Utah has become the first state to prohibit fluoride in public drinking water, despite strong opposition from dental professionals and national health organizations. On Thursday night, Republican Governor Spencer Cox signed a bill into law that prevents local governments from deciding whether to add fluoride to their water supplies.
Fluoride is known to strengthen teeth and prevent cavities by replenishing minerals lost from normal wear, as noted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Lawmakers who supported the ban argued that adding fluoride to the water is too costly. Governor Cox, who grew up and raised his children in a community without fluoridated water, expressed concerns about the government “medicating” the public by adding fluoride to drinking water.
The move comes shortly after U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has questioned the safety of water fluoridation, took office.
Over 200 million people in the U.S., nearly two-thirds of the population, receive fluoridated water through their community water systems. The practice of adding small amounts of fluoride to drinking water has long been recognized as one of the most significant public health accomplishments of the past century.
Several cities in the U.S. have stopped adding fluoride to their water, and some others are considering following suit. Recently, a federal judge directed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to regulate fluoride levels in drinking water, citing potential risks to children’s intellectual development at higher concentrations.
Brett Kessler, president of the American Dental Association, reassured that the fluoride levels added to drinking water are well below the threshold considered harmful.
Opponents of the ban argue that it will particularly hurt low-income communities, where residents often rely on fluoridated public water as their primary form of dental care. Many of these families may not have the means to visit a dentist regularly or afford fluoride supplements.
Rep. Stephanie Gricius, the Republican legislator behind the Utah bill, acknowledged the benefits of fluoride but framed the issue as one of “individual choice,” allowing people to decide whether or not to have it in their water supply.
