Lawmakers in Florida gave final passage to a bill to ban fluoride in public water systems Tuesday, with the state House voting 88-27.
SB 700, also known as the Florida Farm Bill, doesn't mention the word "fluoride," but it would effectively ban the chemical compound by preventing "the use of certain additives in a water system." The bill awaits Gov. Ron DeSantis’ signature.
If DeSantis, a Republican, signs the bill, Florida will become the second state to ban fluoride from water supplies.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, also a Republican, signed a bill in late March that prohibits any person or government entity from adding the cavity-fighting mineral to the state’s water systems, making it the first state to do so. It will go into effect May 7.
During a Florida House session Tuesday, supporters of the bill argued that fluoride doesn’t improve water quality and that removing it from water systems could save local governments money. Opponents argued that everyday Floridians rely on fluoride for dental health.
"This bill doesn’t hurt the wealthy. They’ll keep seeing private dentists, getting their expensive treatments and flashing their perfect smiles," Democratic Rep. Daryl Campbell said during the session. "But for everyday Floridians, the people who clock in at 6 a.m., who can’t take time off — off for their dental visits, who rely on water from their taps to protect their kids, this bill takes a safe and proven and affordable public health tool and rips it away."
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, a Democrat, said in a statement that she was "deeply disappointed" by the Legislature's decision to ban fluoride, which she said "disregards the overwhelming consensus of dentists, doctors, and medical experts and will end a practice that has been in place for decades to protect our health."
"No studies have shown that fluoridation at low levels is unsafe for our communities, including babies and pregnant women — in fact, it is vitally important for the health of developing teeth in infants and children," Cava said, adding that such decisions should be left to local communities. "Ending fluoridation will have long-lasting health consequences, especially for our most vulnerable families."
Major public health groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Dental Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — which says drinking fluoridated water keeps teeth strong and reduces cavities — support adding fluoride to water.
The anti-fluoridation movement seems to be gaining popularity, especially as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of health and human services, has said there is no "systemic advantage” to drinking fluoridated water.
Legislation to ban fluoride has circulated in Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Wisconsin and North Carolina.
Hawaii, which has never mandated water fluoridation, has the “highest prevalence of tooth decay in the United States” among its children, with only 11% of its residents served by fluoridated community water systems, according to a 2015 study of third graders throughout the state by the State Health Department.
