The Battle Ground City Council faced pushback from some locals following a workshop on Jan. 6 addressing the city’s practice of using fluoride in its water supply.
The workshop was prompted by a heightened national focus on fluoride in drinking water following a federal court ruling that ordered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reassess fluoride’s potential health risks.
On Sept. 24, 2024, a federal district court directed the EPA to reevaluate whether recommended fluoride levels in U.S. drinking water pose health risks. The ruling stemmed from years of litigation by anti-fluoride groups, including Food & Water Watch, challenging the EPA’s 2017 decision to deny a petition to ban water fluoridation. While the court did not mandate a ban, it referenced a National Toxicology Program (NTP) review that linked high fluoride exposure to lower IQ in children. The review excluded fluoride levels at the federally recommended concentration of 0.7 milligrams per liter (mg/L).
In response to the federal court ruling, the Washington State Department of Health issued a statement on Oct. 1, 2024, noting staff would assess the science presented in a future reevaluation.
During the workshop, Public Works Director Mark Herceg provided an overview of the city’s fluoridation practices. In 1962, Battle Ground residents voted 115-82 to add fluoride to the water supply in an advisory vote, a practice implemented the following year. The city currently fluoridates its water at 0.7 mg/L, the federally recommended concentration.
Herceg noted that the city uses sodium fluoride, with annual costs between $15,000 and $20,000 for materials and labor. He emphasized that fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral found in food and water and is added to public water supplies to reduce cavities and improve dental health.
A report presented to the council highlighted studies showing that water fluoridation reduces tooth decay by 25% in both children and adults, even with the availability of fluoride toothpaste. Councilor Shane Bowman recalled that dental professionals stressed the importance of fluoride, particularly for low-income families with limited access to dental care, when the City Council reviewed the subject three years ago.
“When you start the process and you're sitting here with dentists who went to Harvard, with dentists who went to, you know, 13 years of medical school and then residencies …I talked to a dentist the other day, and he said, ‘If you guys are dumb enough to do this, you deserve to pay more.’ It's… his exact words: ‘If you're dumb enough to do this, you deserve to pay more’ because that's all it's going to be. It just kicks down to our citizens," Bowman said.
Councilor Adrian Cortes, speaking in his last meeting, emphasized the importance of relying on professional studies, citing an anti-fluoride study conducted in China that some residents had shared with the council. Cortes said the research involved fluoride levels far exceeding U.S. recommendations, underscoring the need to base decisions on credible, scientifically supported evidence.
"My biggest recommendation is that you don't move things forward unless you have evidence and data to back it up,” Cortes said. “All too often, especially in the times we live in, you have people come in and they drop bombs and they show you papers of what they feel is, you know, irrefutable proof that something is happening."
Mayor Troy McCoy echoed these sentiments, arguing that removing fluoride would disproportionately harm low-income families. He emphasized the public health benefits of fluoridation and countered Councilor Victoria Ferrer’s suggestion to make fluoride optional, highlighting the broader community impact.
"It's the low-income parents that don't help their kids take care of their teeth, that don't buy them toothpaste, that don't teach them to brush their teeth, and it ends up costing us a lot more,” McCoy said.
Six individuals spoke against fluoridation during public comments. Vancouver resident Justin Forsman accused McCoy of dismissing those opposed to fluoride, referencing remarks from the workshop.
"Mayor, I heard you in the workshop. You're being very arrogant to people who think that there's not a benefit, and you were saying how it's basically the people who are low income [who] don’t take care of their kids and it’s basically your responsibility to look after those ignorant poor people who don’t take care of their kids," Forsman said.
McCoy clarified that his comments were intended to address the state’s return on investment in improving dental outcomes for low-income families, not to criticize individuals.
Another Vancouver resident Wynn Grcich cited studies she claimed link fluoride to brain damage and cancer, questioning how the council could support its continued use.
"How could any person that had a conscience … want to put this poison in the water to destroy a child's brain?" she asked.
Geri Rubano from Camas read the warning label on a tube of Colgate toothpaste, which cautions against fluoride consumption, particularly for children under age 6. She urged the council to reconsider the practice.
The Camas City Council has scheduled a public hearing at 7 p.m. on March 17 to discuss potentially discontinuing fluoride use in its water supply.
