Some WA communities debate over removing fluoride in drinking water

PORTLAND — Three cities in Southwest Washington have joined the list of communities nationally that have revisited the issue of adding cavity-preventing fluoride to drinking water.

City Council members in Longview plan to discuss the issue Thursday during a public debate-style workshop, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported. Battle Ground waded into the debate earlier this month, and the Camas City Council plans to hold a hearing in March. The meetings held or planned so far have all been informational only.

The three cities have fluoride in their drinking water system.

More than 70% of the U.S. population that uses public drinking water systems has access to water with fluoride levels that prevent tooth decay, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The debate has gained traction after a federal judge in California last year ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to further regulate fluoride in drinking water because high levels could pose a risk to the intellectual development of children.

It also comes as the U.S. Senate weighs President Donald Trump’s nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to run the Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy has said he wants the federal government to advise local governments against putting fluoride in their drinking water.

At a Jan. 6 Battle Ground City Council study session, Deputy Mayor Shane Bowman weighed the city’s cost of spending between $10,000 and $15,000 a year on fluoridation against the outcomes of improved oral health for residents.

“I don’t know if you’ve taken your kid to a pediatric dentist, but that’s very minimal — $10,000-$15,000 — when you think about the difference it is for the kids that maybe don’t have the access to dental health,” Bowman said.

Portland is the largest U.S. city that does not fluoridate its water.