GRAYSON COUNTY, Ky. — There's an effort in Frankfort to potentially change the way your drinking water is managed in cities across Kentucky.
House Bill 141 would give local governments the authority to decide whether to add fluoride to their water system, a process that's been mandated in the state for decades.
According to the United Health Foundation, Kentucky ranks first among states in the U.S. for water fluoridation. Almost every single Kentucky county has fluoride in its water.
Dental experts have sworn by the chemical compound for decades as a proven way to prevent teeth decay and long-term disease.
But supporters of the bill have pointed to studies of higher levels of fluoride intake for young kids possibly being associated with lower IQ's and other cognitive impairments, though many experts have considered them lacking concrete evidence.
"Kentucky has been adding fluoride to the water since around 1954, and we rank nearly dead last in dental health in the country. So, to me that says that isn't helping the problem. There needs to be another way to do that," said James Hale, operations manager at Grayson County's water treatment plant.
Hale represents one of several counties that wrote letters to Frankfort, voicing support for HB 141. Supporters suggest the dental upside isn't worth what they consider a potential harm.
Dental hygienist Jennifer Harrison warns that doing away with the mandate would be dangerous.
"We just have a real lack of access for children already, so to increase decay and remove this protection would be really detrimental to the work force," Harrison told WHAS11. "It is working, and if we remove it, we will see just how much it was working and we don't want to see that."
Then there's the cost factor: Grayson county paying around $5,000 a year to add fluoride to its water.
They're payments Hale believes the county is better off not making.
"If they told me today that I could shut it off, I would," Hale said.
The bill has passed through a House committee and is awaiting a vote in the full Kentucky House.
The CDC reports that drinking fluoridated water reduces cavities by about 25 percent, saving money for families and the healthcare system. Nationally, the U.S. has a goal for 77 percent of Americans to have water that can protect their teeth with enough fluoride by 2030.
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