Some Spotsylvania leaders expressed skepticism Tuesday over the county’s longstanding practice of adding a small amount of fluoride to drinking water while others called it a nonissue.
But the Board of Supervisors stopped short of making any decisions on the matter after hearing a presentation about the benefits of fluoridated water, which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control says reduces cavities by 25 percent.
Supervisors Chairman Greg Benton proposed surveying residents—perhaps on the water bills—about their stance on fluoridated water.
He noted that most of the folks who spoke at the meeting live outside Spotsylvania.
“This is something we’re not giving people a choice on,” Benton said of fluoridated water.
Supervisors Chris Yakabouski and Gary Skinner spoke in support of fluoridated water, with Yakabouski calling the whole discussion an embarrassment to the county.
Plating, a retired chemist, has cited an International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology, or IAOMT, position paper that claims fluoride is linked to Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, infertility, and “many other adverse health outcomes.” Dr. Johnny Johnson, president of the American Fluoridation Society, flew to Virginia from Florida to take part in Tuesday’s presentation to supervisors, telling them that an overwhelming number of scientific studies show the practice is safe.
Spotsylvania adds 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per liter to municipal water, though the concentration can be slightly higher because of naturally occurring fluoride.
Fredericksburg, which buys its water from Spotsylvania’s Motts Run Water Treatment Plant, opposes stopping fluoridation.
During the Spotsylvania meeting’s public-comments period, 21 speakers—including dentists, representatives of health care organizations, and a school nurse—urged supervisors to keep fluoridating the drinking water, while two advised against it.