Florida bans fluoride in public water systems, part of conservative push

By Brad Brooks

(Reuters) -Florida became the 2nd authorities to prohibition fluoride successful its h2o proviso connected Thursday, arsenic usage of the mineral utilized to fortify teeth progressively comes nether onslaught from Republicans.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed the measure banning fluoride, saying astatine a signing lawsuit that "forcing it into the h2o proviso is fundamentally forced medicine connected people."

The prohibition takes effect connected July 1.

Fluoride is simply a mineral that occurs people successful water, ungraded and aerial that has been demonstrated to forestall dental cavities and bony decay. For decades, it has been added to assemblage h2o supplies and dental products specified arsenic toothpaste.

DeSantis, a Republican, was 1 of the astir outspoken governmental leaders who pushed backmost against nationalist wellness mandates during the pandemic, erstwhile helium opposed forced masking, schoolhouse closures and pressuring radical to get the COVID vaccine.

"Some of these people, they deliberation that they cognize amended for you than you bash for yourself," DeSantis said conscionable earlier signing the bill. "They deliberation due to the fact that they person aesculapian grooming ... that they should conscionable beryllium capable to decree however we unrecorded our lives. That proved disastrous during COVID."

Utah, besides led by a Republican governor, became successful March the archetypal U.S. authorities to prohibition fluoride successful nationalist h2o systems, a instrumentality that took effect this month. At the national level, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said this week it was starting a process to region fluoride supplements for children from the market.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has opposed adding the mineral to pat water.

Kennedy and others opposed to the usage of fluoride successful h2o accidental it is associated with galore wellness issues, including definite cancers and little cognitive quality among children.

The American Cancer Society connected its website says the wide statement among technological reviews examining imaginable links betwixt fluoride and crab shows nary beardown grounds connecting the two. However, the nine says much studies are needed.

About 63% of each Americans person fluoride successful their assemblage h2o systems, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistic arsenic of 2022, the astir caller information available.

The American Dental Association powerfully opposes the propulsion to prohibition fluoride from h2o and successful supplements, saying it greatly benefits dental wellness and has not conclusively been shown to person harmful effects.

"More than ever, astatine this captious clip successful American wellness attraction policy, it is captious that we dilatory down to decently survey the afloat implications of actions similar this connected the wellness of the nation," Brett Kessler, president of the association, wrote earlier this week successful effect to the FDA targeting ingestible fluoride supplements.

(Reporting by Brad Brooks successful ColoradoEditing by Rod Nickel)