Lynden made a break from its past on Monday night when city leaders voted to remove fluoride from the city’s drinking water system.
The 5-2 decision, with Councilmembers Gary Vis and Brent Lenssen opposed, means Whatcom County no longer has any cities that treat their drinking water with the mineral additive.
The city’s municipal water supply has been fluoridated since 1959, but community members have been coming forward asking for that practice to end. Some questioned the possible side effects of fluoride consumption. For others, it was a matter of personal autonomy and not having a say in the decision.
Fluoride is used to help prevent tooth decay. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers water fluoridation to be one of the greatest public health success stories of the 20th century.
While it is true that too much fluoride can lead to enamel spotting and bone issues, the U.S. requires that water districts use less than half the concentrations of fluoride where harmful effects would occur.
Other Washington cities that do not fluoridate their water include Bellingham, Spokane, and Olympia.
State law requires that notification go out to city water system customers and the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) whenever a municipality adds or removes fluoride to its drinking water system.
The Lynden City Council previously banned fluoride in a 4-3 vote in July of last year, but Mayor Scott Korthuis vetoed the action. City leaders then introduced a new measure, and the 5-2 vote taken Monday night cannot be overridden by a veto.
According to city filings, the fluoride can be taken out of the water system as soon as five days following the vote.
Original article online at: https://komonews.com/news/local/whatcom-county-fluoride-free-as-lynden-joins-others-in-water-policy-shift-dentist-tooth-decay-bones-children-side-effects