Lakeland is joining several other cities and counties across Florida by deciding to stop adding fluoride to its public water system.
The unanimous vote came after several city commissioners expressed concerns about some research that suggests exposure to high levels of the mineral can cause cognitive issues in children.
However, many national experts say there is not enough data to determine if the low levels of fluoride added to public water have the same effect. Fluoridation at the lower level has been done nationwide since the 1950s to help support oral hygiene.
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Commissioner Chad McLeod said he understands both sides of the issue.
"When I get to the question of consent, the question of the role of government and who should be making those decisions, I don't think that I get to make that call for the entire city of Lakeland," he said. "And so that leans me and pushes me toward voting to stop adding fluoride, even though personally that is something that I like for my own family."
Commissioner Stephanie Madden said she was also torn between the health benefits and possible side effects.
"I can't help but question the accumulation effect on some of the ADHD and some of the things that we've seen on the rise with Alzheimer's and dementia," she said.
"I'm not a scientist. I'm not saying that that's what fluoride does. I'm just saying it gave me enough of a question, enough of a worry to say, 'Why would we put it in our public drinking water?' "
More than a dozen local Florida governments, including Winter Haven, have voted to end fluoridation. Bartow, Manatee County and others are considering it.
This comes after late last year, when Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo issued guidance recommending the end of fluoridation, citing a report by the National Institutes of Health that showed a link between higher levels of exposure and lower IQs in kids.
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The NIH report includes studies involving levels at about twice the recommended limit for public water, which is 0.7 milligrams per liter.
Although various municipalities have decided to stop fluoridating, there's a chance it will no longer be up to local governments in the future.
This is because the Legislature could vote on a bill that would end the practice statewide. The proposal is part of a measure called the "Florida Farm Bill", which has the backing of Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson.
The legislative session begins on Tuesday in Tallahassee.
