Utah Senate approved law Friday bans addition of fluoride to public water systems. Criticized by the American Dental Association and a handful of supposed medical professionals, the bill is now heading to the desk of Gov. Spencer Cox, who showed him to sign the law.
The beehive state is currently set to be the first of the union that has passed such a ban, but it is rarely the last.
Fluorination of public waters has long been the subject of intense debate. Fluorination advocates argue that the compounds help prevent cavities and tooth decay and strengthen enamel. Critics, meanwhile, suggest that adding fluoride to water supplies presents unnecessary risks and refers to scientific evidence. link High levels of exposure to various adverse effects in humans; Like Osteosclerosis, tendon calcification, endocrine dysfunction, bone deformity, premature birth in adolescent girls, and sleep problems.
Chemical defenders were hit by an overwhelming narrative in August when the National Toxicology Program, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, announced. Report We acknowledge that fluorinated water can cause mental delays in children.
“We have moderate confidence in the scientific evidence that shows a link between higher levels of fluoride and lower IQ in children.”
“Higher estimated fluoride exposures (such as approximations of exposures such as drinking water fluoride concentrations beyond World Health Organization guidelines for fluoride drinking water quality) are consistently associated with lower IQs in children.
NTP uses four levels of confidence to characterize the strength of scientific evidence that links specific health outcomes with exposure: high, medium, low, or very low.
After previously assessing epidemiological studies from multiple countries where some pregnant women, babies, and children have been exposed to fluoride at levels above 1.5 milligrams per 1.5 milligrams per drinking water, the NTP “confirmed that they are moderately confident in scientific evidence showing a link between higher levels of fluoride and lower IQs in children.”
The report further shows that as of 2020, approximately 3.5 million Americans are offering water systems with naturally occurring fluoride of 1.1 mg/L or more. Approximately 1.9 million Americans were sourced from the system exceeding approximately 1.5 mg/L. And one million people were supplying naturally occurring fluorides of over 2 mg/L.
Shortly after the release of the NTP report, US District Judges Domination In a case filed against the Biden Environmental Protection Agency that “water fluorination at 0.7 milligrams per liter, a level currently considered “optimal” in the US, poses an irrational risk of a child's IQ.”
Hundreds of American cities and counties since then Stop Although added to the supply of fluoride, some health officials noted that the risk-to-reward ratio is unacceptable.
“So if people require their government to take medicines, it must be a really expensive bar for me.”
For example, General Joseph Radapop, a Florida surgeon, was released. guidance Community water fluoride recommendations “due to neuropsychiatric risks associated with fluoride exposure.”
In his guidance, Radapop referred to NTP studies and a 2017 Mexican study that found that prenatal fluoride exposure was associated with a decline in IQ in boys and girls aged 6-12. A 2019 Canadian cross-sectional study that found associations between fluorinated water exposure and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents. Also, in a 2023 study found that maternal exposure to fluorinated drinking water per 0.7 milligrams recommended during pregnancy is associated with inhibitory control and reduced cognitive flexibility in children.
Quote Court decision, US HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. It's attracting attention It is ahead of the election day that “fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, loss of IQ, neurodevelopmental disorders and thyroid diseases.”
The lawmaker has clearly decided to go in the distance of Utah, where the Centers for Disease Control is located. It is shown 43.6% of residents had a fluorinated community water system as of December 2022.
Rep. Stephanie Grisius, a Republican who sponsored the fluoride ban, recently It is shown When a friend and member proposed to her two years ago the ban was what she told her, “This will never pass.” However, Glycius, a self-identified “crunchy mama,” a term often used to well describe parental avoidance against processed foods, unnecessary drug therapy, and drugs or government overreach — suggested that members would stick to her defense of fluoride disposal and ultimately persuade her to take action.
After working on the law and exploring what other states are doing, Grisius said that Utah Senator majority leader Kirk Karimore (R) reached out to her in late 2024 to express his interest in cooperation on the issue. Together, they saw legislation through the state legislature.
American Dental Association I was urged In a February 25 letter to reject the February 25 law, he argues that the end of fluorinated water could mean an increase in costs associated with dental disease.
Cox Proposed When comparing water-fluorescent and non-fragrant counties over the weekend with KTVX-TV from a dental health perspective, it appears that there were no obvious “dramatically different outcomes.”
“So if people require their government to take medicines, it must be a really expensive bar for me,” the governor said.
“That's not a bill I felt strongly about. It's not a bill I care about that much, but it's a bill I'll sign,” Cox added.
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