Lynden, the only town in Whatcom County that adds fluoride to its drinking water, could end the practice, to the dismay of a group of local dentists who worry it will jeopardize the oral health of the community.
In a packed room on Monday, May 6, the Lynden City Council held its first of two public hearings on the question of whether to end water fluoridation. During the meeting, a series of dentists and physicians beseeched the council to continue the nearly 70-year-old preventative practice, while residents who are opposed to fluoridated water cited their own research about the alleged dangers of fluoride and asked for the right to choose when it comes to medical decisions.
Since 1959 the city has added fluoride, approximately 0.7 parts per million, to its municipal water supply to prevent tooth decay. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called fluoridation one of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century and an inexpensive way for communities to reduce the risk of cavities equitably across a population.
Several of the dentists and physicians who spoke in favor of fluoridation at Monday’s meeting reported a noticeable difference in oral health between patients who grew up drinking Lynden water and patients who were raised elsewhere in the county.
“My wife grew up in Lynden and is really proud of the healthy teeth this community provides,” said Dr. David Baker, a periodontist who has practiced in the county for more than two decades. “If a patient has a healthy mouth and very few fillings, they grew up either in Lynden or they grew up in an area outside of here.”
But some Lynden residents have taken umbrage at what they call medical intervention by the government, for which they have not given informed consent.
“I’ve lived in Lynden since 1954 and my teeth are not perfect,” said Gloria Bode, the wife of council member Gary Bode and leader of a group of residents who first brought the matter to the public works committee and city council last year. In her testimony, she questioned the expertise of medical professionals and suggested a correlation between cancer and fluoride.
“If something is safe and effective for you, is it automatically safe and effective for me?” asked Misty Flowers, a vaccine skeptic who ran for Whatcom County executive in 2023. “If you’re putting chemicals into my water, how can I avoid that?”
Washington has much lower levels of community water fluoridation than the country as a whole — in the U.S., fluoridated systems serve nearly 75% of the population, but in Washington that number is closer to 56%.
In Whatcom, Skagit and San Juan counties, Anacortes is the only other jurisdiction that adds fluoride to its drinking water. Bellingham residents voted against a fluoridation initiative in 2005.
“We have values in this town. Don’t be like Bellingham,” said Unity Care NW associate dental director Dr. Jonathan Henry during his impassioned testimony in favor of fluoridation. “In this town, we take care of our kids.”
The hearing will be continued at 7 p.m. on May 20 at the City Hall Annex building located at 205 4th Street. After testimony and deliberation, the council is expected to vote on the matter.
Julia Tellman writes about civic issues and anything else that happens to cross her desk; contact her at juliatellman@cascadiadaily.com.
