YORKTOWN, N.Y.—The Environmental Protection Agency is continuing its review of a district court judge’s decision in late September that required the agency to determine the potential health risks of fluoridated water but did not impose a ban.
Environmental watchdog Food and Water Watch filed suit in a California federal court, arguing that community water fluoridation at a level of 0.7 milligrams per liter poses an “unreasonable risk” of injury to human health and lower IQ in children.
Food and Water Watch filed the suit after the EPA denied a petition in 2016 that said the agency should ban or limit fluoridation of drinking water.
“The susceptibility of exposed populations weighs heavily toward finding the risk at issue unreasonable,” Chen said in the 80-page ruling.
“It is undisputed that large numbers of susceptible individuals are being exposed each year to fluoride through fluoridation, namely, approximately two million pregnant women and over 300,000 exclusively formula-fed babies.”
The judge’s ruling prompted several communities to suspend fluoridation in drinking water programs.
“In light of this federal ruling and the long-standing concerns expressed by many Yorktown residents, I have decided to suspend water fluoridation as a precautionary measure,” Lachterman said on the town website.
“Our priority is the safety and well-being of our community, and we believe it is prudent to pause fluoridation to assess its potential impacts further.”
The neighboring town of Somers will also not receive fluoridation, and residents will “have the freedom to choose their own sources of fluoride, ensuring personal control over their health decisions,” Lachterman added.
Lachterman said the Northern Westchester Joint Water Works (NWJWW) began adding fluoride to Yorktown’s water in August after a seven-year pause.
“The fluoridation resumed because of upgrades to the Amawalk and Catskill Treatment Plants to meet more stringent health and safety requirements,” he said.
Lachterman said both treatment facilities were fluoridating the water supply, using 20 to 23 percent hydrofluorosilicic acid at a target level of 0.7 mg/l.
“Yorktown will continue to monitor guidance from federal and state agencies and act accordingly to protect public health,” he said.
“Yorktown’s leadership will engage with public health experts to ensure that any future decisions on water treatment practices prioritize the safety and health of all residents, particularly those identified as potentially more vulnerable to fluoridation risks.”
The NWJWW in Cortlandt, New York, and the Amawalk Water Treatment Plant in Somers produce 10 million gallons of water every day.
Several residents of Yorktown Heights told The Epoch Times that they welcomed the court ruling, which requires more study and regulation of fluoride in drinking water to protect public health.
“I don’t want fluoride in the water. Nice, clean, pure water is better,” said Gus Moissiadis, co-owner of the Yorktown Heights Coach Diner.
“If it’s a dental [issue], if you floss every day, you’re fine. Why do even more?”
“They should get other third-party scientists aside from the EPA. I don’t trust all these government agencies.”
The Fluoride Action Network (FAN) believes that the only way to eliminate the health and environmental risks is to stop fluoridation.
“Communities are currently adding this neurotoxin to the public water supplies voluntarily. The harm is needlessly self-inflicted, but this also means the solution is simple: ban the use of fluoridation chemicals,” FAN spokesman Stuart Cooper told The Epoch Times.
“A warning won’t suffice. Imagine the government telling pregnant women and children not to use tap water just because politicians don’t want to embarrass the dental lobby by ending the practice.”
According to FAN, more than 185 million Americans now drink fluoridated water—more than in the rest of the world combined. However, many communities have begun rethinking fluoridation and have discontinued it.
“I see many communities already taking action, and FAN is working with state legislators also to take action.”
FAN said communities that have ended fluoridation in whole or in part due to the ruling include Tomahawk, Monroe, and Rock County in Wisconsin; Live Oak, Naples, and Hillsborough County in Florida; Columbia and Rollo in Missouri; Cambridge, Indiana; Sheridan, Oregon; Daphne, Alabama; and Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
“Schoolchildren living in fluoridated communities have on average 2.25 fewer decayed teeth when compared to similar children not living in fluoridated communities,” the MSDH said on its website.
“More than 100 health organizations recognize the health benefits of water fluoridation for preventing dental decay. In most cities, for every $1 invested in water fluoridation, $38 is saved in dental treatment costs.”
The EPA said in an email to The Epoch Times that while the decision “finds a risk sufficient to trigger regulation under the Toxic Substances Control Act,” the court did not say that fluoride is necessarily harmful to public health.
The EPA said the decision defers to the agency to regulate fluoride moving forward.
Fluoride is an element that can be found naturally in water in some places. Drinking water systems may also add it to the water “to promote strong teeth and prevent tooth decay, especially in children,” the agency said.
“As a part of our work to protect human health and the environment, EPA assesses safe levels of certain chemicals in drinking water and sets standards to protect,” the EPA said.
Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, EPA sets limits and standards on the use of fluoride.
“EPA’s maximum contaminant level goal and enforceable maximum contaminant level for fluoride are 4.0 mg/l. EPA’s secondary maximum contaminant level [a non-enforceable standard] is set at 2.0 mg/L,” the agency said.
“These levels were developed to prevent potential negative impacts of too much fluoride to bones and teeth in young children.
“EPA’s standards apply to all drinking water systems and limit the amount of fluoride present in drinking water from either added fluoride or naturally occurring sources.”
In the meantime, the American Dental Association (ADA) said it remains committed to ensuring optimal levels of community water fluoridation to prevent tooth decay following the judge’s decision.
The ADA said that the district court ruling against the EPA provides no scientific basis for the ADA to change its endorsement of community water fluoridation as safe and beneficial to oral health.
“Oral health should not be a luxury; it’s essential. Optimally fluoridated water is accessible to communities regardless of socioeconomic status, education, or other social variables,” ADA President Linda J. Edgar said in a statement.
“Even in an era with widespread availability of fluoride from various sources, studies show that community water fluoridation prevents at least 25 percent of tooth decay in children and adults throughout their life span.
“The scientific weight of sound evidence around the benefit of community water fluoridation is clear and compelling.”
“It is a practical, cost-effective, and equitable way for communities to improve their residents’ oral health regardless of age, education, or income,” its website reads.
“CDC named fluoridation of drinking water one of 10 great public health interventions of the 20th century because of the dramatic decline in cavities since community water fluoridation started in 1945.”
Cooper said any attempt by the EPA to appeal or delay the court ruling would be counterproductive and put communities at further risk.
And while a dentist can fill a cavity, Cooper said, damage to the brain is permanent, adding there are “no second chances when it comes to impaired brain development.”
