UTAH SET TO BAN FLUORIDE IN PUBLIC DRINKING WATER – The decision makes Utah the first state in the U.S. to implement such a ban
Utah Governor Spencer Cox has announced that he will sign a bill prohibiting the addition of fluoride to public drinking water, making Utah the first state in the U.S. to implement such a ban.
The bill, HB81, prohibits public water systems from adding fluoride while allowing pharmacists to prescribe fluoride tablets as an alternative for residents who wish to use them.
The measure passed the state legislature last month with mixed bipartisan support, as lawmakers from both parties were divided on the issue. The primary debate focused on local control, particularly in Salt Lake and Davis counties, where voters had previously approved fluoridation.
If enacted, the ban would take effect on May 7, requiring 66 out of Utah’s 484 public water systems to halt fluoridation immediately.
The controversy surrounding fluoride in Utah escalated after a 2019 incident in Sandy, a suburb of Salt Lake City, where a malfunctioning fluoride dosing pump flooded 270 homes with contaminated water. An independent investigation later cited multiple failures in the government’s emergency response.
The debate also coincided with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. Kennedy, a longtime critic of water fluoridation, has argued that fluoride exposure lowers IQ—a claim supported by recent studies linking fluoride to cognitive and bone health concerns, especially when present in amounts exceeding U.S. recommended levels.
Utah may not be alone in this shift, as lawmakers in Florida, Montana, and Tennessee are also considering statewide bans on fluoridation.
