Massena village trustees to discuss fluoridation of water during special meeting

Dec 20, 2023

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Fluoridation of village water will be among the topics of discussion during a special Massena Village Board meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. Christopher Lenney/Watertown Daily Times

MASSENA — Fluoridation of village water will be among the topics of discussion during a special Massena Village Board meeting at 5:30 p.m. today.

The issue was raised during the board's May meeting, with Trustee Kenneth J. McGowan saying he opposed adding fluoride to the village's water supply and Mayor Gregory M. Paquin saying he was in support of it.

The discussion ensued following a motion to approve bids for supplies for the village's water treatment plant. The supplies included diatomaceous earth, chlorine and hydrofluosilicic acid (HFS), which is used for fluoridation.

Mr. McGowan said he would vote no if the HFS was included. He said it was an outdated practice and was adding medicine to the water without any control over the dosage.

Mr. Paquin said he’d vote no if it was taken out. He pointed out that the American Dental Association was recommending fluoridation and he supported that practice.

The end result — the order of HFS was taken out, at least temporarily until a state Department of Health representative could brief the board on the pluses and minuses of fluoridation.

Since then, village officials have spoken with the Department of Health regarding the addition of fluoride to the water.

It's not the first time a debate has broken out over adding fluoride to water. Village trustees agreed unanimously in February 2011 to keep it in the village's water supply for the foreseeable future. They said they would revisit the issue down the road as more studies and research were done about the long-term effects of fluoride.

However, the village did reduce its fluoride level down from one part per million to 0.8 ppm.

The decision came following a lengthy public hearing at the meeting, which featured more speakers in favor of fluoridation than against it. Eliminating fluoride would have saved the village about $18,000 a year at the time.

Then-Trustee Patricia K. "Trish" Wilson had initially proposed reducing or eliminating fluoride at a board meeting after reading articles about an excess of fluoride in American diets.

She also cited the cost-benefit of scaling back, as fluoride treatment at the time cost the village nearly $100,000 over five years.

Public Works Superintendent Marty G. Miller said it currently costs the village $22,364 for the year.

Johnson Newspapers 7.1

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