Cambridge City discusses ending fluoride addition to water supply

CAMBRIDGE CITY, Ind. — Cambridge City may be one of the last towns in the surrounding area to use fluoride in its drinking water.

That might change, however, after the issue was brought up earlier this month at a town council meeting with a recommendation to remove the mineral from the public water supply.

"There's been lots of studies going on nowadays," Cambridge City employee Chris Stapleton said. "It's not beneficial to us like it was in the '50s and '60s. Not to mention doing away with it could save the town money. Maybe you could use that for some sidewalks."

"There's just something about adding a substance to the drinking water for the community that has a big skull and crossbones on it," he said. "It's straight poison."

Ken Risch, Cambridge City's superintendent of public works, said in an interview with the Palladium-Item that a bag of fluoride is labeled with a skull and crossbones, signifying that it's poisonous when consumed in large quantities.

"Is drinking a glass of water going to hurt you? Probably not," he said. "But what is the long-term use going to do?"

Town councilman Gary Cole said he agrees with Stapleton.

"I've done some research on it since I've went over there and saw the poison sign, and I think about that every time I turn on the tap now, thank you very much, but I do agree," he said. "It's not needed anymore. We have enough artificial things."

Phone calls to multiple local dentists, including Aspen Dental and Smiles for Life, requesting information on the benefits and drawbacks of using fluoride were not returned. Dentists at Richmond Family Dentistry declined to comment.

The Indiana Department of Health, in an email to the Palladium-Item, said IDOH Fluoridation Program staff members "regularly inspect fluoridation systems throughout the state to make sure as many systems as possible are supplying optimally fluoridated water to their customers."

What the CDC has to say about fluoridation

The department also provided a link to the Centers for Disease Control website related to community water fluoridation. The CDC states that it does not mandate community water fluoridation and that the recommended level of fluoride, 0.7 milligrams per liter, by the U.S. Public Health Service is not an enforceable standard.

The CDC states on its website that fluoridating community water systems "helps strengthens a tooth's surface, making it more resistant to tooth decay," while adding that it reduces cavities by up to 25% in children and adults.

The CDC said communities of 1,000 or more people see an average estimated return on investment of $20 for every $1 spent on water fluoridation and that communities served by fluoridated water save an average of $32 per person a year by avoiding treatment for cavities.

The IDOH added that its laboratory processes hundreds of water samples each week at fluoridated water systems around the state and sends a monthly report to the Water Fluoridation Program.

Fewer Indiana communities use fluoride in water

Stapleton cited Dublin, Greenfield and Centerville as regional Indiana communities that have recently done away with fluoride, adding that no surrounding towns or cities are using it in water anymore.

Greenfield Water Department's Utility Manager Charles Gill said in an email to the Palladium-Item that the city has never added fluoride to its water treatment process. Dublin's town council decided to do away with it two months ago.

Julie McCarty, Dublin's clerk-treasurer, said the reasons behind that were related to the costs related to equipment, chemicals, repair and upkeep, as well as believing that there are enough other resources for fluoride, such as toothpaste and mouthwash.

Because of how recent the decision was, McCarty added that the town doesn't have data on how much it has saved as it has just used the last of what fluoride it had in the system.

Risch also agreed with Stapleton, citing the fact that daily tests of the water already include natural fluoride.

"When we test it daily, it can be anywhere from .5 to .8, maybe a little higher at some times," he said. "The state, their recommendation is, I'm not even sure if it's .6 or .7."

Risch said the state has already lowered the recommended amount, which at one point was .8, and that in 10 or 15 years, the state may not even recommend it be added to water supplies.

He said that although he's not sure exactly how long Cambridge City has added fluoride to its water, he estimated it to be at least 50 years.

"The first town that put it in their water system I think was Flint, Michigan, and that was in the '40s," Risch said. "In the article I read, I think it was since 2010, there's been 170 towns or counties have stopped putting fluoride in their water."

"I think it's something that you're going to see more and more," he said. "As more places look into it, I think you're going to start seeing more towns and cities with their water systems are going to quit and get away from that fluoride."

Risch added that he believes that over time, more and more towns and cities will do away with mineral, especially considering that most new systems that are put in place don't include it.

How much Cambridge City spends on fluoride additives

The use of fluoride additives cost Cambridge City $3,000 to $5,000 a year, Risch said, which would equate to about $500,000 over the years that he said the town has been adding it.

Town Attorney Bob Bever told the council that although the town has the legal right to remove fluoride from the public water supply it controls, it is not legally required for the town to hold a public hearing on the issue, though it is recommended because of the significance the removal would have on the community.

The discussion was ultimately tabled to the Sept. 9 town council meeting in the town hall at 6 p.m., where it will likely be voted on, according to Risch and Cambridge City Clerk Sherry Ervin.

Evan Weaver is a news and sports reporter at The Palladium-Item. Contact him on X (@evan_weaver7) or email at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Richmond Palladium-Item: Cambridge City discusses removing fluoride from town water supply