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Utah is about to become the first state to ban adding fluoride to public drinking water. A bill passed by the Republican-led legislature is awaiting a signature from Governor Spencer Cox. Here's Sean Higgins of our member station KUER in Salt Lake City.
SEAN HIGGINS, BYLINE: Fluoride has been used as an additive in drinking water for decades and is widely seen as an effective way to prevent cavities, especially in communities without easy access to health care. But state lawmakers here point to a September 2024 case, where a federal judge ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to further regulate the amount of fluoride in drinking water. The court cited some research that exposure to fluoride at twice the recommended level can be associated with lower IQs in children. Republican state representative and bill sponsor Stephanie Gricius told her colleagues in the Utah House of Representatives that this is also an issue of bodily autonomy.
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STEPHANIE GRICIUS: There is also that medical freedom component of we're allowing everyone a choice of what they put into their bodies or not.
HIGGINS: Fluoride is naturally occurring in many water systems across the globe. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Dental Association recommend water fluoridation. And many dentists agree - fluoride is the most effective method for preventing tooth decay. That includes Rodney Thornell, who is the president of the Utah Dental Association. He said during testimony in January that lawmakers are taking the EPA ruling too far.
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RODNEY THORNELL: As both a dental professional and concerned citizen, I rise in strong opposition to bill 81.
HIGGINS: In many states, it's up to local governments to decide whether to add fluoride to water. Some Florida communities stopped using it after the state surgeon general recommended against it late last year. In Hawaii, the only places where fluoride is added to drinking water is on military bases, where federal policy mandates it.
Fluoride has also come under increased scrutiny thanks to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He posted on X last November that one of his first acts as an administration official would be to remove the mineral from public water. He hasn't issued any directives on that yet. Under Utah's ban, anyone who wants to obtain additional fluoride can still do so at a pharmacy or dental office. Utah's Republican governor, Spencer Cox, says he plans to sign the bill.
For NPR News in Salt Lake City, I'm Sean Higgins.
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