Voters in Salina, Kan., will decide this fall whether to end fluoridation of the city's water supply.
The city has been adding fluoride to its municipal water supply since 1968, as a low-cost way to improve residents’ dental health. That practice could end this November.
Petitions submitted to the Saline County Clerk have been verified as having enough signatures to force the issue to a vote. The question to be decided in the general election is whether the 1968 city ordinance that approved water fluoridation should be rescinded.
A citizens’ organization calling itself Salina Cares has been campaigning against fluoridation for more than two years. They contend that fluoridation amounts to involuntary medical treatment.