Amid pushback against putting fluoride in drinking water, the City of Calgary is moving forward with its plan to reintroduce it in 2025.
“The city is completing necessary infrastructure upgrades to Calgary’s two water treatment plants with commissioning of equipment underway,” a statement reads from Calgary’s water services department.
The development comes after elected municipal officials in Montreal decided to stop water fluoridation in response to a petition from a local resident who raised similar concerns to those espoused by American politician Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
RFK Jr., nominated by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, has stated that he would advocate for the removal of fluoride from water nationwide.
Earlier this year, a landmark U.S. government report revealed a concerning link between fluoride levels in drinking water and lower IQ scores in children, at levels just 0.1 mg above the maximum that Health Canada recommends.
Conducted by the National Toxicology Program (NTP), the study found that children exposed to fluoride concentrations more than 1.5 milligrams of fluoride per litre had notably lower cognitive performance, estimated to be 2 – 5 IQ points lower than average.
Despite alarming concerns and unresolved questions about its effects on human health, including long-term neurological damage, and stunted development of children, many professionals across Canada and the West advocate for water fluoridation.
Health Canada has long maintained that water fluoridation is a safe and effective public health measure for preventing tooth decay, recommending an optimal fluoride concentration of 0.7 milligrams per liter.
