Utah bans fluoride in public drinking water; 1st state to do so
FILE - A water faucet on Nov. 18, 2024 in Portland, OR, the largest city in the United States without fluoride in its water. (Photo by Will Matsuda for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY - Utah is now the first state to ban fluoride in public drinking water, despite widespread opposition from dentists and national health organizations.
Some experts have warned that removing the fluoride will lead to medical problems and disproportionately affect low-income communities.
What is fluoride?
Dig deeper:
Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that can strengthen teeth and prevent cavities when given in the proper amounts, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Fluoride can be found in food and water.
Fluoridation in water
The backstory:
Fluoridation is considered the most cost-effective way to prevent tooth decay on a large scale.
More than 200 million people in the U.S., or almost two-thirds of the population, receive fluoridated water through community water.
The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water has long been considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century.
Too expensive, Utah lawmakers argue
Utah lawmakers who pushed for the ban argued that putting fluoride in the public water supply was too expensive.
What they're saying:
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, who signed legislation on Thursday barring cities and communities from deciding whether to add the mineral to their water supplies, compared fluoridation to being "medicated" by the government.
Lawmakers in other states including Florida, Ohio, Tennessee and Kentucky also have proposed restrictions against local governments or water system operators adding fluoride to water. Proposed restrictions on fluoridation in New Hampshire and North Dakota were voted down last month.
The other side:
Opponents warn the ban will disproportionately affect low-income residents who may rely on public drinking water having fluoride as their only source of preventative dental care. Low-income families may not be able to afford regular dentist visits or the fluoride tablets some people buy as a supplement in cities without fluoridation.
The Source: Information from the Cleveland Clinic website was used in this article. The Associated Press contributed. This story was reported from Los Angeles.