- Utah has passed a law banning fluoridated water. The state’s governor says he will sign the bill, despite objections from the health care community. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called the addition of fluoride to drinking water one of the 10 best public-health achievements of the 20th century.
Less than six months after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on social media that Donald Trump would push to remove fluoride from drinking water, a western state is prepared to make the leap.
Utah has passed a bill that bans the use of fluoride in public water systems, and the state’s governor says he will sign it, though even he admits it’s not a passion project of his.
“It’s not a bill I felt strongly about; it’s not a bill I care that much about, but it’s a bill I will sign,” Republican Gov. Spencer Cox told ABC4 Utah.
The bill is set to go into effect in early May and will be a first in the nation.
Kennedy and other opponents of fluoride allege it is linked to neurodevelopmental problems, but health officials say it is safe and has done a tremendous job in improving the oral health of Americans. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called the addition of fluoride to drinking water one of the 10 best public-health achievements of the 20th century.
Utah may be the first, but it likely won’t be the only state to remove fluoride from its water supply. Montana, North Dakota, and Tennessee all have bills in the works to enact a statewide ban of the practice.
Two major Canadian cities tried removing fluoride from their drinking water in recent years, but officials in Calgary and Windsor both reversed those decisions after seeing a notable rise in tooth decay.
Utah currently provides fluoridated water to more than 365,000 people.