Growing fight over fluoride in drinking water

LATEST FRONT IN THE CULTURE WARS. >> SCRUB, SCRUB, SCRUB, READY? >> Reporter: ABBEY SMITH IS EXTRA CAREFUL ABOUT BRUSHING HER SON TEDDY'S TEETH, NOW THAT HER LOCAL TAP WATER NO LONGER CONTAINS FLUORIDE AFTER COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN UNION COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, CAME FORWARD TO EXPRESS CONCERNS. THE COUNTY COMMISSION VOTED 3-2 TO REMOVE IT. >> I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THAT THERE WAS A FIGHT AGAINST FLUORIDE. >> Reporter: SHE IS NOW SCRAMBLING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO NEXT FOR HER TWO SMALL CHILDREN. >> WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO TALK ABOUT POSSIBLY SUPPLEMENTS. >> Reporter: DENTIST MEG LOCHARY IS ALARMED. SHE SAID FLUORIDE, A NATURALLY OCCURRING MINERAL SHOULD BE ADDED TO PUBLIC WATER TO HELP DEVELOP STRONG TEETH, ESPECIALLY FOR STRONG CHILDREN AND THOSE WITHOUT ACCESS TO A DENTIST. TOOTHPASTE WITH FLUORIDE SHE SAYS IS NOT ENOUGH BECAUSE THE FLUORIDE NEEDS TO BE INGESTED. >> WE KNOW THAT FLUORIDE WORKS. ALL THE JOURNAL ARTICLES HAVE SHOWN THAT. THERE IS A 25% REDUCTION IN CHILDREN AND ADULT DECAY FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE IN COMMUNITY FLUORIDATED WATER. >> Reporter: DESPITE BEING THE NORM FOR DECADES, THE NATIONWIDE FIGHT IS REACHING NEW HEIGHTS. IN THE WAKE OF NEW COVID AND THE ANTI-VACCINE MOVEMENT, PITTING DENTISTS LIKE LOCHARY -- >> I HOPE YOU CONSIDER LEAVING THE FLUORIDE IN THE WATER FOR THE MOST VULNERABLE OF OUR POPULATION. >> Reporter: AGAINST ACTIVISTS. >> HOW LONG CAN OUR SOCIETY BEAR THE COST OF KNOWINGLY LOWERING OUR POPULATION'S IQ? >> Reporter: IN UNION COUNTY, THE DEBATE ERUPTED WHEN OFFICIALS PREPARED TO OPEN A NEW WATER TREATMENT PLANT. THE LOCAL CHAIR OF THE RIGHT WING POLITICAL GROUP MOMS FOR LIBERTY POINTED TO A CONTROVERSIAL 2019 CANADIAN STUDY THAT SHOWED SLIGHTLY LOWER IQ SCORES IN CHILDREN WHOSE MOTHERS HAD HIGHER LEVELS OF FLUORIDE EXPOSURE DURING PREGNANCY. THOUGH THE STUDY'S AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGES MORE RESEARCH IS NEEDED. >> FLUORIDE IS ACTUALLY THE ONE SUBSTANCE THAT WE ADD TO OUR WATER THAT IS NOT MEANT TO ADDRESS THE QUALITY OF THE WATER. >> Reporter: COUNTY COMMISSIONER BRIAN HOLMES VOTED TO REMOVE FLUORIDE. >> BUT PUTTING A SUBSTANCE THAT'S MEANT FOR A MEDICINAL TYPE BENEFIT INTO OUR WATER, IT BRINGS UP A SIGNIFICANT QUESTION ABOUT CONSENT. >> Reporter: MAJOR HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS INCLUDING THE CDC, THE AMERICAN DENTAL ASSOCIATION, AND THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS SUPPORT FLUORIDE IN DRINKING WATER, BUT IT'S BEEN REJECTED BY DOZENS OF COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE U.S. IN RECENT YEARS, WITH ACTIVISTS DETERMINED TO PRESS FURTHER. >> THE PUBLIC IS STARTING TO BECOME MORE AWARE AND LESS BLINDLY TRUSTING OF AUTHORITIES. >> Reporter: SO YOUR GOAL TO REMOVE FLUORIDE FROM PUBLIC WATER SOURCES NATIONWIDE? >> ABSOLUTELY, YES. >> Reporter: LEAVING PARENTS LIKE ABBEY SMITH INCREASINGLY WORRIED ABOUT THE LONG-TERM IMPACT OF HER TAP WATER. >> IT DEFINITELY WILL MEAN MORE AVID TEETH BRUSHING AND JUST KEEPING UP ON DENTIST APPOINTMENTS. >> Reporter: ERIN

Channel: NBC News

Views: 14,767

Keywords: Health, International News, Lester Holt, Making A Difference, NBC Nightly News, National News, News, Nightly News, U.S. News, breaking news, evening news, politics, world news

Id: Io8wnWFWEU0

Length: 2min 55sec (175 seconds)

Published: Wed May 08 2024