CALGARY, Alberta, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- The seesaw battle to keep adding fluoride to the city's water supply has turned against it again in Calgary, Alberta, city officials said.
The issue has been divisive in the city since the 1980s, when a plebiscite called for it to be added based on claims it prevents tooth decay, particularly in the young, elderly and poor, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. Sun reported Wednesday.
However, by a 10-3 vote Tuesday night, councilors in attendance voted to start the process of cutting off the fluoride, the Calgary Sun said.
The city would see a $750,000 cost saving per year and also avoid spending some $6 million in upgrades to two water plants that infuse the chemical into the water supply, the CBC said.
The council approved a suggestion the annual savings go into a fund to provide preventive dentistry to impoverished children, the Sun said.
The city must apply to Alberta's provincial environment ministry before it can make any changes, which could take a year, the reports said.
