Fluoride Returns to Hightstown’s Drinking Water Today

Beginning today, the Hightstown Water Department will resume fluoridation of water.

Lead Water Operator Sean McGuire advised it may no longer be necessary for children to take fluoride in other forms and said parents should contact a pediatrician or dentist for advice.

Controversy has surrounded fluoridation in Hightstown since in March of its removal from the water supply in September 2010.

Some council members called for an investigation as to why notification wasn't made sooner, and the .

The council voted 5-1 during a meeting in late August to approve the addition of fluoride at a level of .7 parts per million to the water. Council member Susan Bluth voted against the measure.

“When I see an equal amount of pros and cons, and like I said, we’ve been without it, I can’t support it, based upon on everything I’ve read,” Bluth said at the August meeting.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only 13 percent of New Jerseyans drink fluoridated water, placing New Jersey next to the bottom nationwide.

Dentists say access to the teeth-strengthening fluoride would drastically reduce cavities, especially in the New Jersey’s poorer cities.

“We see an awful lot of dental disease in children,” said Dr. Nanci Tofsky, professor and interim chair of the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at UMDNJ-New Jersey Dental School during a state health committee meeting.

Fluoridation critics, including water companies and environmentalists, cite its impact on the environment, potentially harmful health effects, and the cost of installing fluoridation equipment for opposing the measure.