Wichita Falls will take a wait-and-see stance on continuing to add fluoride to its water supply.
Cities across the county are taking a second look at fluoride after a federal report linked high levels of fluoride in other countries to lower IQs in children.
The report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Toxicity Program concluded with “moderate confidence” that a collection of non-U.S. studies associated higher levels of fluoride with lower IQs in children.
The report evaluated a collection of previous studies completed on populations in Canada, China, India, Iran, Pakistan and Mexico.
Also, a federal court ruled the Environmental Protection Agency must address potential health risks caused by fluoride.
City of Abilene officials on Monday decided to temporarily stop putting fluoride in the water in response to that ruling.
Wichita Falls city spokesperson Chris Horgen said, “Right now there are no changes to Wichita Falls Water and Fluoride levels. We are awaiting further guidance from the EPA.”
Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention named public water fluoridation as one of the top 10 public health achievements of the 20th Century by helping to prevent tooth decay in children, the practice has long been controversial among some groups.
USA Today reported that the Fluoride Action Network, which seeks to end water fluoridation, said the number of Americans served by community water systems with fluoridated water dropped from 74.6 percent in 2012 to 72.7 percent in 2020.
The network said more than 1,400 communities stopped adding fluoridation chemicals to their water systems from 2010 through 2020, according to an Aug. 23 USA Today article.
Original article online at: https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/local/2024/10/01/where-does-wichita-falls-stand-on-renewed-fluoride-debate/75464780007/