- The Village of Plover Water and Wastewater Utility Committee held a discussion on whether to continue adding fluoride to the municipal water supply.
- The discussion comes amidst a national debate on fluoride in drinking water, fueled by a recent court ruling in California that ordered the EPA to establish safety standards for fluoride.
- While proponents, including retired dentists, highlighted the oral health benefits of fluoride, particularly for low-income communities, concerns were raised about potential health risks and the ethics of medication without consent.
- No decisions were made during the meeting, and the committee suggested exploring options such as resident surveys to gauge public opinion on the matter.
PLOVER ? A village committee discussed this week whether fluoride should continue to be added to Plover’s municipal water supply, but they made no decisions.
Matt Saloun, village of Plover Water System manager, gave the Water and Wastewater Utility Committee an overview of the controversy surrounding fluoride in water during the committee’s meeting Monday night.
The debate over the addition of fluoride to municipal water supplies and its benefits and dangers has been rising across the country. A federal court in California last year ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to strengthen regulations for fluoride in drinking water, Saloun said.
In the meantime, many municipalities are having discussions about fluoride. A Wisconsin Rapids committee recently voted in favor of stopping the addition of fluoride to the city’s municipal water supply before that decision was overturned Tuesday night by the full council.
Saloun said Monday’s meeting was not for making a decision but instead for beginning a discussion in the village.
Saloun pointed out some of the advantages of fluoride in drinking water such as it reduces cavities, reduces tooth decay, saves money in the dentist office and promotes public health.
But there are disadvantages, too, Saloun said, including that adding medication to the water supply without consent can be considered unethical and sharing that it can be difficult to control exposure when water, toothpaste, mouthwashes and other items already contain fluoride.
The village of Plover adds hydrofluorosilicic acid to its water system, Saloun said. It costs $7,500 a year. Fluoride-attributed equipment sampling costs about $55,000 annually. It creates a hazardous environment for employees, and they must wear protective clothing and gear when they are working with it. The precautions they take are similar to those necessary when working with chlorine, which is also added to the municipal water supply but is necessary for water treatment, Saloun said.
The purpose of putting fluoride in the water is for oral treatment, not for water treatment, Saloun said.
The hydrofluorosilicic acid also causes damage to other structures in the building where it is stored, Saloun said. The village currently stores the fluoride and chlorine in the same room, which is something the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources no longer allows, and the village may have to spend money to correct it in the future, he said.
Two retired dentists who attended Monday’s meeting talked about the benefits of fluoride in the water to residents, especially children in low-income families. When the men began asking questions of Saloun, Village Administrator Steve Kunst stopped them. The issue was on the agenda was to begin a discussion and not for debate, Kunst said.
Committee Chairman Gary Wolf said he got five messages about the fluoride issue Monday prior to the meeting. He said the final call came from his dentist, who encouraged Wolf to continue adding fluoride to village water.
Committee member Adam Raabe said many of the people in the country who are most knowledgeable about fluoride in the water, like the American Dental Association and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still say fluoride in municipal water supplies is valuable. He said because of that he could see no reason to change the village’s policy.
Raabe said officials could survey village residents to see how much support there is for stopping the addition of fluoride to the municipal water supply prior to moving forward with anything, but no decisions were made Monday.
Original article online at: https://www.stevenspointjournal.com/story/news/local/2025/02/19/plover-wisconsin-is-latest-municipality-to-discuss-addition-of-fluoride-in-water-supply/79090516007/