CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) – Fluoride in drinking water has long been considered a public health win, but some Virginia towns are pulling the plug.
Two Virginia towns in the Shenandoah Valley, Luray and Timberville, have voted to stop adding fluoride to their water.
That decision passed in June, according to reporting from Radio IG.
Now the question that lies, is where that leaves Charlottesville and Albemarle County.
The CDC and the Virginia Department of Health say fluoridation is safe and helps prevent tooth decay.
“That’s something that has been proven in the past to provide current proves beneficial,” Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority Communications Westley Kern said. “It’s just something that has been recommended and that’s what we’ve been doing.”
As for Charlottesville and Albemarle County, fluoride is staying, for now.
“Right now, what we’re doing is we’re following .7 milligrams per liter and that is kind of the standard that they recommend and what we are currently adding to our drinking water,” Kern said.
Kern says, so far, nobody in the community has raised a red flag.
“Unless further discussions are had and it’s something that the community feels that they need to bring up and at that point we’ll take another look at it,” Kern said.
Before 2015, fluoride levels ranged from 0.7 to 1.2 milligrams per liter, a range the Virginia Department of Health deemed safe.
In rare cases, too much fluoride can lead to fluorosis, a condition that can damage tooth enamel and bones.
Kern says fluoride levels have been consistent for a decade.
“It may have been a little bit higher, but it looks like in 2015 is when the .7 was the kind of new norm,” Kern said.
Ultimately, any future changes would come from the state.
“We don’t have any immediate plans to change that unless the Virginia Department of Health changes its recommendations,” Kern said.
One dentist from Charlottesville Orthodontics says areas that do use fluoride in water have less cavities and stronger enamel.
She also added that it’s one of the most effective and accessible tools we have for preventing tooth decay.
Original article online at: https://www.29news.com/2025/07/22/virginia-towns-end-adding-fluoride-water-charlottesville-albemarle-county-continue/