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Former special-education teacher urges Old Town council to note court finding, scientific reports on fluoride risks
Summary
At the Nov. 4 Old Town City Council meeting, Vina, a former special-education teacher, presented excerpts of a federal court ruling and scientific reports she said link fluoride exposure to reduced IQ and other health harms and urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to act; the council took no formal action on the issue during the meeting.
Vina, who said she taught special education in Old Town for 30 years, told the Old Town City Council during public comment on Nov. 4 that a U.S. federal court ruling and recent scientific summaries show fluoride in drinking water presents health risks for pregnant people and children.
"There's been a court case ... the EPA has to do something about fluoride in the water because it is unsafe it's a hazard," Vina said, presenting printed pages she referenced during her remarks. She also said the National Toxicology Program reported an expected drop in IQ tied to certain measures of fluoride exposure and cited a range of studies she said support concerns about bone, thyroid and neurological effects.
Vina said the documents she shared include language saying the Environmental Protection Agency is "thus obliged to take regulatory action" and noted a 2006 National Research Council summary and a 2006 American Dental Association recommendation on water used to prepare infant formula. "I work with IQ schools all the time," she said, framing her concern in professional terms and urging the council to be aware of the materials she provided.
The comment drew from a multi-page packet Vina said she had reviewed and excerpted for the council; in her remarks she read aloud specific passages and numeric values from the documents as presented. The transcript records quoted figures and phrases as read by Vina but includes some unclear decimals in the printed excerpts; the council transcript does not record independent verification or staff response during the meeting.
Earlier in the meeting the council approved the minutes of its Oct. 7, 2024 regular meeting "as presented." A councilmember identified as Dave seconded the motion and Councilmember Mike called for the voice vote; the motion "so moved," and no exact tally was recorded in the transcript.
The council did not take any formal action on fluoridation during the meeting and no staff report, presentation or official reply on the subject appears in the provided transcript. The public-comment period concluded and the meeting proceeded to other agenda items.
