Remove fluoride from Collier water? Commissioners will discuss removal.
Similar to vaccinations, fluoridated water has become a hot topic in a heated debate over public health, with opposing viewpoints blaming one another of spreading false information. Supporters claim that it has significantly improved dental health by lowering tooth cavities, while detractors accuse the public of being duped into paying for harmful industrial waste, according to a recent article by Amy Williams of News-Press.
Commissioners in Collier County will debate Tuesday morning whether to keep adding the mineral to the water that the Public Utilities Division’s Water Department distributes to over 85,000 households. Here are six things to be aware of regarding the problem:
For decades, fluoride has been used here, although not everywhere
As of 1985, fluoride has been added to the water supply in unincorporated Collier County, according to county spokeswoman Deborah Curry. “At present, the water flows through approximately 85,000 connections, encompassing commercial buildings, single-family homes, and multifamily structures,” Curry wrote in an email. The decision would not have an impact on Naples and Immokalee, which are separate municipalities and fluoridate their water. Not only do inhabitants of Marco Island, Ave Maria, and Everglades City not add it to their water, but neither do they typically do so with private wells.
Organizations, towns, and businesses that monitor safety
The U.S. Public Health Service provides recommended optimal fluoride concentrations, which the Florida Department of Health monitors for utilities that participate in dental health programs. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection regulate the levels of fluoride in drinking water.
CDC: A ‘great public health achievement’
The Florida Department of Health supports community fluoridation, as does the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, listing it as one of the ten greatest public health accomplishments of the 20th century. According to the department’s website, “Adding fluoride to the public water supply is one of the most cost-effective methods of preventing dental decay, with positive effects for everyone of all ages.”
Opponents: A ‘betrayal to the public’
Advocates of removal argue that it’s a betrayal of the public trust in addition to being harmful and useless. Danielle Meo, a resident of Collier, wants commissioners to halt the program. She stated, “We have the right to informed consent to medication or treatment,” in a position paper that she plans to distribute on Tuesday. “If a doctor gave you an option for treatment via medication and you refused and he forced it upon you, he would lose his license.”
Supporters: Not a drug, but a mineral
Much of Florida’s groundwater already contains fluoride; the levels are simply insufficient for optimal dental benefits, according to Johnny Johnson, a former pediatric dentist in Florida who is now the head of the American Fluoridation Society. “It’s not a prescription drug. It’s made of minerals. It’s in the water already. All that is taking place is that it is being modified to the ideal degree in order to minimize cavities.” According to him, fluoridation increases the naturally occurring level in Florida to 0.7 milligrams per liter from roughly 0.2 milligrams.
Collier has debated this before
The county has previously given the fluoride issue some thought. The board presented it, discussed it, and ultimately rejected it in 2016. About eighty people got up to say their piece on the day it was scheduled, according to the Naples Daily News. Speaking up was Dr. Allen Weiss, the CEO of NCH Healthcare System at the time, who made the point that dentists are in favor of fluoridation despite having every financial motive to want it removed in order to increase demand for their services. Commissioners ultimately decided 4-1 to maintain the status quo.
This article originally appeared on News-Press
