As Miami-Dade’s mayor weighs options on whether to veto an item to stop fluoridating the county’s tap water, a roundtable this week regarding the issue got heated. NBC6’s Steve Litz reports
Miami-Dade County is on course to stop adding fluoride to drinking water, while the mayor is considering vetoing the item.
Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said she's weighing her options and has until Friday to do that. She called for a roundtable discussion on Monday, where parents, officials and doctors spoke out.
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WATCH HERE“Were I to mix powdered infant formula with our tap water, that child will be consuming fluoridated formula for every meal of its life until at least six months of age," said one parent, who has a child on the way and opposed fluoride.
Other parents favored fluoride in the water supply.
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“The importance of me being here is essentially to make sure that not just my daughter, but all the other children in Miami-Dade County have someone that will speak up for them," another parent said.
Dr. Aileen Marty of Florida International University gave a passionate plea for fluoride with her personal experience.
"I was in a situation where I did not have enough fluoride in the water for my child, and because of that, I gave her fluoride pills, just so you understand the importance of fluoride," she said.
The climate notched up when a doctor addressed Commissioner Roberto Gonzalez, who sponsored the item to remove fluoride from the county’s drinking water.
“If there is a risk, and if 0.7 could very well be too much, when in doubt, take it out," he said.
Gonzalez pointed to studies showing fluoride could lead to developmental issues in children and could be harmful to babies in the womb. Every doctor, dentist and expert in the room called those studies flawed, insisting there’s overwhelming evidence that fluoride is good for kids’ teeth.
"We are currently giving the safe level, and that is what my patients need, because the minute you say 'maybe,' they start mistrusting what we are saying," said Dr. Cheryl Holder of FIU.
If this item moves forward, and it’s not vetoed, fluoride will stop being added to the drinking water starting in the next few weeks.
