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Medicine Hat not looking to add fluoride to drinking water

Feb 25, 2019 | 4:15 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – The fluoride debate is back in the spotlight in southern Alberta, following a request from a Calgary councillor for a study into whether fluoride should be re-introduced into the city’s water system.

However, no such discussions have arisen in Medicine Hat as the City is comfortable with keeping the status quo.

Fluoride has never been added to Medicine Hat’s own water system, with the City citing fluoride in standard toothpaste as being adequate for citizens.

Manager of Water and Water Treatment Plants John Michalopolous said the appetite for fluoride in Medicine Hat’s water has been minimal over the years.

“This is a community by community decision,” said Michalopolous. “It has been reviewed internally a few times over the many year history of the Medicine Hat Water Treatment Plant and never found a need or reason to add fluoride to the water.”

Medicine Hat and Calgary are the only two major cities in Alberta not to have fluoride in their water, with Edmonton, Red Deer, Lethbridge, and St. Albert electing to use the mineral.

Alberta Health recommends municipalities fluoridize their water, however Michalopolous said it’s ultimately up to the cities and towns to decide what’s best for their base.

“It is just a recommendation,” he said. “We do consider all Alberta Health recommendations, but at this time we’ve found we don’t need to add fluoride to the water.”

Another major concern regarding adding fluoride for the city is the potential cost to do so, with Michalopolous adding it would be an unnecessary expense.

However, he said they aren’t ruling out possibly adding fluoride in the future if there was enough public support for it.

“If the citizens were to suddenly become concerned and want us to evaluate the addition of fluoride to the water, we would definitely do that and consider it in the future,” he said.

Calgary council voted to remove fluoride from its drinking water in 2012.