Does Albany Want Fluoride Added To Their Water?

Like it or not it appears fluoride will be added to the drinking water supply in the city of Albany, New York.

As a kid who grew up on well water in the Helderberg mountains I can safely assume my parents weren't adding fluoride to our own personal supply. That's probably why the dentist has be take fluoride tablets when I was growing up.

I was way too old when I learned that most city water supplies actually have fluoride added to them for dental health reasons. I then assumed that my water from the City of Albany also had it. I was wrong.

It wasn't until 2024 that the Albany Common Council voted to add fluoride to the water after some had been advocating for 20 years to make it happen. Naturally I have some questions about this.

Is Fluoride Safe?

According to the CDC, yes.

Community water fluoridation is recommended by nearly all public health, medical, and dental organizations. It is recommended by the American Dental Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, US Public Health Service, and World Health Organization.

Could adding fluoride to the water lead to cancer? The American Cancer Society has an entire page dedicated to this. They say there are no strong ties to fluoride and being diagnosed with cancer. But, they're also not saying there isn't a chance either.

There are some folks that are against adding the fluoride to the water supply. Some of them claim it is not an essential nutrient and that folks should have the ability to choose whether it gets added to their water or not.

I would agree with that. I'm not against it. They say it's good for dental health in kids, and my kids could use the extra help with their teeth.

What about the taste?

I'm concerned that it will change the taste of the water. Albany has been ranked several years as the best tasting drinking water in the state. As a matter of fact many folks who lived in Albany at one time often long for the tap water.

We're a tap water family. So if the taste changes that's going to be quite the adjustment for us.

Now, according to several sources on the old internet I found with a quick search, they say it will NOT change the taste or smell of the water.

I think that remains to be seen.

Nothing has been signed off on yet for this project, but they say it won't be a major ordeal or cost to begin this process.