Should Fort Collins end fluoridation? Residents, council weigh in

Confronted by both advocates and adversaries of putting fluoride in the public water system, a majority of Fort Collins City Council members said they have no intention of ending fluoridation in city water.
The city has had fluoridated water since the late 1960s in an effort to prevent tooth decay, a practice recommended by the American Dental Association and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
But the practice is being questioned again after the U.S. District Court of Northern California ruled in September that research on the potential risks of water fluoridation shows action is warranted by the Environmental Protection Agency. That action could range from public warnings or restrictions on the practice, the judge’s ruling said.
Fluoridation is also part of a national conversation because President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to lead Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., opposes it and has said that Trump will advise communities to stop the practice.
Public comments on the issue began in October. At the Oct. 15 meeting, a handful of residents implored council to reconsider the practice.
Dr. Nola McDonald, a Fort Collins doctor, cited reports of high-quality studies that have shown that children who were exposed to higher amounts of fluoride during early brain development scored 3 to 7 points lower on IQ tests.
“When do we know enough to revise long-held beliefs?” she said, citing the history of actions to address lead toxicity. “Regulatory actions were not taken until decades of research had elapsed and millions more children were poisoned.”
At the Nov. 19 City Council meeting, a handful of dentists addressed council during public comment to share reasons why fluoridation should continue.
Pediatric dentist Dr. Jennifer Hargleroad said she was a child who grew up without fluoridated water and did not otherwise have access to it. She recounted her story about her own extensive and invasive treatments, saying she had multiple tooth extractions throughout her childhood.
“I’ve dedicated my professional career not only to make treatment easier and better for the little kids who are faced with this, but to err on the side of prevention so other little boys and girls do not have to go though this pain,” Hargleroad said.
In response to public comments Tuesday, council members Kelly Ohlson, Melanie Potyondy and Tricia Canonico, along with Mayor Jeni Arndt, expressed their support for fluoride in water.
Council members Susan Gutowsky and Julie Pignataro, along with Mayor pro-tem Emily Francis, did not speak on the issue.
“We have no plans whatsoever that I’m aware of to even consider changes to the current policies on fluoride,” Ohlson said.
Potyondy said she has learned about the long-term impacts of fluoride from her dentist father and from research presented to council by city staff.
“The science supports us continuing to fluoridate our water at the safe level that we’re currently doing,” Potyondy said.
A summary sent to council by Fort Collins Utilities’ top water staff says studies conducted outside the U.S. show levels of fluoride that exceed 1.5 milligrams per liter are associated with lower IQ but that doesn’t include testing in the U.S. where levels are 0.7 milligrams per liter.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment continues to recommend fluoridation at 0.7 milligrams per liter.
“This is a topic near and dear to me, as well,” Arndt said, describing how her family moved across the world when her children were small and experienced different dental outcomes, possibly based on whether there was fluoride in the local water.
“I’m a lifelong believer,” she said. “I personally have no intention of ever entertaining or removing fluoride from our water.”
With a majority of council opposed to changes, and without any federal mandate, any effort to change the policy would require a public referendum to get the issue on the ballot.
The amount of fluoride in Fort Collins’ water is 0.7 milligrams per liter, as recommended by the state health department, according to a city webpage on the topic.
Fort Collins’ water supply has naturally occurring levels of fluoride ranging from 0.15 to 0.2 mg/liter.
Fort Collins has added fluoride to the water since 1968. In 2005, the issue was presented to voters, who said they wanted fluoridation to continue.
In 2015, the amount of flouride in the water was reduced from a maximum of 1.2 mg/liter, based on the recommendations of the EPA and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, according to the city website.