The Lead, Pesticides, and heavy metals are also bad for Critical Thinking, life...
The University of Texas Student Government approved a resolution Tuesday night asking UT officials to make at least two drinking water fountains on campus fluoride-free.
The resolution asks that the fountains be in a prominent location and be retrofitted with reverse osmosis filters at a cost of about $1,000 each per year so students will know where to get a fluoride-free drink of water, said Robert Love, a Student Government representative from the LBJ School of Public Affairs.
The resolution still must be signed by Student Government President Natalie Butler, who said she missed the meeting because of travel and wants to review the bill first. She said she expects to sign it.
The resolution would then go to Pat Clubb, who is in charge of campus facilities and would decide what to do next, said Tara Doolittle, a UT spokeswoman.
Fluoridated water has been controversial for years. Too much fluoridation can cause health problems, according to the Environmental Protection Agency and the Health and Human Services Department.
The EPA standard is that there be no more than 4.0 milligrams of fluoride per liter of drinking water; Health and Human Services recommends 0.7 milligrams per liter.
Why the difference? The EPA’s enforceable standard “is set to protect against risks from exposure to too much fluoride,” Health and Human Services said in an online fact sheet.
The department’s lower standard is aimed at promoting “public health benefits of fluoride for preventing tooth decay while minimizing the chance for dental fluorosis,” the fact sheet said, referring to damaged tooth enamel from excessive fluoride.
Earlier this month, Student Government acted on a different public health measure: It asked UT officials to ban antibacterial soap, which is said to contribute to drug resistance in bacteria.
Doolittle said that UT’s custodial services has not used antibacterial soap since 2008, but other campus entities, such as the dorms and athletics, do their own ordering.
“Student housing has agreed not to buy it,” she said, but “there is no university-wide edict.”
