Sparta Mayor Jerry Lowery said Thursday night the city exploring the idea of removing fluoride from the water system.
Lowery asked Aldermen to do homework on the issue. Fluoride additions to water systems began nationwide in the mid 1940s as a way to increase dental health.
“The way modern technology is now, we don’t think it’s needed,” Lowery said. “High levels of it is creating, some studies have said, it’s creating some issues. So we’ll inform TDEC of this. We will have a town hall meeting informing the people and let everybody speak their mind. And then we will look at it and then we will vote to keep it in or remove it. So just start doing your research on that.”
Utah recently banned fluoride additions to water systems, Florida and Ohio are also considering the idea. Health Secretary Robert Kennedy called fluoride an industrial waste in November that caused multiple health concerns. His critique dismissed by the American Dental Association and the CDC.
“We’re going to look, doing research, and there’s some guidelines and hoops that we need to jump through,” Lowery said. “We’re going to reach out to the local dentist. But some of the health concerns that’s being raised about fluoride and excessive fluoride has got a lot of health issues.”
Lowery said he sent information to aldermen for them to study on the topic.
