USA - Should Fluoride be Forced on Water Supply?

It's a story about something in the water. It's also about something that's not in the water. We're talking fluoride. The choice to add it to drinking water has been up to local officials. But now some lawmakers in the Keystone State want to change that. WFMZ's Mike Lowe has the story. In the 1940's municipalities around the country began adding fluoride to their water ...
... From Easton to Reading, the bigger cities in our area add fluoride to the water supply. But some Lawmakers say it's a public health issue that should no longer be left to local choice.
Reichley: "The issues of proper oral hygiene and trying to reduce the prospect of oral disease is something which is an important public health matter."
He's co-sponsoring a bill that would require municipalities serving more than 500 connections to add fluoride to the water supply.
Stout: "We have met all the standards that needed to be to keep our water clean."
The proposal doesn't sit well with Russell Stout, the chairman of the East Bangor Municipal Authority which serves 1200 people. He says the forced ingestion of fluoride is too intrusive.
Stout: "We should leave it up to our own community to decide what's best for the community."
Reichley "I understand that some people don't like the idea of big brother stepping in and trying to intrude."
He says the bill is also aimed at saving taxpayer money on public heath. He says because fluoride fights tooth decay ... it keeps kids in school and out of the doctor's and dentists' office.
Reichley: "A simple step like this can have a great impact."
But the bill -- if passed into law -- could have an impact on your bottom line. It would require local municipalities to fund fluoridation themselves ... that could mean bigger water bills.