Los Angeles Health Officials Call for Additional Fluoride in County, State Water
Los Angeles County health officials on Monday called for greater use of fluoride in water throughout the county and state, after a report found that tooth decay was the most prevalent health problem among children in California, the Los Angeles Times reports. Currently, four of the 88 cities in Los Angeles County add fluoride to their water.
Statewide, less than 30% of Californians have access to fluoridated water, compared with 65% of the population nationwide, according to Tim Collins, dental director of the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which provides water to Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura counties, is slated to complete water fluoridation in 2007.
The project will be "the largest single water fluoridation project in the United States," David Nelson of the Health and Human Services Agency said (Gencer, Los Angeles Times, 2/7).