Chad Bundy, administrator of the Harrison-Clarksburg Health Department, urges the Clarksburg Water Board Tuesday to reverse its decision to stop fluoridating the water supply.
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — To fluoridate or not to fluoridate: That was the question addressed by dozens of people at Tuesday’s Clarksburg Water Board meeting.
The water board held a public hearing on its April 28 decision to stop buying fluoride. The decision essentially ends the public utility’s practice of adding the chemical to the water supply once its current batch runs out in five months.
No change in the decision followed the hearing, as two of the three board members — Paul Howe and Charlie Thayer — remain convinced that long-term fluoride consumption could have adverse effects on the health.
“This meeting is being held kind of after the fact,” board President Al Cox told the standing-room-only crowd.
Cox requested the hearing after the board voted to stop buying fluoride without public notice.
Local and state governments decide whether to fluoridate the water systems under their jurisdictions, while the federal government recommends how much they should add if they choose to do so.
The current fluoride concentration level recommended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is 0.7 milligrams per liter of water.
Several public health agencies and organizations say fluoride in that amount is good for people’s teeth and not harmful to their health…
