SUNBURY — Despite a plea from a dentist at the Susquehanna River Valley Dental Clinic, Sunbury Municipal Authority board members voted 4-3 Wednesday night to begin the process of removing fluoride from the city’s drinking water.
Dr. Julio Lara, of the dental clinic, in Sunbury, attended the municipal authority meeting Tuesday night and informed board members that removing fluoride altogether from the water would cause future problems for children’s teeth.
Lara told the board that statistics from the clinic show that Sunbury residents who are on the municipal water system have fewer cavities from those patients he sees from other areas in the Valley. He said patients he sees from Sunbury have far fewer issues with their teeth than Shamokin.
The Shamokin water system does not have fluoride.
Board members discussed the possibility of switching from the powder form of fluoride that is currently being used to a liquid form as an option, an option Lara championed.
Lara said the clinic serves low-income families, especially families with children, and that removing the fluoride completely would be a bad decision.
Board members said they received a letter from employees about safety concerns about how the powder is placed in the system and the room in which it is stored.
Municipal Authority member Eric DePhillips told the board he is the one who adds the powder and that the room is unsafe.
DePhillips said he was not choosing a side on whether the fluoride is good or not, but it was a safety issue dealing with the chemical.
DePhillips said the topic was brought up many years ago and that the room ventilation was never addressed.
Board member Tom Krieger said he was gathering facts and that his major concern was for the safety of the employees.
He said it had nothing to do with cost.
The discussion then turned to how much it would cost to install the liquid form of fluoride, and the board was informed by the authority engineer it would be $98,000.
Board member Tom McBryan said the $98,000 price tag sounded high.
Board members then voted, with Dave Persing, Larry Welfer, and McBryan all voting in favor of upgrading the system to keep fluoride, and members Cory Fasold, Jerome Alex and Krieger all voting to remove the fluoride.
With the vote tied 3-3, board president Norm Koch asked DePhillips what he hoped would happen.
DePhillips said he was still concerned about working with the chemicals even with an upgrade so he was OK if the authority removed the fluoride.
Koch said it was not an easy decision, but based on the employee’s suggestions about safety, he would vote to remove the fluoride, making it 4-3 in favor of the motion.
According to Megan Lehman, regional communications manager for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the decision to use — or not use — fluoride in water is a public water system’s decision.
“A public water system choosing to begin adding fluoride or discontinue the use of fluoride must apply for a permit modification from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection,” Lehman said. “DEP regulates the design, construction and operation of treatment processes at public water systems, including any chemicals or materials added to or that come in contact with public drinking water.”
Lehman said DEP’s role is to ensure that these systems are operating in accordance with DEP regulations to provide clean, safe drinking water. Fluoride is in a category of treatment chemicals that is not specifically required as part of the safe drinking water regulations.
Original article online at: https://www.dailyitem.com/news/update-sunbury-authority-votes-to-remove-fluoride-from-drinking-water/article_378fa084-4b65-4a5a-8219-c39b3bc3361f.html