SCHUYLKILL HAVEN - Borough residents commented about the possibility of adding fluoride to the municipal water supply again at the monthly meeting Wednesday.
Russell Staller told the council that adding the chemical to the water supply is not a good idea, citing the negative effects of the chemical.
"Fluorine is an extremely reactive and poisonous elemental gas," he said.
He then went on to quote from a story in the Huffington Post last year about fluoride exposure and how it may endanger the IQ of children.
Staller then argued against the benefits of the additive to the teeth, saying, "It only ends up in your teeth when you drink it, and this causes dental fluorosis. ... There is no point in putting it back in the water. There's virtually little to no benefit of it."
The council voted Feb. 5 to add fluoride into the water supply. Voting in favor of adding the fluoride were council President Marlin Berger Jr. and members Ruth Tucci, Paul Bedway and Kurt Montz. Jerry Bowman, Roger Spotts and Tom Gordon voted against it.
Before the addition of fluoride can be accomplished, an application must be sent to the state Department of Environmental Protection for review and approval. Borough Manager Scott Graver said Wednesday he has yet to do that but gave no reason for not doing so.
Various governmental agencies have said adding fluoride to the water supply is safe and an effective way to get it to the public.
Too much can be harmful, authorities have said.
The council had fluoride in its water supply years ago but a motion Feb. 3, 2010, to keep it in the water supply failed, and it was no longer added by 2011.
A former water treatment operator also voiced his reservations of adding fluoride.
Council member Roger Spotts read a letter from John DeWitt, a former water treatment operator for the borough: "I believe sincerely that the present council is trying to do what they think benefits the community and those other areas that benefit from the water system. ... Apparently, there are customers within our system that can not ingest fluoride due to health concerns. How then do we provide safe drinking water to them? How can you justify presenting a chemical that is harmful to them in the public water supply? In this day and age, fluoride can be applied orally either by using fluoride added toothpaste or using a fluoride rinse. I myself choose to do both of these.
"In my opinion, it's the parents' responsibility to teach good oral hygiene and adults to practice the same procedure. While it may be a solid and good intended idea to re-add fluoride back into the water, it is flawed in its reasoning. Many may have benefited from the previous addition of fluoride many years ago, as I have, but new research is telling us that there have been previously unknown side effects now just coming to light."
The council took no action on the fluoride issue.
Previously Mayor Mike Devlin said the action by the council required an ordinance, citing a 2012 House Bill, which would also require his signature.
He said he would veto any such effort by the council.
In other news, Graver said work has started for the Route 61 widening project through the borough Monday.
"The first phase is pole replacements. They're out there, and they have started," he said.
Workers from Abel Construction, York, marked sidewalks Tuesday on Route 61.
Sean Brown, spokesman for the state Department of Transportation District 5, Allentown, said the orange cones visible on the road during the day were for traffic control so workers could set up their equipment.
The $8,646,692 construction project is intended to relieve congestion in the area. It will add two additional lanes through the borough.
Kinsley Construction, York County, was awarded the project Nov. 27. The project is slated to be completed Dec. 16, 2015.