The mayor of Miami-Dade County announced on Friday that she opposes the removal of fluoride from drinking water in Florida’s largest county. This decision goes against a growing movement that aims to eliminate minerals used for preventing tooth decay.
This veto by Mayor Daniela Levine Cava, a Democrat, comes as critics advocate for the addition of fluoride to water supplies. Recently, Utah became the first state to prohibit the addition of fluoride to public water, and other states, including Florida, are contemplating similar actions.
“The science is crystal clear,” Levine Kava stated during a press conference on Friday. She emphasized, “Ending fluoridation could cause real and lasting harm, especially to children and families who cannot afford regular dental care.”
On April 1, the Miami-Dade Commission, a nonpartisan body of county commissioners, passed a measure to ban fluoride, with some commissioners absent. A total of nine votes are needed to override the mayor’s veto if all 13 commissioners are present, and it remains uncertain whether there is enough support for this. The next scheduled board meeting is on May 6th.
The majority of commissioners in Miami-Dade are Republicans, and Kevin Marino Cabrera, a Trump ally, is set to become the ambassador of Panama. Levine Cava is currently the highest elected Democrat in the state, with Republicans having claimed victory in all other county elected offices in Miami-Dade last year, including sheriffs and election supervisors.
During a press conference last Friday, Levine Caba referenced a study to support her decision, standing alongside dentists and doctors wearing white coats.
“I do what I believe is best for the health of my community. I stand with dental and medical professionals,” she affirmed.
Commissioner Roberto J. Gonzalez, the sponsor of the law, criticized Levine Hippo for “behaving like a typical politician, relying on tired partisan narratives to jeopardize public health.” In a statement on Friday, he called on his fellow committee members to override the veto.
Miami-Dade is mandated to cease adding fluoride to its water supply within 30 days. Levine Cava mentioned that she and her office are closely monitoring state-level efforts in the Florida Legislature to pass a similar ban.
Many experts caution against the removal of fluoride from drinking water, especially for oral health and cavity prevention. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention deem Fluoridation as one of the “10 greatest public health achievements of the 20th century.”
However, concerns about fluoride have gained momentum in recent years, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic undermined trust in public health interventions. Opponents argue that they aim to safeguard bodily autonomy and raise worries about potential cognitive effects in children.
They reference a Recent Review Papers which analyzed 74 studies and suggested a link between decreased IQ scores in children with high fluoride exposure during childhood or prenatal periods. (The levels studied were double the CDC’s recommended level. One study found no association.)
Levine Cava’s veto contrasts with the stance of fluoride skeptics like the Trump administration’s Kennedy and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, along with his appointed surgeon general, Dr. Joseph A. Radapop, who advocates for fluoridated water.
Recently, DeSantis expressed, “Do we want forced medication or do we want people to have a choice? When you’re adding it to water, you’re not really giving people a choice.”
Before the mayor’s announcement, Dr. Radapop called for a halt to Covid vaccine use and urged Miami-Dade residents to petition the mayor to support the fluoride ban. “It’s difficult to comprehend how someone feels entitled to add drugs to the water people drink,” he remarked.
Fluoride was first introduced in city water supplies in 1945 and became a common practice across the country in the ensuing decades. Studies have shown a direct correlation between fluoridation and improved oral hygiene.
“There’s a growing distrust in reliable, evidence-based science,” remarked Dr. Brett Kessler, president of the American Dental Association, in a statement this week. “When government officials, like Secretary Kennedy, perpetuate misinformation and mistrust in research, it harms public health.”
The debate over fluoridated water has raged for years as experts warn against excessive long-term fluoride exposure due to potential health issues. The federally mandated level has decreased over the years, including after a recent court order.
On Monday, Environmental Protection Agency director Lee Zeldin announced the decision to “expeditiously review new scientific information on the potential health risks of fluoride in drinking water.”
“If this evaluation is conducted without bias, it will provide a modern and comprehensive scientific assessment,” stated Zeldin. He lauded Kennedy’s longstanding involvement in this issue. Most individuals who spoke during the public comments section at the April Miami-Dade Committee meeting opposed fluoridation. A few days post-meeting, Levine Hippo hosted a Roundtable Discussion, focusing on the benefits with community healthcare professionals.
Since the November election, Florida’s 20 other cities and county governments have voted to eliminate fluoride from their water supplies. Miami-Dade County, with a population of around 2.7 million, is significantly larger. There are ongoing discussions in the Florida Legislature regarding a bill that would prevent local municipalities from adding fluoride to water.
Miami-Dade politics have shifted markedly to the right in recent years, mirroring Florida’s political landscape from a battleground state to one that is increasingly leaning Republican. In November, Trump became the first Republican presidential candidate to win the county since 1988.
Patricia Matsuzei Contribution report
Source: www.nytimes.com
