Airdrie could soon see a return of fluoride to its water supply, contingent on decisions to be made by Calgary’s City council.
The City of Airdrie purchases water from Calgary, which travels in supply mains to Airdrie’s reservoirs.
“Airdrie purchases all of our portable water from the City of Calgary,” said Glenn Archer, team leader of water services in Airdrie. “Whether they add it or don’t, that’s not particularly a concern to us. The water is great either way.”
Calgary removed fluoride from its water supply in 2011, citing rising costs. However, according to a study from the University of Calgary, removing fluoride appears to have had an adverse effect on tooth decay amongst children.
“We studied kids in Calgary and Edmonton. In Edmonton, (fluoride) remains in place. We collected data in 2013 and 2014,” said Lindsay McLaren, a professor at the university and the lead researcher on the study. “We looked at the change over time in tooth decay. What we found in baby teeth, primary teeth, was that decay got worse in both (cities), but it got more worse in Calgary.”
According to the study, the number of tooth surfaces with decay per child increased by 3.8 surfaces during the time frame studied, compared to 2.1 surfaces in Edmonton. Data was collected from more than 5,000 children.
“When Calgary stopped the practice of community water fluoridation, it seemed like a great opportunity to build a study around that,” McLaren said. “A number of communities across Canada have been reconsidering their fluoridation process and they had very little to go on, as far as research on the implications.”
Calgary councillor Andre Chabot, however, was among those opposed to reintroducing fluoride to the water supply, and said the study was based on a specific reading of statistics.
“I’m not supportive of the idea to bring back fluoride. We spent a considerable amount of time and work and had a number of different expert testimonies when we made our decision initially,” he said. “The decision that I made was based on well-researched and scientific-based analysis, as well as the moral implications of putting fluoride in the water.”
Archer said no additional work would be required by Airdrie water services staff if Calgary decides to reintroduce fluoride.
“There’s a ton of science involved in it both ways,” he said. “If the City of Calgary decides to go ahead, we (will too).”
