Katherine Dillinger and Isabel Rosales
(Source: The Philadelphia Tribune)
Lawmakers in Florida approved a bill to prohibit certain additives in drinking water, effectively banning fluoride, and the measure now goes to Gov. Ron DeSantis for a signature.
Lawmakers in Florida approved a bill to prohibit certain additives in drinking water, effectively banning fluoride, and the measure now goes to Gov. Ron DeSantis for a signature. If it’s finalized, Florida will become the second state to ban fluoride in municipal drinking water.
The Florida Farm Bill includes language banning the use of any additive in a public water system that does not meet the new definition of a “water quality additive”: a chemical or substance used in public water to specifically address drinking water standards, contaminants or quality.
The Florida House of Representatives approved the bill by a vote of 88-27 on Tuesday, two weeks after the Senate voted 27-9 in favor.
“We are not debating the efficacy of fluoride in any way. … We hold that a free American and Floridian has the right to decide what goes into their body no matter what elected officials may believe is good for their citizens or not,” Rep. Danny Alvarez, a Hillsborough County Republican and a sponsor of the House bill, told CNN.
Fluoride can stop early tooth decay by putting minerals back into enamel. It also makes teeth more resistant to acid and interferes with bacteria’s ability erode teeth.
More than 70% of Floridians who use community water systems receive fluoridated water, according to Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo, who issued guidance in November recommending against community water fluoridation, citing its potential health effects.
In March, Utah became the first state to ban fluoride in public drinking water. Utah’s ban takes effect May 7. Some cities have also gotten rid of fluoride from their water, and more are considering the change.
The Florida vote comes after US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has called fluoride “an industrial waste,” pledged that the Trump administration will advise utilities to stop adding it to public water.
Kennedy said during a Cabinet meeting Wednesday that he’s confident DeSantis will sign the bill and that he’s “looking at the science now” in order to change federal fluoride regulations.
Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that’s found in soil, rocks and water to varying degrees. It is also a byproduct of fertilizer production.
On the recommendation of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization, many cities have added fluoride to their treated drinking water for decades to help protect teeth from cavities.
The CDC reiterated its faith in the health benefits of fluoride in 2015, naming water fluoridation one of the “10 Greatest Public Health Achievements of the 21st Century.” The ADA has also emphasized that “eighty years of community water fluoridation at optimal levels has proven to be safe and effective at reducing tooth decay to improve oral health.”
However, research has showed that exposure to fluoridated water during pregnancy is associated with increased neurobehavioral problems in children, and a federal review concluded that higher levels are linked with lower IQ in kids. Last year, a federal judge ordered the US Environmental Protection Agency to regulate fluoride in drinking water because of potential risks to children from high levels.
