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Fluoride to stay in Bartow drinking water
FOX 13's Evyn Moon reports on Bartow commissioners voting 3-2 to keep fluoride in their public water systems.
BARTOW, Fla. - Cities across Florida are divided over whether fluoride should remain in public drinking water, as Bartow commissioners voted 3-2 Monday to keep it.
This decision followed a heated debate between officials and the public on the health impacts of fluoride.
Bartow commissioners voted 3-2 on Monday to keep fluoride in public water systems.
Mayor Trish Pfeiffer, who believes fluoride is harmful, expressed her disappointment after the vote, saying, "I'm sad for our community that different opinions really split it. It's about health."
The backstory:
The CDC supports fluoride in public water, citing its benefits for dental health and cavity prevention. Bartow Commissioner Laura Simpson, who voted for keeping fluoride, said she spoke with dentists about the benefits.
RELATED: City of Lakeland votes to remove fluoride from drinking water
FILE: Glass of water being filled up.
"We had to make a judgment call, even though we weren’t unified in our vote tonight," said Simpson. "To ingest the amount of fluoride, these studies are indicating, would require people to eat tubes of toothpaste to reach the levels of fluoride they are talking about."
The other side:
Opponents of fluoride in water argue it could have adverse effects, claiming it may contribute to conditions like autism and ADHD or affect IQ in children.
RELATED: Hillsborough commissioners decline motion that would remove fluoride from water supply
One concerned resident said, "You guys are taking away my choice. You are adding fluoride to my body, and I choose not to. If somebody wants it, there are fluoride supplements."
What's next:
With the vote to keep fluoride, Pfeiffer hopes the state legislature will pass a bill to remove fluoride from water statewide.
"We’re going to look to the governor and hope that bill passes to get this toxin out of the water," Pfeiffer said.
The Source: FOX 13's Evyn Moon collected the information in this report.
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