Water Fluoridation to End

The Pinellas County Commission voted earlier this month to stop adding fluoride to the water on Dec. 31.

Pinellas County has been adding fluoride to the water supplies since 2004. Across the U.S., flouride has been added to municipal water systems for more than 60 years. The argument for adding flouride, which naturally occurs in water at lower levels, is that it helps to prevent tooth decay.

• Pinellas County’s fluoride count is currently at .8 parts per million (ppm) with the optimum levels for dental health listed at .7 to 1.2 ppm.

• Fluoridation occurs naturally in the water and the state has been adding .15 to .25 ppm of fluoride to boost the water to the .8 ppm that it currently resides at.

When fluoridation is at the optimal level, the fluoridation is not only safe, but healthy and can reduce tooth decay and strengthen enamel.

The annual cost of adding fluoride to the water is currently at $130,000 that comes from annual operating costs. Dentists and the American Dental Association argue that adding flouride actually saves society money in the long run, because of less tooth decay and lower health care bills.

Though most of Pinellas County will lose the additional fluoridation, residents in St. Petersburg, Gulfport, Dunedin and Belleair will not be changed since they use their own water system, according to an article in Tampabay.com. Although most of the communities are not planning on stopping the fluoride treatment, Dunedin is currently debating a cancellation.

The American Dental Association strongly advocates for flouridation in water. "Fluoridation has dramatically improved the oral health of tens of millions of Americans," according to the association.

Promoters of ending fluoridation have worries about the possible side effects of fluoride in children. One of the side effects, dental fluorosis, can occur in young children with still forming teeth who take in a greater than suggested amount of fluoride, according to the Pinellas County Utilities website.

Another effect can causes small white blemishes to appear on the teeth.

"If fluoride were "proven," there should be evidence of its success in the U.S. state, Kentucky, which has been 100% fluoridated for over 40 years," said jwillie6 in our comments. "However, government records show that Kentucky leads the nation in the number of dental cavities in children, and in the number of completely toothless adults. The same ineffectiveness is evident in many states and cities."

Paul Connett, the director of the Fluoride Action Network has written a book about the uses and detriments of fluoride and mentioned some of the findings in the comments on this story.

"I can only conclude that the science is simply not on their side on (the fluoride issue) but sadly they are not prepared to admit this gracefully. Meanwhile, our children run completely unnecessary risks ingesting this very toxic substance with every glass of water they drink," Connett said.

When the fluoridation is discontinued, Pinellas county will become the least fluoridated county of the larger Florida counties, according to Tampabay.com

For more information on fluordation and how the changes may affect you, check out the Pinellas County Utilities website.