Rush to vote on the removal of fluoride from Miami-Dade’s drinking water is irresponsible | Opinion
After a single, one-sided meeting this week on the question of whether to remove fluoride from the county’s drinking water, the Miami-Dade commission is poised to make a precipitous decision on the nationally debated topic on Tuesday.
If commissioners pass legislation next week instructing the county’s Water and Sewer Department to discontinue adding fluoride to tap water — which could happen within 30 days — they’ll be doing their constituents an enormous disservice. County commissioners need to study the issue and hear from those with different viewpoints before making a such an important and controversial choice for residents, and they need more than a week to do it.
Anything less is just bad governance.
Why the haste? The change is being pushed by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration, led by Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo. On Tuesday, Ladapo gave a presentation to the county’s Health and Safety Committee claiming fluoride is “a harmful practice” that “doesn’t make sense.”
Ladapo was one of just four people who spoke, and all of them advocated for an end to fluoride in drinking water. No advocates for fluoridation were invited to speak, the Miami Herald reported. The legislation comes from Commissioner Roberto Gonzalez, a Republican initially appointed to the board by DeSantis, and subsequently reelected. Gonzalez is a supporter of President Donald Trump, whose health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., has also pushed to end fluoridation.
The anti-fluoride speakers cited studies linking fluoride consumption to early-development issues with children, including lower IQ levels. They argued that the practice of adding minute amounts of fluoride to water is based on antiquated science, and said toothpaste could keep teeth healthy, negating the need for fluoride in drinking water. No studies backing the benefits of fluoridation were mentioned.
“Toothpaste is not expensive,” Ladapo said. ”You can use the money that you are otherwise investing in water fluoridation to provide free toothpaste for anyone who is having difficulty paying for it.”
The proposed legislation calls for a public education campaign on the importance of using toothpaste with fluoride.
Educating people about toothpaste is fine, but commissioners owe it to county residents to think about this decision carefully, with all the information in front of them. Commissioner Marleine Bastien had it right when she pointed out that “the results you’re sharing are from one side.” She added that she had “a ton of research producing a completely different view.”
The scientific consensus is that tiny amounts of fluoride in drinking water is both safe and a boon to dental health. The American Academy of Pediatrics continues to endorse adding fluoride to drinking water as a way to reduce tooth decay and lessen the prevalence of cavities among children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said the practice of adding fluoride to tap water is one of the greatest achievements in public health in the 20th century and continues to show no risk in the tiny amounts added to drinking water.
The commission is elected to represent the interests of the community, not push a political agenda. The rush to vote after holding one hearing that didn’t allow for public comment or any input from experts who support fluoridation is irresponsible.
Commissioners need to insist on time to hear from other viewpoints — like medical or dental experts who say Miami-Dade residents benefit from fluoride being added to the county’s drinking water.
While some may frame fluoride as a partisan issue, with Republicans leading the charge on its removal, two Republican Miami-Dade commissioners, Juan Carlos Bermudez and René Garcia, told the Miami Herald via text message that they needed more research before they could announce their positions on the legislation.
Bermudez told the Herald, “I need to study the issue, I’m gathering all the information to try and make an educated decision on this very important matter.”
Commissioners should not be rushed to cast votes on major public policy without a balanced presentation of facts. Asking for more time is not only reasonable, it’s responsible.
Free toothpaste is not the answer. Sound, fact-based policy is.
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