STUART — Fluoride will be removed from the drinking water here beginning Wednesday — at least temporarily — to shield people from what state health authorities say is potentially harmful effects on their health.
Monday’s decision by the City Commission came quickly after guidance Friday by the state Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo regarding what he says are health risks, especially to women and children.
The city decided has added fluoride to its drinking water since 2008, when voters agreed to it in a referendum. City commissioners must abide by the referendum, which put City Manager Michael Mortell in a pickle, he said..
Safety versus lawsuits
“Would you rather get sued for violating a referendum or for poisoning your community, specifically pregnant women and children?” Commissioner Christopher Collins asked his colleagues at Monday’s meeting.
Mortell, however, responded, “I’m more concerned with the safety of the community.”
The city will seek a formal opinion from the state on its dilemma before deciding whether to remove fluoride from its drinking water permanently.
Stuart will stop adding fluoride to its drinking water Tuesday morning, said Director of Utilities and Engineering Peter Kunen. It will take a about a day for water in the tanks to empty, he said.
Removing fluoride nationwide?
The guidance from the state on Friday follows a nationwide controversy sparked by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., president-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Trump may try to ban fluoride from all public water supplies, Kennedy has said.
Kennedy has claimed fluoride reduces children’s IQ.
Kennedy also has promoted health disinformation such as theories about vaccines and autism and claiming COVID-19 was meant to harm Caucasian and Black people while sparing Chinese people and Ashkenazi Jews.
Similar to Kennedy, Ladapo said, “Floridians should be aware of safety concerns related to systemic fluoride exposure including adverse effects in children reducing IQ, cognitive impairment and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.”
Because of these and other risks and the wide availability of other sources of fluoride for dental health, Ladapo is recommending removing fluoride from drinking water.
A greatest health achievement
The recommendation goes against years of widespread belief that drinking water fluoridation helps prevent tooth decay.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called the use of fluoride in drinking water one of the 10 greatest public health achievements of the 20th century. And medical groups such as the American Dental Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics have endorsed fluoridation of water as a way toward better oral health.
More than 70% of Floridians likely drink water with fluoride in it, according to self-reported data gathered by the Florida Department of Health.
Ladapo says more research needed
In his guidance on drinking water fluoridation, Ladapo cites recent studies from Mexico, Canada and one from the Journal of the American Medical Association Open Network that suggest fluoride exposure could be detrimental to the health of some.
Original article online at: https://www.yahoo.com/news/stuart-temporarily-removing-fluoride-drinking-120639387.html