During the past year, the Orono and Veazie Town Councils have discussed and voted to hold a Municipal Referendum Election on Tuesday, June 8, 2021 for the purpose of allowing the voters to consider whether to cease fluoridating the public water supply. State Law vests all power regarding the decision to add or remove fluoride from the public water supply in the voters of the communities served by that public water supply. Neither the Orono Town Council or the Orono-Veazie Water District Board of Trustees have taken a position on this question; rather, both organizations have stated that the referendum makes sense given recent community interest in this topic and the fact that the last public vote on this issue occurred nearly sixty years ago.
Public Hearing Dates
Town of Veazie: Monday, April 12, 2021 at 6:30 PM, www.veazie.net for meeting information
Town of Orono: Monday, April 26, 2021 at 5:00 PM, the link to join the meeting will be posted by 04/05/2021
History of Fluoride
Orono-Veazie Water District began adding hydrofluorosilicic acid in 1962
Current system level is 0.7 parts per million (ppm)
129 Maine communities add fluoride to the public water supply
Why Add Fluoride?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), water fluoridation began in the1930’s to protect teeth from decay by providing frequent and consistent contact with low levels of fluoride. The CDC also states that although there are other fluoride-containing products, community water fluoridation is the most cost effective method of delivering fluoride to all and reducing tooth decay by 25% in children and adults.
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