Tecumseh mayor and board chair for the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, Gary McNamara, calls the defluoridation of drinking water a "huge mistake."
McNamara made the comment at the board's most recent meeting on Thursday afternoon.
He wants to see the province address the matter.
"I firmly believe instead of having a hodgepodge fluoridation across the province it should be mandated," says McNamara.
Windsor-Essex is fluoride free after Amherstburg, Lakeshore and Windsor all voted to end the fluoridation of their drinking water in recent years — against the recommendation of health experts — as residents raised their concerns regarding fluoride. LaSalle and Tecumseh were impacted by the decision in Windsor while the rest of Essex County has never had fluoridated water.
As far as McNamara is concerned, defluoridation can only add to the costs of the health care system.
"You're not mitigating, you're actually aiding in creating other difficulties in health care and taking care of our constituency," says McNamara.
He feels the benefits of fluoridation are well backed by scientific research — and doesn't think the same of the anti-fluoride argument.
"It's far reaching into the health side and many of the fears that are brought forward are by studies that are not even peer reviewed," says McNamara.
The medical officer of health for Windsor-Essex as well as organizations such as Health Canada, the US Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization all recommend the fluoridation of drinking water as a safe and effective way to improve oral health.
