Union Co. officials vote to remove fluoride from public water supply
MONROE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Union County commissioners voted 3-2 Monday night against continuing the addition of fluoride to part of the county’s water supply.
The contentious debate between public health and medical freedom has spanned months, over the course of three Board of County Commissioners meetings. A dozen people spoke on the issue, evenly divided on how they would like officials to vote.
“Some dentists, the CDC, the media — they’ve invested too much in this titanic lie to admit they’re wrong,” said Harold Schumaker.
Several pediatric dentists spoke about the benefits of fluoride, particularly for individuals without dental insurance.
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“A lot of parents do not want fluoride and I respect their beliefs. I try to educate them on the benefits of fluoride but I don’t shove fluoride down anyone’s throat,” said Margaret Lochary.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that about two-thirds of Americans have sodium fluoride added to their drinking water. Researchers say evidence consistently points to one possible negative health impact: dental fluorosis. The condition can create spots in tooth enamel if people have too much fluoride.
Union County commissioners said their decision is not based on whether fluoride is good or bad for people.
“Let’s embrace freedom of choice and let people who wish to use fluoride do just that,” said David Williams. “Let’s not add it to the water and not force those who don’t want it or have some medical sensitivity to it to buy some machine to take it out.”
One resident expressed frustration at the amount of attention the issue of fluoridation has received over the past few weeks and urged leaders to move on to other issues.
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“This is a political dog whistle and it’s embarrassing,” said Amanda Stanford. “The fact that this has been exactly like an episode of ‘Parks and Rec’ is a joke and it’s not a funny one.”
The newly constructed Yadkin River Water Treatment Plant will be the only facility impacted by Monday’s vote. It is the only water resource completely controlled by Union County officials. The center supplies water to about a third of the county’s population.
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