Fluoridation Debate Invades Colorado

By Sara Jerome
@sarmje

The largest water utility in Colorado is taking up the debate over whether to fluoridate tap water, one of the longest-running controversies in the water industry.

“The discussion at Denver Water, which serves about one out of five of Colorado's 5 million residents, comes as other utilities in the state and the country debate fluoridation. In some cases, fluoridation opponents are pressuring them to do so, claiming that it damages teeth and bones, while the governor and his top medical official staunchly defended the process,” the Associated Press reported.

Some communities are taking matters into their own hands. In July, Snowmass Village near Denver decided to stop fluoridating tap water following a handful of other Colorado municipalities. Reports say Denver Water held an information session for its board about fluoridation. The New York-based Fluoride Action Network’s director Paul Connet says around 200 places have stopped fluoridating in the last five years.

Connett wants to see even more places stop this practice. "The ultimate goal is to stop this absolutely insane process," he said, per the report.

Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper decided to chime in on the matter in August. His office released a statement,per The Aspen Times:

The Governor’s Office and Department of Public Health and Environment recommend all Colorado communities fluoridate their public water supplies. More than 70 years of research has proven that community water fluoridation is a safe, effective and inexpensive method of improving the oral health of all Coloradans. Increasing the number of communities that voluntarily fluoridate their residents’ water can make a significant contribution to Colorado’s commitment to becoming the healthiest state in the nation.

The federal government decreased the level of fluoride it recommends for tap water this year.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released its recommendation in April for "the optimal fluoride level in drinking water to prevent tooth decay." The department advocated that these levels not exceed 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water. That drops down from the previous recommendation, issued in 1962, for 0.7 to 1.2 milligrams per liter.

The change had been several years in the making. The health department first proposed this change four years ago, "and most large cities have already lowered their fluoride levels accordingly," Newsweek reported.