UNION COUNTY, N.C. — The debate in Union County over whether to add the mineral fluoride into the county water supply ended Monday after Union County Commissioners voted 3-2 to stop adding fluoride to county water.
For decades, municipalities have been adding small amounts of fluoride to water. It all started in Michigan back in 1945 when Grand Rapids, Michigan, became the first city to add fluoride to its water.
The Center for Disease Control has said that fluoride in water is vital for helping to keep teeth healthy in young children, and has tied the addition of water fluoridation to helping dental health for all communities regardless of income.
But some who want the county to ban the addition of fluoride to water say that too much fluoride can be harmful to pregnant women and may cause other health issues, like fluorosis.
At the last meeting, the vote was 3-2 in favor of no longer adding fluoride to the water. Because the last vote was not unanimous, commissioners held a second vote Monday to determine if the county should stop adding the mineral to its water at the Yadkin River Water Treatment Plant, which is owned and operated by Union County, and serves about one-third of the county’s population.
Because one vote was already taken, the vote was decided by a majority vote of the board at Monday evening's meeting.
“We got 240,000 people in Union County, I got to look out for the interest of all of them," Richard B. Helms, a Union County Commissioner, said.
Richard Helms wants the fluoride to stay in the water. He grew up on well water and had cavities, but says he's seen others benefit.
“My children have grown up on fluoridation in the water and have very few cavities, I rather follow the science," Helms said. “I tend to follow what the medical professionals tell me."
“It’s probably the most successful public measure in the history of this Country," North Carolina pediatric dentist Dr. Frank Courts said. "It saves North Carolina citizens hundreds of millions of dollars in dental care costs."
Courts said fluoride is most effective on people who don't take good care of their teeth or go to the dentist.
"I currently work part-time in Ashe County, North Carolina. It’s a rural county and the difference in decay between Ashe County and a fluoridated area is striking," Courts said.
Union County Commissioner David Williams said the vote is not as much about the possible positives or negatives of continuing to add fluoride to the water system but giving the public the right to choose what goes in their water.
"We add a lot of chemicals to our water to treat the water, and that's a good thing," Williams said. "But this is the one chemical we add to the water that isn't meant to treat the water; it's meant to treat us. And that's something that we don't consent to. So again, for me, it's about freedom of choice, consent."
“Health care is not a one size fits all type thing, nether is dental care for that matter," Vice Chairman of Union County Commissioners Brian Helms said. “This whole thing raises significant questions regarding whether or not an elected board has the authority to do something like this or if they don’t.”
Contact Richard DeVayne at rdevayne@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Contact Lexi Wilson at lwilson@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.