A growing movement in Naples is calling on the city to remove fluoride from its public water supply. The push comes after Collier County commissioners voted to stop fluoridating the county’s water earlier this year.
At a city council meeting on Wednesday, residents voiced concerns over fluoride’s potential health risks, citing issues like birth defects, joint problems, and skin irritation. They urged the city to ban its use in the local water supply.
“The City of Naples is poisoning us,” said one resident as she addressed the council. “We wash our hands, we swim in the water, we splash water on our faces,” she explained. “It’s causing harm to us everyday,” she added.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that water fluoridation is safe and promotes good oral health, but debate over its possible toxicity persists.
“And every research study that people are promoting and saying this is great for human health, none of them say to ingest, swallow, or absorb fluoride, and it’s a known neurotoxin,” said Ashley Jenkins, a Naples resident leading the effort to remove fluoride.