MIMS, Fla. — Fluoride has been used as a water treatment for decades, but health concerns over ingesting it through tap water have been growing over the years. The Brevard County Commission voted to take fluoride out of the water in Mims.

The pushback was fast, and the decision now rests with the community.

Cities and counties throughout the U.S. have been adding fluoride to water for decades. Some experts say it keeps teeth strong and prevents cavities. Some say other studies have reported that high levels of fluoride are linked to serious health issues, such as cancer.

Brevard County Commissioner Rita Pritchett said, “It’s lowering children’s IQs, causing bone issues, there’s just a bunch of stuff.”

Pritchett says she kept hearing about these concerns in Mims, part of the area she represents. She said people were saying they don’t want fluoride.

Pritchett brought the issue before the Brevard County Commission, and the Commission voted to take fluoride out of the water system in Mims, and within days, it was gone.

“And that was my boo boo,” Pritchett said.

Some people were saying, “How dare the commission decide?”

Some wondered why the people had not been the ones to decide.

Pritchett said she made a mistake.

“Someone said, ‘you don’t have the right to make a medical decision for me,’ and I said, ‘you’re right, I really don’t,'” Pritchett said.

What’s next?

In July’s water bill, people in Mims will get a ballot and they will vote on whether or not fluoride will be in the water.

The plan is to have the results in by the end of the summer.

With a majority vote, the questions on whether to have fluoride or not to have it will be decided for the people, and by the people, of Mims.

Only people who get bills for city water in Mims will get to vote, which is just over 3,300 people.

*Original article online at https://www.wesh.com/article/mims-community-decides-future-of-tap-water-fluoride-or-no/36807026