N.S. news: Experts call for transparency over fluoride disruptions [Video]

Days after it was revealed fluoride hadn’t been added to the Halifax water supply consistently since 2021, experts are now calling out the municipality’s utility company for their lack of transparency.

Dr. Violet D’Souza, an assistant professor for Dalhousie University Faculty of Dentistry, says people had a right to know about the fluoride disruptions.

She says people who believed fluoride was in the water this whole time might have ignored certain precautions.

“So, they might ignore certain levels of fluoride toothpaste or visiting the dentist,” says D’Souza. “This is not excusable. It is our right to know.”

According to D’Souza, only about seven milligrams of fluoride can typically be found in water. That can be measured to about 30 per cent protection.

“Calgary and Edmonton started water fluoridation at the same time, and in 2011, Calgary discontinued their water fluoridation,” she explains. “And then they measured it immediately in 2014 to 2015 and 2019, and they saw that tooth decay increased …