Southwest Harbor – The question whether the town should stop adding fluoride to the water supply will be up for discussion at a public hearing on Tuesday, April 9, at 6 p.m. at the fire station.

Citizens will vote on the fluoride issue at the May 7 town election…

Since 1959, Southwest Harbor has been adding fluoride to the drinking water to help prevent tooth decay. In recent years, a number of cities and towns across the country, including Mount Desert, have discontinued fluoridation because of concerns that, over time, fluoride can cause a wide range of serious health problems. Opponents of drinking water fluoridation also argue that, with fluoride present in toothpaste and many other consumer products, it is no longer needed in public water supplies.

However, the American Dental Association (ADA) continues to endorse drinking water fluoridation as a safe and effective way to promote dental health. The ADA says its position is based on “the overwhelming weight of peer-reviewed credible scientific evidence.” …

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