Updated at 6:52 p.m.
Richmond’s water and sewer superintendent resigned Monday following a recent revelation that he had reduced the fluoride level in the public water supply to less than half the recommended level for years.
In a letter to Town Manager Josh Arneson dated Oct. 17, Kendall Chamberlin wrote he was resigning that day because he opposed the town’s recent decision to increase the fluoride level to comply with the state Department of Health’s recommendation. Chamberlin wrote that he believes that the decision “poses unacceptable risks to public health.”
Chamberlin, who became superintendent in 1988 and also serves on the Essex Selectboard, declined to provide additional comment beyond his letter and a brief statement.
“I owed it to the customers of the Richmond Water System to make my position clear,” he told VTDigger on Wednesday. “I understand there are different opinions, and some of them are strongly held. I do not want to get dragged into a public debate about this.”
Chamberlin drew an annual salary of $96,737 and will receive $10,092 for unused time off, according to Arneson who confirmed Chamberlin’s resignation. In an email, Arneson said he was “not going to address the assertion (Chamberlin) did nothing wrong as we do not discuss personnel matters.”
Chamberlin initially defended his decision to lower the fluoride levels at a contentious Sept. 19 Water and Sewer Commission meeting but then offered his “sincerest apology to the citizens of Richmond” at the Oct. 3 meeting. The commission voted at that meeting to increase Richmond’s fluoride levels from 0.3 milligrams per liter to the recommended 0.7 milligrams.
In his resignation letter, Chamberlin once again defended his decision and noted that his license has been renewed for more than three decades with no suspensions or revocation and that he never received a negative evaluation of his job performance in Richmond.
Arneson, who signed off on the water reports Chamberlin prepared and submitted to the state, said Wednesday he believed the reports were accurate.
“I did approve the monthly reports but I relied on the water superintendent to comply with state requirements and I did not personally understand that the levels reported were below those required by the State,” Arneson said.
Vermont’s recommended level for fluoride is 0.7 parts per million, which is “the optimal level to prevent tooth decay recommended by the Department of Health and Human Services” in 2011, according to the state’s 2021 guide for fluoride levels in public water systems.
Chamberlin took issue with the recommendation and with any suggestion it is mandatory. In his letter, he said he cannot “justify adding fluoride, a toxic chemical with significant known health risks” at or in excess of 0.7 parts per million.
“In my professional judgment, the potential benefits of voluntarily fluoridating to that level are outweighed (by) the potential risks,” he wrote, adding he “cannot in good conscience” continue to serve as the town’s water superintendent for those reasons.
Annette Smith, executive director of Vermonters for a Clean Environment, an advocacy organization, said in an email that fluoridation should be a choice and not imposed on residents opposed to it.
“There is a large scientific library of studies showing that fluoridation of public water supplies is not providing consistent dosages, that it is medication without consent, and is harmful to people’s health,” she said. “The best use of fluoride is as a topical treatment. It is a prescription medication, and inexpensive.”
Fluoride has been a controversial subject nationwide, much like vaccination. But community water fluoridation is considered one of the top 10 public health achievements of the 20th century, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It “is recognized as one of the most cost-effective, equitable, and safe measures communities can take to prevent cavities and improve oral health,” the CDC notes.
State health officials spoke to the oral health benefits of fluoride but could not comment on whether Richmond could see a decrease in oral health from almost four years of decreased fluoridation by Chamberlin.
“The fluoridation of public water supplies is an evidence-based strategy to prevent oral disease and promote oral health in communities,” said Katie Warchut, a spokesperson for the Vermont Department of Health. “This is why increasing the percentage of communities participating in community water fluoridation is a key objective in several state strategies to improve the health of Vermonters.”
The Richmond story went viral on Reddit last month and made national news.
The issue prompted the town’s five-member Water and Sewer Commission to discuss oversight and protocol at its last meeting. The commissioners deferred comment to the town manager.
Arneson said water department staff are measuring levels and that he and the commission are reviewing those reports monthly since the commission voted to raise the fluoridation levels earlier this month.
“Daily levels since Oct. 5 have consistently been in the 0.6 – 0.7 mg/L range,” Arneson said in his email to VTDigger. “I will be reviewing the levels on a monthly basis to ensure they are being kept in the 0.6 – 1.0 mg/L range. This report will be reviewed monthly at the Water and Sewer Commission and posted on the website.”
As Chamberlin has pointed out at meetings and in his resignation letter, fluoridation is not mandatory and several Vermont communities choose not to add fluoride to their water systems.
Of the 465 public water systems in Vermont, 29 adjust the fluoride level, 361 do not and five have naturally sufficient fluoride levels. More than half of Vermont residents served by a public water system in 2020 were receiving fluoridated water, according to state data.
Fluoride exists naturally in most water systems, according to the state’s fluoridation factsheet and Vermont has fewer fluoridated systems than most states. But those that participate in the state’s fluoridation program are expected to maintain the recommended level of fluoride in their water systems. Richmond’s water system has been participating in the state’s fluoridation program since 1983 and serves about 1,000 out of some 4,000 residents.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled the town manager’s last name.