Scoop: Hillsborough could ban fluoride from drinking water next week
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Hillsborough's Board of County Commissioners will decide on Wednesday whether to remove fluoride from its drinking water, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: If approved, Hillsborough would be the most populous county in Florida to end the practice — and the latest in a growing number of municipalities across the state that have done so.
Catch up quick: Commissioner Joshua Wostal (R) announced on Sept. 26 via X that he would introduce a motion to remove fluoride from Hillsborough's drinking water. "No excuses," he said.
- Wostal's post came after a federal court in California ruled against the Environmental Protection Agency and ordered that it further regulate fluoride in drinking water.
- He stopped short at an Oct. 2 meeting and asked county staff to assess the cost of water fluoridation and review the federal judge's order and the National Institutes of Health study it cited.
Driving the news: On Friday, Wostal amended the agenda for next week's meeting to include a motion to remove fluoride from Hillsborough's drinking water, per records Axios obtained from the county.
- County staff estimate that removing fluoride from the water system would save $200,000 each year.
What they're saying: Wostal posted a screenshot of the California ruling on X after Axios reached out Friday.
- "Have we reached such a point in society that we can't have an honest conversation about rulings like this, to the point that we risk the IQ of our children?" he wrote.
- "This is all I'll be answering to questions about this item," Wostal added. "I love you all."
Between the lines: Fluoride is a mineral that repairs and prevents damage to teeth that bacteria cause in the mouth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- There is evidence that high fluoride exposure is linked to lower IQs in children, though in higher concentrations than found in drinking water, a National Toxicology Program report found.
Yes, but: Studies have continuously shown that widespread community water fluoridation is not associated with lower IQ scores in children, and rather prevents cavities and saves families money, per the CDC.
- The federal judge said his decision didn't conclude "with certainty that fluoridated water is" harmful to public health, but rather that there is enough evidence of risk to require action from the EPA.