Article content

CALGARY — Depending on who you ask, and when, fluoride is either one of the top public health initiatives of the 20th century, or a poison artificially injected into the water supply.

Fluoridated water is endorsed by virtually every credible health organization in North America, including Health Canada, the Centre for Disease Control and numerous dental associations. Yet, in its 60-year history, no public health measure has stirred up as much controversy and fear as the addition of the ion into the public water supply.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Fluoride increasingly removed from water supply despite lack of evidence it is harmful Back to video

There are some concerns about whether fluoride doses need to be as high as they are, given the widespread use of the ion in food and toothpaste. But the more serious health claims made by anti-fluoride activists — including an alleged link between fluoride and reduced IQ — have been found wanting after scientific scrutiny by Health Canada and other researchers.

And yet, as decades have passed — and ongoing studies continue to show the efficacy and safety of minute amounts of fluoride in preventing cavities — the controversy continues. Campaigns to de-fluoridate the water supply continue to succeed at an ever growing pace across the country and continent.