Four North American Communities End Water Fluoridation
In late 2012, approximately 85,000 residents across four North American communities gained reprieve from fluoridated water supplies. The towns of O’Fallon, Missouri; Rosetown, Saskatchewan; Lake View, Iowa; and Cassadaga, New York each discontinued or rejected water fluoridation through different but equally telling circumstances.
The Fluoride Action Network documented more than 70 community-level decisions against fluoridation across North America since 2010, reflecting a growing trend of local pushback against the long-standing public health practice.
How Each Community Reached Its Decision
In O’Fallon, Missouri, a city of 80,000 residents, a single concerned citizen brought safety questions to the City Administrator and successfully persuaded officials to end the fluoridation program. The town’s 2012 budget report noted the change would save $18,000 annually and reduce hazardous chemical handling for water plant operators.
Rosetown, Saskatchewan took a more pragmatic path: when a fluoride feed pump broke down, officials opted not to replace it. Lake View, Iowa’s city council concluded the practice’s costs outweighed any demonstrable benefit. In Cassadaga, New York, residents rejected a fluoridation proposal by an 87 percent margin in a local vote, despite the town having already constructed a dedicated facility to house fluoride chemical injection equipment.
Portland Petition Forces Public Vote
The momentum extended to larger cities. In Portland, Oregon, city council members and Mayor Sam Adams had approved a fluoridation mandate, but the decision sparked a petition drive that collected more than 43,000 signatures from local residents. Since only 19,858 signatures were required to place the issue on the ballot, the matter was effectively guaranteed a public referendum.
New York City and Infant Warning Labels
New York City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. pursued a different strategy, introducing a resolution that would require fluoride health warnings for infants to be printed on individual water bills. The approach followed similar measures already adopted in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and across the state of New Hampshire, where infant warning labels on water bills had become mandatory.
Florida Communities Reexamine Existing Programs
Two Florida communities also began reconsidering their fluoridation programs. The Greater Pine Island Water Association, serving St. James City near Fort Myers, planned a membership vote on the issue. The Ormond Beach City Commission approved a referendum allowing voters to decide whether to continue their existing fluoridation mandate in an upcoming election.
