Latest news with #waterban
Reuters
15-05-2025
- Health
- Reuters
Florida bans fluoride in public water systems, part of conservative push
May 15 (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, opens new tab 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.
CBS News
15-05-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Florida becomes second state to ban fluoride in tap water under DeSantis-backed law
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a measure Thursday prohibiting local governments from adding fluoride to their water systems, making it the second state in the country after Utah to implement a statewide ban on the mineral. DeSantis signed the bill at a public event in Dade City, northeast of Tampa, over the concerns of dentists and public health advocates. "We have other ways where people can get access to fluoride," DeSantis said at a public event earlier this month. "When you do this in the water supply, you're taking away a choice of someone who may not want to have overexposure to fluoride." Miami-Dade also moves to ban fluoride State lawmakers approved the bill last month, requiring the mineral and some other additives be removed from water sources across the state. Utah was the first state to ban fluoride in late March, and its prohibition went into effect last week, while Florida's provision is effective July 1. Some local governments in Florida have already voted to remove fluoride from their water, ahead of the statewide ban. Earlier this month, Miami-Dade County commissioners voted to override a veto by Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and move forward with plans to remove fluoride from the county's drinking water. "Water fluoridation is a safe, effective, and efficient way to maintain dental health in our county – and halting it could have long-lasting health consequences, especially for our most vulnerable families," Levine Cava said in a statement defending her veto. Fluoride ban controversy Some Republican-led states have sought to impose bans following a push by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to stop fluoridating water. Earlier this month, DeSantis pledged to sign the bill and was flanked by the state's surgeon general, Joseph Ladapo, who has attracted national scrutiny over his opposition to policies embraced by public health experts, including COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Fluoride is a mineral that has been added to drinking water for generations to strengthen teeth and reduce cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 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. Excess fluoride intake has been associated with streaking or spots on teeth. And studies also have traced a link between excess fluoride and brain development.
CBS News
15-05-2025
- Health
- CBS News
DeSantis signs bill banning fluoride in Florida tap water, 2nd state to do so
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a measure Thursday prohibiting local governments from adding fluoride to their water systems, making it the second state in the country after Utah to implement a statewide ban on the mineral. DeSantis signed the bill at a public event in Dade City, Florida, over the concerns of dentists and public health advocates. "We have other ways where people can get access to fluoride," DeSantis said at a public event earlier this month. "When you do this in the water supply, you're taking away a choice of someone who may not want to have overexposure to fluoride." Local governments move to ban fluorida State lawmakers approved the bill last month, requiring the mineral and some other additives be removed from water sources across the state. Utah was the first state to ban fluoride in late March, and its prohibition went into effect last week, while Florida's provision is effective July 1. Some local governments in Florida have already voted to remove fluoride from their water, ahead of the statewide ban. Earlier this month, Miami-Dade County commissioners voted to override a veto by Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and move forward with plans to remove fluoride from the county's drinking water. "Water fluoridation is a safe, effective, and efficient way to maintain dental health in our county – and halting it could have long-lasting health consequences, especially for our most vulnerable families," Levine Cava said in a statement defending her veto. Fluoride ban controversy Some Republican-led states have sought to impose bans following a push by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to stop fluoridating water. Earlier this month, DeSantis pledged to sign the bill and was flanked by the state's surgeon general, Joseph Ladapo, who has attracted national scrutiny over his opposition to policies embraced by public health experts, including COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Fluoride is a mineral that has been added to drinking water for generations to strengthen teeth and reduce cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 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. Excess fluoride intake has been associated with streaking or spots on teeth. And studies also have traced a link between excess fluoride and brain development. —- Kate Payne, who reported from Tallahassee, Florida, is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
