A Canadian city faced a financial headache 14 years ago: The plants that treated its water with fluoride needed major upgrades. But Calgary, Alberta’s largest city, was both reluctant to spend the money and underwhelmed by fluoride’s advertised health benefits.
So it decided to remove the mineral from the water. The backlash did not take long.
Activists lobbied City Hall to bring back fluoride. Researchers argued that its absence had led to increased dental problems among children. Residents demanded more say. Those efforts culminated in a ballot referendum in 2021, and Calgary voted to restart fluoridation.
Four years and some construction delays later, fluoride returned to the city’s water in June.
The backlash did not take long — this time from the other side.
Opponents have taken to social media, to City Hall and to the courts — without success — challenging Calgary’s move, citing research by Canadian scientists showing potential health risks posed by fluoride.
The post The Anatomy of a Canadian City’s Fight Over Fluoride appeared first on New York Times.
