Water Fluoridation Suspended in Yorktown

Yorktown Supervisor Ed Lachterman ordered the suspension of water fluoridation in the town last Thursday following a recent federal court ruling that reviewed studies outside the United States.

Fluoride was added to the water of about 40,000 residents in Yorktown and parts of Somers in August by

the Northern Westchester Joint Water Works (NWJWW) for the first time since 2017.

On September 24, U.S. District Judge Edward M. Chen, overseeing a lawsuit filed by the nonprofit organization Food & Water Watch and other anti-fluoride groups against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ruled that the current standard for water fluoridation in the United States, set at 0.7 mg/L, presents an “unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment.”

In April 1965, Yorktown officials passed a local law to provide fluoride. In Jan. 2013, the Town Board agreed to pay for the necessary capital improvements at the NWJWW facility to maintain fluoridation after many local dentists and health professionals provided expert advice during an informational meeting at Town Hall. A petition signed by nearly 60 dentists and pediatricians supporting fluoridation was also submitted.

Lachterman, who in August conceded the town was obligated to move forward with fluoridation,

stated Chen’s decision emphasized the potential risks to vulnerable populations, including children, leading him to take immediate action.

“In light of this federal ruling and the long-standing concerns expressed by many Yorktown residents, I have decided to suspend water fluoridation as a precautionary measure,” said Lachterman. “Our priority is the safety and well-being of our community, and we believe it is prudent to pause fluoridation to further assess its potential impacts.”

Lachterman said Monday there was also a study from Harvard University that contained the same information.

“If there is any risk at all to the children of our town, we need to be proactive in keeping them safe,” he said. “With all of the alternative sources of fluoride available, it is definitely prudent to suspend the fluoridation of our water. My feeling is that it is more important to suspend now and have the conversation after. Especially when those at risk are the most vulnerable in our community.”

Somers Supervisor Robert Scorrano applauded Lachterman for his decision.

“Removing fluoride from Somers’ drinking water would give residents the freedom to choose their own sources of fluoride, ensuring personal control over their health decisions. Additionally, concerns about potential long-term health risks from fluoride exposure support reevaluating its use in public water systems,” Scorrano stated.

However, Yorktown Councilwoman Susan Siegel, an outspoken supporter of fluoride, maintained Lachterman failed to follow the state’s Public Health Law by not notifying the Department of Health 90 days prior to any discontinuation and failing to consult with any health professionals.

“Instead, he hastily, and unilaterally, suspended Yorktown’s fluoridation system, relying only on the opinion of a single judge, a judge, it should be noted, who does not appear to have any expertise in evaluating complex scientific studies, and whose opinion relied on data from countries, like China and India, not the United States,” Siegel said.

“The supervisor’s hasty suspension deliberately failed to acknowledge the fact that the judge didn’t ban fluoridation; he simply concluded that EPA needed to do additional studies and come up with rules regulating the use of fluoride, rules that could range from requiring a simple warning label to banning the chemical,” she continued.

The American Dental Association (ADA) reacted to Chen’s decision, stating it remains staunchly in support of community water fluoridation at optimal levels to help prevent tooth decay.

“Oral health should not be a luxury, it’s essential,” said ADA President Linda Edgar, DDS. “Optimally fluoridated water is accessible to communities regardless of socioeconomic status, education or other social variables. Even in an era with widespread availability of fluoride from various sources, studies show that community water fluoridation prevents at least 25% of tooth decay in children and adults throughout their life span. The scientific weight of sound evidence around the benefit of community water fluoridation is clear and compelling.”

Rick Pezzullo

Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/