Contract Clears Way for Fluoridation
The Los Angeles City Council approved a contract Tuesday as the last major step toward beginning to fluoridate the city’s drinking water in the next two months.
Council members including Laura Chick had delayed a vote on the $1.3-million contract to buy fluoride until the city Department of Water and Power completed a report on the health issues surrounding the chemical.
The DWP report delivered to council members last week concluded that fluoride is safe, is used in most major cities and helps prevent tooth decay. City officials note that state law mandates that the drinking water be fluoridated.
“I am comfortable that the advantages and benefits outweigh the concerns,” Chick said.
A vote on the contract was delayed twice after a group of activists from the San Fernando Valley protested the fluoridation two weeks ago.
DWP officials plan to send a notice to residents in the next month about the fluoridation program, scheduled to begin in March.
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