Florida moves to ban fluoride from public drinking water

Florida is poised to ban fluoride from its drinking water under new legislation passed by state lawmakers.

The bill now heads to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk for a signature. If signed, Florida would become the second state after Utah to ban fluoride from its public water supply.

DeSantis has called water fluoridation “forced medication.” His office did not comment on whether DeSantis would sign the measure.

Water authorities in states across the U.S. have added a small amount of fluoride to water supplies for decades, and experts say it has prevented millions of cavities.

Florida’s Republican-led House of Representatives passed the measure on Tuesday as part of a broader farm bill. The Senate passed the ban earlier in April. Without mentioning fluoride specifically, the legislation would prohibit municipal authorities from adding “water quality additives” to the water supply.

DeSantis’ administration has already recommended the prohibition of fluoride, with the state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo calling water fluoridation “public health malpractice,” as WUSF has reported.

Before Trump won the election, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., now Health and Human Services secretary, erroneously described fluoride as an “industrial waste” and said the White House would recommend banning the mineral from drinking water.

Kennedy — who subscribes to a number of debunked conspiracies surrounding health and wellness — also blamed the fluoridation of water for a myriad of health problems, including arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders and thyroid disease.

But dentists and other health experts agree that controlled exposure to the mineral is key to preventing tooth decay and holds minimal risks for negative side effects.

In addition to breakthroughs like vaccines and seatbelts, public water fluoridation is considered one of the greatest public health innovations of the 20th century, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Earlier in April, the HHS, under Kennedy’s guidance, announced that it had directed the CDC to reconvene an independent panel of 15 health experts to examine the role fluoride plays in water sources and whether it can be detrimental to public health.

The use of fluoride in water has been debated elsewhere.

Calgary, Canada, voted in 2011 to ban the mineral from its water supply, but after a notable spike in dental cavities in the city’s children, the legislature last year reversed its decision.

The Florida ban, if signed into law, would go into effect on July 1.