Alaska mayor admits he ‘paused’ fluoridation of city’s water after dubious claims of ‘health problems’

‘To protect the health and safety of AWWU staff, it was decided by the Mayor to halt the fluoridation of Anchorage’s water supply,’ Mayor Dave Bronson’s office said in a statement, one day after denying the story

Mayor Dave Bronson of Anchorage, Alaska has admitted he temporarily shut off the fluoridation of the city’s water (Mayor Dave Bronson)

Anchorage mayor Dave Bronson has admitted he “paused” the fluoridation of the city’s water for several hours, a day after denying he’d done so.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Mr Bronson’s office now says he made the decision during an October visit to the city’s water treatment plant, run by the Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility (AWWU). According to the mayor, AWWU workers claimed the fluoride was burning them.

“During the visit, a discussion ensued about health problems occurring among water treatment plant staff charged with fluoridation of Anchorage’s water supply,” the statement said. “AWWU staff informed the Mayor’s team that fluoride burned the eyes and throats of staff who handled it and was a health hazard for employees.”

At the time, the mayor’s office says, Mr Bronson was under the impression that he could cut off the fluoridation without breaking any laws – so he did so.

“To protect the health and safety of AWWU staff, it was decided by the Mayor to halt the fluoridation of Anchorage’s water supply and to further investigate these concerns with the Assembly,” the statement explained. “Fluoride was not added to the water supply for approximately five hours.”

What happened after those five hours, the mayor’s office said, was that Mr Bronson realized the fluoridation was required by law.

“Later that afternoon, the Mayor’s Office determined Municipal Code requires the fluoridation of Anchorage’s water supply,” the statement said. “The Mayor’s Office immediately informed AWWU leadership to resume fluoridation of the Muni’s water.”

The bizarre confession comes a day after the mayor’s office said in an email – written by the same aide who delivered Tuesday’s statement – categorically denying the fluoride story.

“For all three of these questions the answer is this is false,” Corey Allen Young told Alaska Public Media on Monday. “These did not happen.”

The president of the Anchorage Municipal Employees Association (AMEA), which represents some of the workers at AWWU, said he was baffled by the mayor’s latest statement.

“It doesn’t make any sense,” Jon Cecil told APM. “No one has contacted us with any information related to potentially AMEA members being injured on the job at the AWWU water treatment plant.”

Fluoride has been added to most public water systems in the United States since the 1950s, when scientists learned that small amounts of the chemical help prevent tooth decay and strengthen enamel. But for just as long, the practice has been a favourite target of conspiracy theorists, who during the Cold War suspected it as a communist plot.

The Independent has reached out to Mayor Bronson’s office for comment.

This is not the mayor’s first brush with controversy. He has vehemently opposed mask mandates, spoken at a conference of Covid vaccine skeptics, and defended the use of Holocaust imagery to protest masks – though he later apologised.