Florida becomes second state to ban adding fluoride to drinking water
Ron DeSantis, the Republican governor of Florida, on Thursday signed a bill making it the second state after Utah to ban adding fluoride, or any other additives, to drinking water.
Legislators approved the bill last month that goes against the concerns of public health experts and medical professionals, who say the measure will increase tooth decay and cavities, especially in children.
The law, however, aligns with the positions of two controversial senior figures, Robert F Kennedy Jr, the US health secretary, and Florida's surgeon general Joseph Ladapo, that adding fluoride, a natural mineral, to drinking water affects children's intellectual abilities.
'As dentists, we see the direct consequences fluoride removal has on our patients and it's a real tragedy when policymakers' decisions hurt vulnerable kids and adults in the long term,' Brett Kessler, president of the American Dental Association, said in a statement last month.
The website of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), meanwhile, still reflects that fluoride repairs and prevents damage to teeth and their protective enamel coating, as long as it is administered in consistent, low levels.
In Israel, studies have shown that removing fluoride from drinking water supplies caused 'a significant increase in restorative dental treatments'.
The bill signed by DeSantis on Thursday takes effect statewide on 1 July, and was touted by the governor as 'legislation to protect against forced medication'. It does not specifically mention fluoride, but 'the use of certain additives in a water system' is outlawed.
'Some of these people think they know better for you than you do for yourself. They think because they have medical training they should just be able to decree how we live our lives,' DeSantis said at an afternoon press conference in Dade City.
He said fluoride was present in many toothpastes and mouthwashes: 'Yes, use fluoride for your teeth, that's fine. But forcing it in the water supply is basically forced medication on people. They don't have a choice.'
Sign up to Headlines US
Get the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning
after newsletter promotion
According to the Florida department of health, about 100 public water systems across the state actively fluoridate their supplies of drinking water.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
US FDA approves expanded use of Moderna's RSV vaccine for at-risk adults
June 12 (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday expanded the use of Moderna's (MRNA.O), opens new tab respiratory syncytial virus vaccine to a lower group of high-risk adults aged 18 to 59 years.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE 'Holy grail' cancer therapy gives terminally ill men new hope in major breakthrough
A groundbreaking cancer treatment hailed as a 'holy grail' is offering fresh hope to patients previously given just months to live. A new study in California looked at 15 men who were 'knocking on death's door' due to late-stage prostate cancer like the one suffered by former president Joe Biden. Your browser does not support iframes.
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Near-record nitrate levels in Des Moines, Iowa-area rivers threaten drinking water
Local officials warned more than half a million Iowans in the state's capital city and suburbs on Thursday that near-record level of pollutants in its rivers could make drinking water dangerous if immediate steps are not taken to reduce demand. But the officials declined to explain what they believe has caused the surge in nitrate levels, which has historically been tied to runoff from farmland draining into Des Moines-area rivers. The water utility, Central Iowa Water Works, issued a first-ever ban on lawn watering for the region after seeing the highest levels of nitrates in the river water since 2013. Federal regulations require a maximum nitrate level of 10 milligrams per liter. The current level being provided to 600,000 customers is 9, local officials said. 'If we end up in a space where we're well over that … threshold, we're really going to start worrying about our pregnant women and our children under the age of six months,' said Juliann Van Liew, public health director for Polk County. Van Liew warned that could drinking water with too-high levels of nitrate could potentially cause birth defects and a condition when an infant's blood doesn't have enough oxygen, commonly known as blue baby syndrome. Tami Madsen, executive director of Central Iowa Water Works, said it is not unusual to see an increase given Iowa's 'nitrate seasons' but noted this year has been unusually high. Still, she deferred on an explanation of what is driving the higher rates. 'Unfortunately, this is a first and this is not history that anyone should be proud of,' Madsen said of the ban on lawn watering. She urged cooperation. 'If we continue on the path we're on today, where people are still choosing to water their lawn over producing water that meets safe drinking water standards, we'll be back here to talk to you all about a violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act,' Madsen said. Officials made clear the water currently meets regulations and is safe to drink. But while the water utility works to treat the water to reduce nitrate pollutants to a safe level, Des Moines metro residents' demand is higher than the amount they are able to treat. The utility said it has been treating water for 55 days, at a cost of between $14,000 and $16,000 a day. In the past, the high cost to Des Moines and the rest of Polk County has led officials to go to farmers directly, to the statehouse and to court in a tug-of-war with the state's dominant agricultural industry. The officials have long complained that nitrates and phosphorous from farm fertilizers pour off fields, leaving rivers so polluted that even the utility's sophisticated and costly equipment can't keep up with purifying. In 2015, the utility took the issue to court to ask for the millions of dollars it was being forced to spend to filter unsafe levels from drinking water taken from the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers. A judge ultimately dismissed the lawsuit against three northwest Iowa counties, ruling the issue was one for the Legislature to address. The state's Republican leaders at the time lauded the ruling, saying the lawsuit wasn't necessary to improve water quality because farmers and government subdivisions already are taking steps to ensure water quality.
