Vermont Town's Top Water Guy Resigns After Spouting Fluoride Conspiracy Theories

A small-town water manager had some pretty out-there ideas about fluoride in the water, so much so that he lowered levels of the chemical in the town's water supply for years without telling anyone.

The water and wastewater supervisor in the small Vermont town ofRichmond had been secretly reducing the levels of fluoride in the local water supply for years and years. According to an AP report from earlier this month,Chamberlain finally admitted to the town's Water and Sewer Commission that he had been making those changes to the town's water content His duty is to take responsible care and judgement for the protection of public health.

In his five-page resignation letter, Chamberlin made excuses that seemed to touch on the long-standing fluoride conspiracy. The town administrator signed off on measured fluoride levels in the water system, but he also said he had been keeping levels below state-recommended ranges for more than a decade.

He said in his letter that he couldn't in good conscience be a part of the project.

For decades, floride has been used by conspiracists. It was considered a plan by the soviets to weaken the U.S. in the cold war era. Some of his less harmful demagoguery campaigns have been compared to what he said about the Sandy Hook school massacre.

Chamberlin claimed in the water and sewer meeting that fluoride comes from China and can't be trusted. This is a conspiracy theory that has been circulating for a long time. The Centers for Disease Control told the AP that the chemicals need to meet safety standards. Town officials refused to comment on Chamberlin's departure because it was apersonnel issue.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, low levels of fluoride added to water supplies should be avoided. The town manager said at the September meeting that the Vermont Department of Health told him that the levels of.3 milligrams per liter were the lowest they had ever seen. Over the last four years, the town has noted that the levels of fluoride in the water have consistently been under.7 milligrams.

Chamberlin told officials that they should have a referendum on the information. He compared the two compounds which have caused health issues in people and animals. Conspiracists often confuse the harmful poly-fluorinated alkyl substances with the naturally-occurring chemical fluoride, which has been noted as fine for humans as long as it is taken in prescribed amounts.

According to the CDC, 70% of municipal water supplies in the U.S. have fluoride added to protect residents from tooth decay. After an initial test in 1945, it was shown that children in Grand Rapids, Michigan had fewer dental problems.