Bill to remove water fluoridation requirement from Arkansas law fails in committee
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The final bill to impact fluoride in Arkansas water systems failed in a House committee vote on Tuesday.
Senate Bill 2 was to eliminate the 2011 Arkansas law that mandates the addition of fluoride in state water systems.
Why – and when – was fluoride added to US drinking water in the first place?
The bill had faced a difficult path after its Nov. 20, 2024, introduction into the 95th General Assembly, having initially failed in its Senate committee vote until a procedural action brought it back to the floor for its final Senate vote, where it passed and was sent to the House.
The House sent it to the Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee last Tuesday. That committee heard it this Tuesday and voted it down in a 10-7 vote with one voting present.
RFK Jr. calls for CDC to stop recommending fluoride in drinking water
SB2's lead sponsor, Clint Penzo (R-Springdale), cited the dangers of fluoride, citing studies showing that it may impact cognitive development in children.
A National Institute of Health (NIH) study shows that high levels of fluoride of 1.5 milligrams per liter of water may impact cognitive development in children. The study was not able to confirm if the recommended levels of fluoride, at 0.7 mg/L, had the same effect.
Arkansas law mandates 0.7 mg/L in water systems that serve over 5,000 people and can afford fluoridation equipment. A 2002 study by the Centers for Disease Control shows 88.5% of Arkansans have access to fluoridated water.
Utah will be the first state to ban fluoride in drinking water
The legislature is due to go into recess on Wednesday.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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