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Florida bans fluoride in public water systems, part of conservative push

By Brad Brooks

(Reuters) -Florida became the second state to ban fluoride in its water supply on Thursday, as use of the mineral used to strengthen teeth increasingly comes under attack from Republicans.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed the bill banning fluoride, saying at a signing event that "forcing it into the water supply is basically forced medication on people."

The ban takes effect on July 1.

Fluoride is a mineral that occurs naturally in water, soil and air that has been demonstrated to prevent dental cavities and tooth decay. For decades, it has been added to community water supplies and dental products such as toothpaste.

DeSantis, a Republican, was one of the most outspoken political leaders who pushed back against public health mandates during the pandemic, when he opposed forced masking, school closures and pressuring people to get the COVID vaccine.

"Some of these people, they think that they know better for you than you do for yourself," DeSantis said just before signing the bill. "They think because they have medical training ... that they should just be able to decree how we live our lives. That proved disastrous during COVID."

Utah, also led by a Republican governor, became in March the first U.S. state to ban fluoride in public water systems, a law that took effect this month. At the federal level, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said this week it was starting a process to remove fluoride supplements for children from the market.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has opposed adding the mineral to tap water.

Kennedy and others opposed to the use of fluoride in water say it is associated with numerous health issues, including certain cancers and lower cognitive ability among children.

The American Cancer Society on its website says the general consensus among scientific reviews examining possible links between fluoride and cancer shows no strong evidence connecting the two. However, the society says more studies are needed.

About 63% of all Americans have fluoride in their community water systems, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics as of 2022, the most recent data available.

The American Dental Association strongly opposes the push to ban fluoride from water and in supplements, saying it greatly benefits dental health and has not conclusively been shown to have harmful effects.

"More than ever, at this critical time in American health care policy, it is vital that we slow down to properly study the full implications of actions like this on the health of the nation," Brett Kessler, president of the association, wrote earlier this week in response to the FDA targeting ingestible fluoride supplements.