Lynden will end its practice of adding fluoride to its water, following a split city council vote Monday night.
Lynden is the only community in Whatcom County that adds fluoride to its municipal water supply to prevent tooth decay, and has been doing so since 1959. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called fluoridation one of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century and an inexpensive way for communities to equitably reduce the risk of cavities.
A group of residents first brought the matter to the public works committee and city council last year, calling fluoridation “forced medication” by the government, for which they have not given informed consent. In May the council held a public hearing on the matter that spanned two meetings and resulted in more than four hours of testimony, with speakers evenly split between those asking to keep fluoride and those asking to end the practice.
Whatcom County dentists have been the most vocal proponents of keeping fluoride, reporting a noticeable difference in oral health between patients who grew up drinking Lynden water and patients who were raised elsewhere in the county.
By the time the council was ready to make a decision during its third meeting about the topic on Monday, June 3, the mood was subdued and the council chambers, which had been packed for the public hearing, was only a quarter full. The council members thanked the audience for what had been a civil, courteous conversation on fluoridation, and each in turn gave his thoughts on whether or not to end the practice. Much of their deliberation revolved around the idea of individual choice in health care decisions.
“The [American Dental Association] gave us some information that said that the average kid is going to get two more cavities, 25 percent more cavities,” council member Lee Beld said. “That’s just not enough for me to look at somebody and say, ‘You’re going to take it no matter what.’ I think if you wanna go get it, we’re not keeping you from it, we’re just keeping you from the cheapest, most economical way for that to happen, and I accept that responsibility.”
Council member Mark Wohlrab agreed with the idea of individual choice and proposed that the city purchase reverse osmosis systems and offer fluoride-free water distribution centers. The idea did not gain much traction among his fellow council members and he ended up voting to keep fluoride.
Mayor Scott Korthuis acknowledged that he did not have a vote but made a pitch for keeping fluoride as the fiscally conservative decision, pointing out the high cost of dental care for communities that have an elevated rate of tooth decay.
Council member Brent Lenssen, who said he believed the common good of preventing cavities outweighed the concerns shared by some residents, saw that he was outnumbered and asked for a few concessions. He amended the motion with several additions: that the city use up its remaining supply of fluoride (about three to four months’ worth); keep the fluoridation equipment in place at the water treatment plant for a minimum of five years and require council action to remove it; and budget $25,000 per year for community oral health and education measures, to be determined by staff.
The council voted unanimously in favor of Lenssen’s amendments, then voted 4-3 to repeal the city’s fluoride ordinance.
Dr. Trent Veltkamp, a dentist at Veltkamp Family Dentistry in Lynden, said on Tuesday that he’s resigned to the decision. At their practice, he and his father Dr. Jack Veltkamp serve patients from around the county, not all of whom consume fluoridated water, so they’re accustomed to coordinating with pediatric doctors to prescribe fluoride drops to young patients. He expects to do more of that once fluoridation ends.
“We’ll push it harder but compliance isn’t very good for daily usage,” Veltkamp said. “It’s all well and good on paper but when you’re talking about a two-year-old, five-year-old, eight-year-old kid, it’s not really about choice.”
He added that Lynden is “growing like crazy” and the dentist’s office is always busy.
“Even a slight increase in dental decay here, well, it’s a tiring thought,” Veltkamp said.
Julia Tellman writes about civic issues and anything else that happens to cross her desk; contact her at juliatellman@cascadiadaily.com.
