Culture and Society
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Utah could soon become the first state in the US to ban fluoride from being added to public drinking water, after members of the state legislature approved a bill that would do so.
The bill, HB81, was passed by the Utah House of Representatives on February 7 and by the State Senate on February 21. Now, all that’s required for the bill to be put into action is a signature from Utah’s governor, Spencer Cox.
If he gives his approval, then come May 7, 2025, Utah’s public water systems will no longer be allowed to have fluoride added to them. Pharmacists in the state will also be allowed to prescribe fluoride.
Fluoride was first added to public water systems to help prevent tooth decay – and it works. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), research has shown that drinking fluoridated water reduces cavities in both children and adults by about 25 percent.
Utah state representative Stephanie Gricius, who sponsored the bill, told the Associated Press in a text message: “I don't dispute that there can be positive benefits from fluoride, which is why the bill also includes a deregulation of the prescription.”
“This isn't anti-fluoride legislation,” Gricius added. “It is pro-informed consent and individual choice.”
However, others seeking to remove fluoride from public water systems have cited concerns over the alleged negative health effects of the naturally occurring mineral.
In November 2024, now health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr announced on X (Twitter) that the Trump administration was planning to “advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water”, claiming that it is “associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease.”
Kennedy Jr also referenced a court case that concluded two months prior, in which a federal judge ruled that there was “substantial and scientifically credible evidence establishing that fluoride poses a risk to human health” and ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to perform a risk assessment.
Still, the judge also noted that the ruling “does not conclude with certainty that fluoridated water is injurious to public health.”
The ruling also cited a government report that found drinking water containing more than 1.5 milligrams of fluoride per liter was associated with lower IQ in children. However, public health organizations have pointed out multiple limitations of the report, including that 1.5 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water is double the amount recommended by the CDC.
The CDC itself said in a 2024 statement that experts “have not found convincing scientific evidence linking community water fluoridation with any potential adverse health effect or systemic disorder.”
