The Lee County Board of Commissioners Tuesday voted unanimously to remove fluoride from Lee County water.
Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo came to the meeting to speak strongly in favor of removing fluoride. Ladapo has issued statewide guidance to remove fluoride from water. He has also gone on the record to oppose Covid-19 vaccinations.
“It’s insane to continue to support this with the information that we have now,” Ladapo said.
Ladapo's guidance recommending against community water fluoridation is linked to what he has said was a possible neuropsychiatric risk associated with fluoride exposure.
Daniel Becker was one of the community members who commented in favor of fluoride.
"It’s obviously on the agenda because of a minority of people believing quack science. They are trying to convince you to take fluoride out of our water," Becker said. "The benefits of fluoride in drinking water are well documented. In developing this item for this meeting, missing from the list of reviewers are any health care providers. Why is this, since we have experts right here at Lee Health? What do pediatricians, cardiologists, and dentists think about removing fluoride from our drinking water?”
The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Dental Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention agree that water fluoridation is effective and safe, and works to prevent tooth decay.
Naples and unincorporated Collier County also voted to remove fluoride, as has Immokalee, Everglades City, and Marco Island.
Lee County Utilities is one of about 10 utility providers in Lee County, including municipal operations and independent providers. Tuesday’s decision is effective immediately and impacts only LCU customers.
According to the Florida Department of Health and based on self-reported data from 2023, it is estimated that more than 70% of Floridians on community water systems receive fluoridated water.
Lee County residents can learn which utility provides their drinking water easily by using Lee County government’s “Resident Information Lookup” tool, which is on the county’s website at www.leegov.com. Look for the blue box and enter your address. Once the page loads, scroll down to “Utilities.” Another way to find your utility provider is to look at your monthly billing statement.
Fluoride is an unregulated additive, once strongly recommended by the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). However, since the Florida Surgeon General publicly opposed its use, FDEP now allows communities to decide whether to use fluoride, with no penalties to the water utilities for discontinuing the program.
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.
