Harris Township urging water authority to reconsider vote that ended water fluoridation
One Centre Region municipality is strongly urging the State College Borough Water Authority to reconsider its vote to discontinue fluoridation.
The Harris Township Supervisors decided during their meeting on Monday to send a letter to the water authority asking them to reconsider a recent vote that would begin the process to end water fluoridation. Supervisor Charles “Bud” Graham said when the discussion to potentially end water fluoridation came up again this summer, he was concerned because he felt the residents of Harris Township benefited from the fluoride in the water.
“...At that time, I read a lot, the dentists and doctors and everybody seemed to recommend fluoride, so my concern is that the citizens of Harris Township may benefit from this fluoride, and they seem to. And what bothers me is they say it’s not a cost move, but it really is a cost move for them,” Graham said.
“I would like to draft a letter to the water authority saying that, as representing Harris Township, I think that we should continue the fluoride,” he said.
Chair Bruce Lord said he had no issue sending a letter, but thought it was a “non-issue,” as people could use fluoride toothpaste instead.
Supervisor Dennis Hameister said the “general tone” of many letters to the editor was to keep the fluoride.
“The general public was very much in favor of keeping it,” he said.
SCBWA serves a daily average of 75,000 people in State College Borough and parts of Benner, College, Harris, Halfmoon, Patton and Ferguson townships. Harris Township is the only municipality so far to send a letter concerning the vote.
SCBWA members have said the decision to cease fluoridation wasn’t a cost-saving measure. Still, another supervisor thought it could be related. Supervisor Frank Harden was concerned with rising rates and less services from the SCBWA.
“The thing that concerns me here is, again with the water company, every time we turn around, … they say, ‘Here we go. We’re raising the rates … and we’re going to get rid of some services.’ That’s what I see here. I see them dropping some of their service and keeping the rates up,” Harden said.
He continued: “It’s always something where they’re looking for more money or creating more money and I don’t understand why. And I think the fluoride is just another part of that iceberg.”
After several meetings of discussion, the State College Borough Water Authority voted in July to discontinue adding fluoride to the water, which is used by an average of over 75,000 people daily. The vote was unanimous, after one member — Bernard Hoffnar — resigned in opposition, a stance shared by a number of local dentists and medical professionals who have urged the SCBWA to continue fluoridation.
The vote came after a subcommittee developed a report on the controversial topic, citing studies linking prenatal fluoride exposure with lower IQ. Some members said it was a social justice issue, others voiced concerns over not knowing the method of production, the effects on the body, and supply chain issues.
After the water authority voted to stop adding fluoride to the water, community members — especially those who had advocated for fluoridation — reacted strongly. The executive director of Centre Volunteers in Medicine, which serves low income and uninsured patients, previously told the CDT the community is already in a dental health crisis, and this decision will make things worse.
The authority has stuck by its decision. In a July opinion column, SCBWA chair Jeff Kern wrote, “the decision to stop fluoridation was not taken lightly, nor was it based on anecdotal evidence or political bias.”
