The Palm Bay City Council has voted to abandon efforts to fix the municipal water department’s equipment to allow for resumption of fluoridation of the water Palm Bay provides many of its residents.
The unanimous vote means residents of Brevard County’s most populous city will not have fluoride added to their city-supplied drinking water in the future.
Fluoridation has become a hot-button issue for some. The American Dental Association and other public-health organizations say fluoridation is important to prevent tooth decay, which can lead to other health problems when untreated. But others say the health risks of adding fluoride to drinking water outweigh the benefits, and that individuals should make their own decision on the matter, rather than having fluoride automatically added to their city- or county-supplied drinking water…