Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water Quality Fluoride topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Health department proposes fluoride regulation tied to future federal MCLG; board agrees to public hearing
Summary
The county medical director presented a draft regulation that would not ban fluoridation but would set a health-protective trigger tied to the EPA’s maximum contaminant level goal; if EPA lowers the MCLG in coming years, community water systems would either lower addition or notify the department. The board voted to send the draft to public hearing.
The St. Clair County Health Department presented a draft regulation that would establish a county-level health-protective standard for fluoride addition to community water supplies and require notification if a system elects to continue adding fluoride above a future federal health-protective level.
Medical Director Dr. Nevin said the draft—tentatively titled the "regulation regarding fluoride addition in community water supplies"—does not prohibit fluoride. He read from the draft: "This regulation does not prohibit fluoride. It establishes a health protective standard for fluoride addition consistent with the EPA's maximum contaminant level goal and provides that community water supplies that elect to continue fluoride addition above that standard must notify the health department so that affected municipalities and the public may be informed of the associated health risks." The regulation is intended to be conditional: action would be triggered if the Environmental Protection Agency lowers the MCLG in its ongoing regulatory review.
Dr. Nevin told the advisory board that current local water systems add fluoride well below the EPA's current MCLG and that the regulation is designed to respond to future federal changes rather than impose immediate changes. He said the department and legal counsel have reviewed the draft for likely vulnerabilities.
After discussion, the advisory board voted to release the draft for public notice and comment; the department will schedule a public hearing and provide the statutory notice and comment period before any final recommendation to the Board of Commissioners.
What happens next: The health department will set a public-hearing date, accept written and oral public comments, consider any changes after the public comment period, and then, if unchanged, forward the regulation to county commissioners for possible adoption and formal ratification.
Sources: Presentation and reading of draft findings by Dr. Nevin.
