Santa Fe Committee Nixes Fluoride

The city’s Fe Public Utilities Committee voted unanimously tonight to stop adding the tooth decay preventative to the local water supply. A majority of the City Council – Chris Calvert, Carmichael Dominguez, Ron Trujillo, Bill Dimas and Chris Rivera – voted in favor of the proposal.

There was no discussion on the subject, which has provoked controversy over the past month.

The City Council actually agreed to eliminate supplemental fluoride in July. However, the ordinance was rescinded after the city’s legal department advised the council that its vote wasn’t properly noticed under state law.

The council voted under the auspices of an ordinance publicized as only proposing to align fluoride levels with standards recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The issue is now making its way through a second round of City Hall committees. The entire City Council will vote on the ordinance on Aug. 28. There will also be a public hearing at the meeting.

Fluoridation is intended to reduce tooth decay, and the addition of fluoride to drinking water is regarded as one of the 10 most important public health advances of the 20th century by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For decades, fluoride levels in Santa Fe have been set at a range of 0.80 to 1.20 parts per million. The CDC is now changing its recommendation for fluoride from a range of 0.70 to 1.20 parts per million to 0.70 parts per million.

The city spends about $34,000 a year supplementing the water supply with fluoride.