USA - Voters in York County towns demand end to water fluoridation

By Donna Buttarazzi, York County Coast Star

Posted Nov. 11, 2016, at 11:05 a.m.
Last modified Nov. 11, 2016, at 12:54 p.m.

KENNEBUNK, Maine — Customers of the Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, Wells Water District voted Tuesday to stop adding fluoride to the public water supply.

Janice Hanson, chairperson of Campaign to Reconsider Water Fluoridation, the citizens group that sought signatures to put the issue on the ballot, said, “Voters in seven Maine communities sent a loud and clear message that they do not want fluoridation chemicals in the public water supply. Tomorrow the fluoridation equipment at the Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Wells Water District will be unplugged and we will no longer be ingesting hydrofluorosilicic acid from the phosphate industry.”

Norm Labbe, superintendent of the water district, said Wednesday, “the fluoride feed pumps were turned off this morning at around 7 a.m. Some customers [those near our treatment facilities] will have an immediate drop in fluoride to natural background levels of about 0.25 parts per million. Within a couple weeks all customers will have that same background level of natural fluoride.”

Residents of Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, Wells, Ogunquit, Arundel, Biddeford Pool and Fortune’s Rocks and the Cape Neddick section of York voted on the referendum question that read,“Shall fluoride be added to the public water supply for the intended purpose of reducing tooth decay?” The no vote prevailed 13,385 to 6,918......................