VESTAL, N.Y. -- A man leading the charge to remove fluoride from the water supply was in the Southern Tier Tuesday, speaking at Binghamton University.

Dr. Paul Connet is the executive director of the Fluoride Action Network. He says that fluoride has its benefits, like when it’s used to strengthen teeth, but he thinks that communities are making a mistake by adding it to their drinking supply.

"They don't know the science. They don't know that fluoride accumulates in the bones and makes the bones more brittle, that the first symptoms are like arthritis. They don't know that fluoride lowers thyroid function and we have millions with hypothyroidism in this country. They don't know that fluoride actually lowers IQ level in children,” Connet said.

Dr. Connet is involved in a movement in Corning to strip the city council of its ability to add fluoride to the water supply.