Utah Bans Fluoride In Public Water

Topline

Utah’s Republican Gov. Spencer Cox signed a law to prohibit fluoride in public drinking water amid a recent surge of concern over the mineral additive—despite decades of backing by public health officials—fueled in part by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s claims of its potential health risks.

Key Facts

Is There Any Evidence Fluoride Can Be Harmful?

An August 2024 systematic review by the National Toxicology Program in the Health and Human Services Department found “higher estimated fluoride exposures . . . are consistently associated with lower IQ in children,” though it noted that the exposure levels studied exceeded the World Health Organization’s recommendations for fluoride concentration in drinking water. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen ordered the Environmental Protection Agency in September to reassess its regulations of fluoride levels in drinking water to lower the potential risk it poses to children’s IQ levels. The judge made the ruling after the National Toxicology Program report and in response to a lawsuit filed by the non-profit Food & Water Watch advocacy organization in San Francisco in 2017.

Key Background

Communities in the U.S. first began adding fluoride to public water systems in 1945, and now, nearly three-quarters of the U.S. population drinks tap water with fluoride included. In recent years, however, some studies have emerged suggesting that high levels of fluoride were linked to lower IQ in children. The inclusion of fluoride in modern dental products, such as toothpaste and mouthwash, have also raised questions about whether it’s necessary to continue including fluoride in public water, though medical authorities, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Dental Association, continue to strongly promote the practice. “Studies prove water fluoridation continues to be effective in reducing dental decay by at least 25% in children and adults, even in the era of widespread availability of fluoride from other sources,” the ADA says on its website. Both organizations have also reported research does not show an association between cancer and fluoride levels.

What To Watch For

State lawmakers have also introduced legislation to ban fluoride in public water in North Dakota and Tennessee—where they were both rejected—and Montana.

Further Reading

RFK Jr.’s Conspiracy Theories: Here’s What Trump’s Pick For Health Secretary Has Promoted (Forbes)

RFK Jr.'s 10,000 Health Job Cuts: CDC, FDA, Medicare And Medicaid Services Reportedly Affected (Forbes)

Trump Open To RFK Jr.’s Anti-Water Fluoride Proposal, Doesn’t Rule Out Banning Some Vaccines (Forbes)