OK, yes, this is very serious, but....
He was cutting back on fluoride in the water by half.




esidents are concerned a town employee arbitrarily lowered the fluoride level in Richmond's drinking water below recommended standards based on his personal beliefs.

Town Manager Josh Arneson said he was notified by state officials in June that the town's fluoride levels have been near 0.3 milligrams per liter for the past three years — less than half of the 0.7 milligrams per liter recommended by the Vermont Department of Health and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"I am concerned about the lack of transparency about the fluoride levels being lower than those set by the Community Water Fluoridation program, which Richmond is listed as participating in," Arneson said in an email.

Robin Miller, oral health director at the state health department's Office of Oral Health, said she was alerted to the lowered level earlier this year even though data submitted shows the town water as being properly fluorinated since 1983. Concerned from a public health perspective, Miller first notified Kendall Chamberlin, who serves as Richmond's water resource superintendent, in April.

"I still didn't see any improvement," Miller said. "So I think in June, I reached out to the town manager to express my concern."

No changes or repercussions have followed. Town officials will further discuss the matter at Monday's water commission meeting, Arneson said.

Asked why it took almost three months since he was notified for the town to publicly address the matter, which was first reported by Seven Days, Arneson said, "The timing of the town's response was reasonable under the circumstances."

The discussion drew concerns and criticism at a spirited water and sewer commission meeting on Sept. 19, where Chamberlin defended his decision to lower the fluoride level in the town water to less than half of what's recommended.

"The science is consistently showing less is better," he said, contending that research on fluoride levels was outdated and raising questions around quality control behind fluoride manufacturing in China. He said fluoridation is voluntary in Vermont, paid for by the state and several towns choose to not add it to their water supply.

https://vtdigger.org/2022/09/29/richmond-residents-gobsmacked-after-town-employee-lowers-fluoride-levels-with-no-oversight/