Utah is set to place a ban on fluoride in public drinking water.
The bill, HB81, awaits Governor Spencer Cox’s signature, setting a precedent as the first state to put the ban in place.
Bill sponsor, Representative Stephanie Gricius, told Fox News Digital she has been working on this policy since early last year, noting that fluoride is federally regulated as a prescription.
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“Community water fluoridation and informed consent, which is foundational to good health care, cannot coexist. I believe strongly in individual choice when it comes to what prescriptions we put into our bodies,” said Gricius.
She said only two of Utah’s 29 counties practice community water fluoridation, allowing the opportunity to find data on children’s dental decay.
“With a sample size of more than 70,000 children from the last 12 months, there is no significant difference between counties that add fluoride and those that do not. In fact, the county with the lowest amount of decay does not add fluoride,” Gricius added.
More than 200 million people in the U.S. receive fluoridated water through community water systems, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
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Grand Rapids, Michigan, was the first city to implement water fluoridation in 1945, according to the CDC.
American Dental Association President Brad Kessler told the AP, “We’ve got tried and true evidence of the safety and efficacy of this public health initiative.”
“Community water fluoridation benefits all members of a community by preventing cavities, reducing oral health disparities, and saving money for everyone,” the CDC’s website states.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and MAHA supporters have been outspoken about banning fluoride in drinking water.
“Fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease,” Kennedy wrote on X in November.
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A study published in “Environmental Health Perspectives” on July 20, 2012, conducted by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, “found strong indications that fluoride may adversely affect cognitive development in children.”
“Future research should include detailed individual-level information on prenatal exposure, neurobehavioral performance, and covariates for adjustment,” the study, titled, “Developmental Fluoride Neurotoxicity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” concluded.
Emma Post, MAHA Action Press Secretary, told Fox News Digital that Utah’s decision “is a step towards greater health autonomy and reducing unnecessary chemical exposures.”
“To truly Make America Healthy Again, Americans need to have the freedom to decide what they put into their bodies based on individual preference or their specific health needs,” Post added.
The CDC does not mandate community water fluoridation, but named fluoridation of drinking water one of 10 great public health interventions of the 20th century, citing the dramatic decline of cavities.
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Fox News Digital reached out to Governor Cox’s office for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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