LYNDEN, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Lynden is making another attempt to remove fluoride from its drinking water.
The city council voted 5-2 on Monday night to repeal a 1959 ordinance that began the city’s fluoridation program.
The Lynden Tribune reports that the two council members who voted to keep fluoride wanted to give residents a say in the matter with a citizen advisory vote. But a motion to put the issue on the November ballot failed by a single vote.
Mayor Scott Korthuis now has 10 days to accept or veto the decision, or else it will automatically go into effect.
The city council also voted to ban fluoride last summer, but Korthuis vetoed the decision, citing public support for fluoridation in past meetings. The mayor has not yet responded to My Bellingham Now for comment on what he plans to do.
If the decision to remove fluoride sticks, it would start to be removed from the city’s water supply in late April.
Advocates of fluoridation say it promotes dental health, while critics call it involuntary medication that could be dangerous.
It comes as U.S. Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that he’s assembling a task force of health experts to study the issue and make new recommendations.
