Utah has become the first U.S. state to ban fluoride in drinking water.
The natural mineral is commonly added to public water systems for its dental health benefits, but the state’s Governor signed a bill earlier this year banning its use.
It has now come into effect.
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has previously called fluoride “industrial waste,” welcomed the move.
Dentists have warned the state’s residents will see a decline in oral health.
Fluoride
Fluoride is a natural mineral present in low levels in most water sources.
In the U.S, it’s regulated as a drug by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with guidelines for its use in products like toothpaste, mouthwash and supplements.
It was first added to drinking water in the U.S. in the 1940s as a way of improving dental health for many people all at once.
Under the new law, pharmacists and healthcare providers in Utah can still sell fluoride under strict rules.
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Kennedy
At the time of the bill’s passage, Kennedy said Utah was “a leader in making America healthy again”.
“Fluoride should not be in our water. It had strong justification in the 1940s… but the evidence against it is overwhelming,” he said.
Kennedy suggested fluoride in water causes liver disease, arthritis, and lowers IQ.
No major studies have proven any of these claims.
Concerns
Ahead of the bill’s passage, the American Dental Association (ADA) warned the move would be a “significant mistake” affecting the state’s “oral health and well-being”.
ADA said the bill ends 80 years of “one of the most equitable, trusted and tested public health strategies”.
“It is disheartening to see that a proven, public health policy... has been dismantled based on distorted pseudo-science... It’s the children and the most vulnerable of our communities who [will] suffer,” ADA President Brett Kessler said.
