Fluoridation Pollutes the Siuslaw River and Our Environment

“It’s estimated that 99% of all tap water is used for purposes other than drinking, meaning that 99% of fluoridation chemicals, representing hundreds of thousands of tons of siliocofluoride waste, goes directly into the environment and watershed.” (Reasons to End Water Fluoridation: A Science-Based Assessment, 2025 edition, page 8)

The City of Florence Public Works Department injects sodium fluoride (NaF) into the water to artificially fluoridate it.

Most of the fluoridation chemicals injected into the city water supply end up at the city's wastewater treatment plant on the banks of the Siuslaw River. Since removing fluoride from water is very difficult, especially at an industrial scale, it is released into the Siuslaw River in the treated effluent.

City water used for irrigation spreads the fluoridation chemical into the soil, vegetation, and stormwater runoff.

In response to an Oregon Public Records Act (ORPA) request dated June 2025, the City of Florence Public Works Department manager stated that the department purchases 88 50-pound bags (4400 pounds) of sodium fluoride per year for the community water fluoridation program. (Click here to view the OPRA request response)

If 99% of fluoridation chemicals are used for purposes other than drinking and going into the sewer or stormwater systems, then around 4356 pounds of this pollutant are ending up in the river and local  environment each year.

Fluoride is a serious environmental pollutant. Deliberately releasing it into the Siuslaw River and our local environment is foolish and irresponsible.