Utah is poised to become the first state to ban fluoride from its water systems with a bill now before its Republican governor, Spencer Cox.
The bill outlaws the adding of fluoride to water “in or intended for public water systems”, and adds that it repeals any previous laws “including sections about providing fluoridated water upon resident request and under emergency circumstances”.
Cox has not publicly indicated support or opposition to the bill. If he signs it, fluoride would be banned across Utah starting 7 May, the Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Although the bill would remove fluoride from public taps, it would also allow pharmacists to prescribe fluoride supplements to individuals.
The bill, HB81, was approved last Friday. “I’m pleased to announce that HB81 has passed both the House and senate and is headed to the governor for his signature,” wrote Stephanie Gricius, the Republican who sponsored it, on social media. “I’m so grateful to everyone who helped push this policy.”
She included the hashtag “MAHA”, an acronym for “Make America Healthy Again”, the motto pushed by Donald Trump’s health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr.
On the campaign trail Kennedy Jr, a proponent of various debunked health claims, repeatedly railed against fluoridated water and vowed that Trump would get rid of it if elected.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drinking fluoridated water keeps teeth strong and reduces cavities by about 25% in children and adults. It strengthens the tooth’s hard outer surface by bonding with calcium and phosphate in the enamel.
The mineral, which is found naturally in almost all soil, water and many rocks, is released into the environment when rocks or soil containing it are dissolved in water. Almost all water contains some level of naturally occurring fluoride, though usually at levels too low to prevent cavities, the CDC said. Many communities therefore add fluoride to their water supplies to improve dental health.
Although fluoridation is not federally required in the US, by 2012 nearly 70% of the country’s population had access to fluoridated water supplies. The CDC has named fluoridation of drinking water one of the 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century.
