The Naples City Council voted 4-3 on Tuesday to move closer to removing fluoride from the city’s drinking water. The council meeting drew strong opinions from both sides, with medical experts and residents speaking on the possible effects of fluoride.
Dr. George Yiachos, a Naples cardiologist, spoke in favor of removing fluoride, saying it doesn’t make sense to add “medication” to public water.
“A medication in the water just doesn’t make any sense. It’s a ridiculous concept,” Yiachos said. “As a cardiologist, I would never tell the city to put statins, cholesterol medication, blood pressure pills, blood thinners into the water just to treat the most common medical problem in the world. You can’t account for somebody’s health condition, can’t account for their genetics.”
Yiachos also mentioned studies from the CDC, EPA and FDA, saying that fluoride might lower IQ levels in unborn babies when pregnant women drink it.
However, pediatric dentist Dr. Marylin Sandor said that fluoride is important for healthy teeth, especially for children and those in underserved communities who may not have regular dental care.
“In underserved communities, there are many children that really don’t have access to routine dental care, often not even toothbrushes and toothpaste,” Sandor said. “So if they’re able to drink fluoridated water, that fractional amount that touches the enamel does help guard against tooth decay, so it does benefit the children that need it the most.”
Fluoride is a natural mineral known to help prevent tooth decay. “When fluoride contacts a person’s tooth, it’s incorporated into the enamel crystal and it helps prevent the tooth from being as susceptible to acid, which actually breaks down the enamel. And then the bacteria can invade and cause a cavity,” Sandor said.
Some residents said they’d prefer to use fluoride products like toothpaste instead of having it added to the water. Dr. Michael Varveris, a local physician, argued that fluoride in water can contribute to health issues.
“A lot of chronic disease in people is due to environmental toxicity. That’s just a fact. And this is what this is. This is poison in our water, no doubt about it,” Varveris said.
The final decision will likely be made in late November or early December during a second hearing.