On December 15, 2010, the Governor's Office received an appeal from Dr. William Osmunson relating to the Board of Health's denial of a petition to repeal or amend WAC 246-290-460. The Governor denied the appeal on January 21, 2011.
DATE: January 25, 2011
Narda Pierce
General Counsel to the Governor
January 21, 2011
Bill Osmunson, DDS, MPH
President, Washington Action for Safe Water
1418 112th Avenue, #200
Bellevue, WA 98004
Via email: bill@teachingsmiles.com
RE: Administrative Rule Appeal - WAC 246-290-460
Dear Dr. Osmunson:
The Board of Health (Board) has denied your "Petition for Rule
Making" submitted to the Board on October 28, 2010. Your
petition asked the Board to amend WAC 246-290-460 to require
water suppliers with systems with average flouride
concentrations above 10 parts per billion (ppb) to provide a
notice with each customer's bill stating: "The Washington
State Board of Health finds the flouride level in this water
may contribute to lower IQ and an increase in mental
retardation." You appealed the Board's denial of your
petition to me on December 15, 2010. After careful review, I
have determined to deny your appeal of the Board's decision.
The Board has advised you that it believes the language and
the rule change you have suggested are not consistent with the
majority of scientific opinion. In particular, the Board
noted that it looks to the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) for standards and recommendations regarding the
safety of drinking water. The EPA regards 10 ppb as well
within the flouride concentration that is safe for consumers.
After review, I agree with the Board that the rule language
you propose is not supported by the majority scientific
opinion, including the EPA standards and the report of the
National Research Council, Fluoride in Drinking Water: A
scientific Review of EPA's Standards (2006). For these
reasons, I am denying your appeal and declining to recommend
that the Board initiate rule-making proceedings.
Sincerely,
Christine O. Gregoire
Governor