment.
And he referenced Ladapo’s guidance that points to lower IQ’s in children and weakened bones in the elderly, among other issues.
“As I’ve said, you did not create this problem but you can end it here,” Kiley said.
Among those speaking to keep the fluoridation policy intact was Dr. Marilyn Sandor, a pediatric dentist in Naples since 2001, who referenced 70 years of a practice where legitimate testing has proven its safety.
She spoke about how fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral and cannot be compared to a drug, which was the case at prior public hearing where the speaker argued why statins are not added to drinking water for its heart health benefits.
“And please note that just because you can buy fluoride off the shelf in the drug store with a certain concentration does not mean that it is a drug,” she said.
She spoke about how it helps children against tooth decay and prevents lost school hours for cavity treatment. The elderly in nursing homes may not be getting help to brush their teeth so it helps them to drink fluoridated water.
Dr. Alexis Diaczynsky, past president of the Collier County Dental Association, spoke of a study in Australia that found no change in behavior of children exposed to fluoride and a study out of New Zealand that followed people for a lifetime and found no link between fluoride and IQ.
She addressed the court ruling in September out of California that anti-fluoride advocates are misrepresenting as a finding that it poses a health risk to children and has prompted some jurisdictions to stop fluoridating.
The ruling called for the federal Environmental Protection Agency to respond in some regulatory manner that adding fluoride to drinking water poses an “unreasonable risk” of lowering the IQ of children.
“The court stated that the finding does not conclude with certainty that fluoridated water injures the public health,” she said. “It is not saying that fluoride is posing an immediate, irreversible harm to individuals.”
Dr. Douglas Keck, a Naples dentist on staff of Healthcare Network, a nonprofit medical organization that largely serves disadvantaged residents in Naples and Immokalee, said in an interview that he hoped the city would continue its policy of fluoridating the water.
The judge in the California case was only directing the EPA to investigate the issue, but data used for the ruling was from other countries, he said.
He said individuals against fluoridating drinking water are talking about risks where the dosages of fluoride are more than twice what is added in drinking water, which is no more than 0.7 milligrams per liter.
“If you really go look at peer-reviewed research and reputable journals you will always find that fluoride is a safe and acceptable way to preventable cavities and community water fluoridation at the dose recommended is safe and effective,” Keck said. “It doesn’t make sense why you wouldn’t do something that will benefit the whole community.”
What does Ladapo’s guidance say?
Ladapo’s guidance released Nov. 22 says that, historically, community water fluoridation was a means to prevent tooth decay but said it is readily available in toothpastes and other products.
It referenced research being conducted to review the impacts of overall fluoride exposure in the population but did not cite specifically the research.
The guidance also said many U.S. cities and several European countries, including Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, and Sweden, have stopped the practice.
Ladapo said Florida residents should be aware of safety concerns, including adverse affects on children by reducing IQ, neurobehavioral problems in children tied to mothers ingesting it during pregnancy, sleep disturbance, bone fractures and more.
“Due to the neuropsychiatric risk associated with fluoride exposure, particularly in pregnant women and children, and the wide availability of alternative sources of fluoride for dental health, the State Surgeon General recommends against community water fluoridation,” the directive said.
The guidance said the state health department supports oral health through the school-based preventive dental services that includes screening and dental clinics run by county health departments.
What did city council members say?
Council members stuck to their previous positions from the November public hearing.
Vice Mayor Terry Hutchison said fluoride is readily available in toothpaste and other products.
“You don’t have to depend on our water,” he said.
He also said the country appears to be a crossroads on the issue, referring to the surgeon general’s guidance, and added that science has changed through the years.
Council member Bill Kramer pointed to the issue of forcing something on people that they don’t want.
“Just because it has been done doesn’t mean we should continue to do it, even if it is the greatest thing ever,” he said. “Our decision is, do we impose this on those who don’t want it.”
Council member Berne Barton said he was concerned about exposing the city to legal action, and not forcing something on people who don’t want it.
He asked the city’s attorney, Matthew McConnell, if the city would be in a bad position given the surgeon general’s guidance and was told the city was not at risk.
“We are not doing anything illegal by having fluoride in the water,” McConnell said.
Council member Ray Christman said he had issues with the process the city used to get to this point, without going to a workshop first. The matter moved to public hearings within two months which is much faster than some council decisions.
He also criticized how the outside special interest group, the members of Stand for Health Freedom, has held sway while eight homeowners associations in the city, representing 80% of the city’s population, had asked earlier this month for a delay.
“That plea was simply ignored,” he said.
On what he called the substance of the argument against fluoridation, the advocates against it are referring to fluoride levels twice the amount used, Christman said.
Naples Mayor Teresa Heitman pointed out that the city has been fluoridating the water for decades and the issue of stopping it has come to the council at least twice since 2008.
She said the council does not have to workshop everything and said the process used for the fluoridation debate has been fair.
“I’ve had the white coats on one side and another group on the other,” she said. “This is not an easy decision because when I look in the room I see people I respect.”
She went on to say she sees more mounting evidence for why the city should no longer keep the practice.
Original article online at: https://www.naplesnews.com/story/news/local/2024/12/05/fluoride-coming-out-of-water-in-naples-some-say-decision-was-rushed/76701145007/