Three Southwest Washington cities consider removing fluoride from drinking water

By Erik Neumann (OPB)
Jan. 29, 2025 1:23 a.m.

Hearings over the safety of fluoride will happen before any potential action by city councilors.

Water flows from a tap.

Water flows from a tap in this file photo. Three Southwest Washington cities are considering new restrictions on fluoride in drinking water.

Rebecca Roberts Galloway / OPB

Longview, Camas and Battle Ground will soon decide whether health concerns about adding fluoride to their city drinking water outweigh the oral health benefits of the cavity-fighting mineral.

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Longview city councilors will weigh the benefits and risks of fluoride in drinking water on Thursday during a public debate-style workshop that’s set to last several hours. The Camas City Council will host a hearing March 17. Battle Ground started the process in early January.

While the debate is not new in Southwest Washington, it has gained momentum recently after a federal ruling ordering the Environmental Protection Agency to reassess potential health risks posed by fluoride and the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – a critic of the use of fluoride in drinking water and many other government public health initiatives – to lead the national Department of Health and Human Services.

Fluoridation in American drinking water systems started in 1945. It benefits oral health by stopping bacteria growth and strengthening tooth enamel. Today, more than 70% of the U.S. population that uses public drinking water systems has access to water with fluoride levels that prevent tooth decay, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Evidence shows that water fluoridation prevents tooth decay by providing frequent and consistent contact with low levels of fluoride, ultimately reducing tooth decay by about 25% in children and adults,” the agency states on its website.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, it’s “the conclusion of every major health organization in the United States” that fluoride is safe and effective for all ages.

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In Longview, fluoride was added to the municipal water system in 1968, according to Chris Collins, the city’s public works director and assistant city manager. In that time there have been no concerns, he said.

“Fluoride is naturally occurring in our water system. As it comes out of the ground, it has fluoride in it. We add fluorosilicic acid to bring it up to the required amounts that are set by the Department of Health,” Collins said.

Battle Ground elected officials considered whether to remove fluoride during a Jan. 6 city council study session. During the meeting, Deputy Mayor Shane Bowman weighed the city’s current cost of spending $10,000-$15,000 per year on fluoridation with the benefits of improved oral health for the community.

“I don’t know if you’ve taken your kid to a pediatric dentist, but that’s very minimal -- $10,000-$15,000 – when you think about the difference it is for the kids that maybe don’t have the access to dental health,” Bowman said.

According to the CDC, communities that have fluoridated water see a 20-1 return on investment per person by preventing tooth decay for people across all income levels.

Still, worries about the mineral’s effect on brain development has led to the current debate in cities in Southwest Washington and beyond. A federal judge ruled against the EPA in September siding with nonprofit Food and Water Watch. The case centered around a report from the National Toxicology Program that said with “‘moderate confidence’ that drinking water containing fluoride at levels at least twice as high as those recommended by the federal government is associated with lower IQ in children,” according to Science.

Critics argue that adding fluoride to public drinking water is outdated and that using it should be a matter of personal choice by instead using fluoride toothpaste, rather than putting it in drinking water.

Across the Columbia River, Portland is the largest U.S. city that does not fluoridate its water. Residents have rejected fluoride proposals on four occasions, most recently in 2013.

Longview’s upcoming debate was proposed by Councilmember Erik Halvorson. Speaking against fluoridation will be Bellevue dentist Bill Osmunson, a senior advisor at the Fluoride Action Network. The advocacy group is focused on concerns over fluoride toxicity and provides “activist toolkits” for people worried about fluoride in their local communities. Several local dentists will be speaking in favor of continuing to use fluoride.

The meetings in Longview, Camas and Battle Ground are all informational. It will be up to city councils whether to draft ordinances at future meetings that would remove fluoride.

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