The following is from Children’s Health Defense.
Utah has become the first state in the nation to ban the addition of fluoride to public drinking water. Gov. Spencer Cox signed the bill into law Thursday night, and the ban takes effect May 7.
Rep. Stephanie Gricius, who sponsored the bill, called the move a victory for medical freedom.
“The proper role of government is to provide safe, clean drinking water, not mass medicate the public. While we have banned it from being added to our water systems, we have also increased access to fluoride tablets through the pharmacies so any Utahn who wishes to take it may. But it will now be a decision each individual can make for themselves.”
Rep. Stephanie Gricius
A federal judge recently sided with critics of water fluoridation in a lawsuit brought by the Fluoride Action Network (FAN), ruling that water fluoridation at current levels poses an “unreasonable risk” to children’s health. The suit targeted the Environmental Protection Agency for failing to regulate the chemical despite mounting scientific evidence.
The law also grants pharmacists new authority to prescribe fluoride supplement pills—an authority previously limited to dentists and physicians.
Supporters of the ban pointed to recent scientific studies published in top journals showing fluoride exposure is linked to lowered IQ in children and other neurological risks—even at levels currently recommended by public health agencies. Utah’s own data showed no difference in dental decay rates between fluoridated and non-fluoridated areas.
“What Utah has accomplished is historic,” said Rick North of the FAN, calling it “a milestone for public health.”
Dr. Kathleen Thiessen, co-author of a 2006 federal study on fluoride toxicity, noted, “The evidence over 20+ years indicates an increased risk to children’s health from exposure to fluoride prenatally and during infancy and early childhood, especially for neurodevelopment.” She added that she hopes more states will follow Utah’s lead.
Moms Against Fluoridation, a plaintiff in a recent fluoride lawsuit against the EPA, celebrated the news: “By banning adding this ‘drug’ to the water, citizens in Utah have now reclaimed a real freedom — they can choose for themselves whether to take fluoride.”
“Government-funded science is clear that fluoridation is causing harm to our children on par with lead and arsenic. Utah is the first state to make the practice illegal, but they join Hawaii and 98% of Europe in rejecting the practice.”
Stuart Cooper, Executive Director, FAN
Meanwhile, major public health bodies—including the CDC, ADA and AAP—continue to support fluoridation, despite a federal judge recently ruling that it poses an “unreasonable risk” to children.
For more information, read the full article here.
