Advisory board to notify municipalities after EPA action on fluoride regulation
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Summary
Citing recent EPA developments and a court ruling on fluoride regulation, the advisory board voted to send interim updates to municipal water systems and encourage voluntary discontinuation of fluoridation while federal rulemaking proceeds.
St. Clair County’s advisory public-health board voted to send interim correspondence to municipalities with water systems to inform them of recent federal developments on fluoride regulation and to invite voluntary consideration of discontinuing water fluoridation.
Dr. Nevin summarized an EPA press release dated Jan. 22 and a federal-court ruling that applied the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to fluoride in drinking water. He said EPA affirmed the science cited by the judge but seeks to regulate fluoride under the Safe Drinking Water Act, a process that could take longer.
Dr. Nevin outlined two possible federal outcomes: EPA could set a maximum contaminant level around 1.5 parts per million with a secondary recommended level near 0.7, or it could set an enforceable maximum near 0.7 with a lower nonbinding secondary recommendation. "The question is how they're going to do it," he said.
The board approved a motion to affirm the department's proposed update to local municipalities, which will provide interim notice of EPA activity and encourage voluntary discontinuation in anticipation of potential federal or local regulation.