Utah becomes first state to ban fluoride in water
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Utah is the first state in the U.S. to ban fluoride in water.
Why it matters: A new law signed this week will prevent localities in the state from choosing whether to fluoridate drinking water, a decision public health experts have warned will have consequences for oral hygiene, particularly for children.
Driving the news: Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) signed the bill Thursday. It will take effect May 7.
- Cox told ABC4 that it wasn't a bill he felt strongly or cared much about.
- Currently, Utah has one of the lowest water fluoridation rates in the U.S. with only around 44% of residents receiving fluoridated water, according to CDC data.
State of play: Water fluoridation has been named one of the greatest public health interventions of the 20th century by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Leading health organizations — including the American Dental Association, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — support the use of fluoride in water to prevent cavities and say it is safe.
- Despite that, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has endorsed a growing movement seeking to remove fluoride from water.
- Last November, Kennedy called fluoride "an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease."
- He also said the Trump administration would advise U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water.
What we're watching: Similar bills have been introduced in Tennessee, North Dakota and Montana.
Go deeper: What to know about fluoride in water amid RFK Jr.'s bid to remove it
