Lakeland officials set a February date to debate whether to add fluoride to city's water

Lakeland officials have set the stage for a showdown over whether fluoride should be added to the city's water supplies next month.

Mayor Bill Mutz directed city staff to schedule a public hearing on whether the city should continue to add supplemental fluoride to the city's water for its second February commission meeting on Feb. 17.

"I believe with the weight on this, it's best to put it out to the public and hear all sides before it comes to a vote," Commissioner Guy LaLonde said.

Public scrutiny over fluoridation of drinking water has increased, as the Trump Administration and Robert F. Kennedy Jr, his pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, have been outspoken against the practice.

"It would be nice if we didn't have a toxic waste product in the water so we didn't have to worry about issues like reduced IQ," Lisa Lowder, 62, of Lakeland said at Monday's commission meeting.

Lowder was referring a federal report from the U.S. Department of Health's National Toxicology Program analyzing other medical studies on how fluoride affects children's developing brains and IQs. The federal report linked high levels of fluoride in drinking water above 1.5 mg/L and total exposure in foreign countries with lower IQs in children, as USA Today reported.

Critics of the study point out that 1.5 mg/L of fluoride is more than double the level recommended in U.S drinking water.

Polk County: ground zero for the state debate

Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo cited this study when recommending that municipalities across the state stop water fluoridation during a trip to Winter Haven in November. That visit came barely a week after Winter Haven voted to stop adding fluoride to its drinking water, setting off a fierce reaction from many in the community.

Chrissy Hein, a Lakeland real estate agent and mother of five children, also spoke out about Lakeland continuing to be the largest municipality in Polk to add fluoride to its water.

"There's no need to drink it," she said. "It's good for your teeth but not really for your nervous system."

Hein said she has purchased a separate water filtration system to remove fluoride and other substances from her water.

Lakeland began adding fluoride to its water in 1981. The city's water supply has a naturally occurring fluoride level that averages about 0.25 milligrams per liter, according to Joe Costine, assistant director of the city's water utilities. The city adds fluoride to reach the recommended level of 0.7 mg/L by adding hydrofluorosilicic acid, Costine said.

"Naturally occurring is not the same as what they are putting into our water right now. It’s very different," Hein said.

Have commissioners decided?

City Attorney Palmer Davis said the commission does not need to hold a public hearing to discontinue fluoridation. It would just need to direct the city's Water Department to stop.

Many Lakeland commissioners said they were in favor of a holding a public hearing to get all the facts and opinions out there, "for transparency."

Yet, the majority of Lakeland commissioners have already made statements indicating where they personally stand on the issue.

Commissioner Bill Read stated at the Jan. 6 commission meeting that he's been a proponent for removing fluoride from the city's water supply. He said he hoped it would come up for a vote soon.

Mutz said he "suspects" the commission would want to align with the state's position on this controversial issue.

Is fluoride added to your water? It depends on where you live in Polk County

"With the detrimental effects in the Surgeon General's report, we would align with that position," the mayor said. "I don't know if we have someone, a proponent on the commission, for keeping fluoride."

Commissioner Mike Musick made clear that while he grew up drinking fluoridated water, he's against continuing the practice for future generations.

"My position would be if this was something coming in front of us and asking my opinion, I would vote to remove it," he said Monday. "The benefits we get through normal toothpaste is better than it would have been in the '70s or '80s."

Musick acknowledged some critics have said the studies citing negative impacts from fluoride are not comprehensive or exhaustive.

"Whether there has been exhaustive information or not, I don't see enough of a benefit to keep it," he said.

LaLonde made a statement indicating where he might stand on fluoridation.

"I'm not personally in favor of adding anything to my water that doesn't already pre-exist," he said.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Lakeland plans a public hearing on whether to add fluoride to water