MOREHEAD CITY — In response to questions submitted by the Carteret News-Times, Morehead City has provided details about its decision to no longer add fluoride to the city’s water system, a practice that had been in place for more than five decades.
During the Morehead City Council’s January 13 meeting, the council unanimously approved an item under the consent agenda to rescind a resolution dated April 8, 1971, that directed the installation of a fluoridation system in the city’s water supply. The request for the fluoridation system was made “pursuant to a request from the Dental Association of the Town” according to the agenda information.
As reasons for removing the fluoridation system, a new resolution approved by council earlier this month stated “it is no longer necessary or recommended to add fluoride to water systems and the chemicals used are hazardous for staff to handle.”
According to Daniel Williams, Morehead City’s Public Services director, the issue was previously discussed in city committee meetings.
“It was determined it is no longer best practice to add fluoride to the city’s water system, as there is naturally occurring fluoride in our groundwater that is close to the allowable limit,” Williams said. “This will come with a minimal cost savings to Morehead City, as well as enhanced safety for our employees in that division who have to work with fluoricidic acid. This is the most dangerous acid the water plant team works with in bulk.”
Williams noted that municipalities are not required to add fluoride to their water systems.
“This began as an initiative by the federal government in the late 1960s-early 1970s, which included grants and pushing the addition of fluoride in community water systems,” he noted.
Asked if city staff relied on any specific studies in reaching their decision, Williams said that while no specific ones were cited, “staff is aware of studies that back up this concept.”
“Since that initial push, the federal government has reduced the amount of allowable fluoride in water for the recommended limit,” he said. “We have between .3 and .4 milligrams per liter naturally-occurring fluoride in our water, which is very close to the legal limit.”
Asked why the decision to remove the fluoride system from the city’s water system was included as part of the meeting’s consent agenda, which includes items voted on as a group and with no public discussion from the Council, Williams replied, “It was discussed across the city’s committee meetings so that the entire council had a chance to hear and discuss it prior to the regular Council meeting.”
According to Williams, the city will stop adding fluoride to the water system effective February 1. He said there will be no additional costs to the city to remove the system.
Morehead City is the second municipality in Carteret County to vote for the removal of fluoride under a consent agenda in recent months. As part of its November consent agenda, the Atlantic Beach Town Council passed a resolution to discontinue fluoride treatment of town water.
The town’s decision to stop treating its water with fluoride was partly a result of ongoing efforts to rehabilitate the water treatment plant, according to Town Manager John O’Daniel.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Dental Association, and other major health organizations continue to support fluoride’s safety, citing no convincing evidence linking it to adverse health effects.
Since 2015, the U.S. Public Health Service has recommended an optimal fluoride concentration of 0.7 milligrams per liter in community water systems. This level is intended to provide the best balance of protecting against tooth decay while minimizing the risk of dental fluorosis.
Original article online at: https://www.carolinacoastonline.com/news_times/article_0b94bf7f-4938-4571-a396-c0cb66c08072.html