Florida has become the second state to formally ban fluoride in public water.

Gov. Ron Desantis signed the SB 700, also known as the Florida Farm Act on Thursday. The bill does not specifically mention the term “fluoride”, but it effectively bans minerals by preventing “using certain additives in water systems.” It will take effect on July 1.

"Your surgeon Joseph Ladapo does have this debate on this, and Florida really leads the debate because our surgeon Joseph Ladapo does lead the allegation by going to the county and saying that adding fluoride to the water is not good," the Republican said in a press conference Thursday afternoon. "Yes, using fluoride for teeth, which is good. But forcing it in water is basically a drug that forces humans. They have no choice."

DeSantis said the fluorination of the water violated "informed consent." He also said that minerals have been shown to have negative effects on pregnant women and children, inviting medical professionals, including Ladabo, to talk about the side effects of minerals.

A 2019 study showed that children with higher fluoride in their urine had slightly lower IQ levels during pregnancy, but their research was far from concluding.

The governor argued that residents could also access fluoride in other ways if they wanted, and stressed that the government should not ask for minerals.

"There's nothing to stop you from adding fluoride to your house," DeSantis said.

DeSantis signed the bill in Miami, with Mayor Daniella Levine Cava rejecting the fluoride ban passed by the county commission last month. NBC South Florida reported that the commission voted 8-4 to support Cava's veto power last week.

Democrat Cava publicly criticized the state's plan to ban fluoride.

"I'm very disappointed with the Florida Legislature's decision to ban fluorination, which ignores overwhelming consensus among dentists, doctors and medical experts and will end decades of practices that have protected our health," she said in a statement released last month.

Florida is following in Utah's footsteps, and in late March, Republican Gov. Spencer Cox banned anyone or government entities from adding minerals to the state's water supply system, the first state to do so. Effective last Wednesday.

The anti-fluorination campaign has been growing in popularity, which appears to be the result of Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Major public health groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Dental Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, support the addition of fluoride to the water, saying drinking fluorinated water can keep teeth strong and reduce cavity. All studies have shown that it can reduce tooth decay by 25%.

Legislation for fluoride bans has been distributed in Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Wisconsin and North Carolina. According to a 2015 study by the National Health Department of Third Grade Fellows across the state, Hawaii has never granted fluorination of water, with “the highest dental attenuation rate” among its children, and only 11% of its residents are served by fluorinated community water systems.

correct (May 15, 20025, 3:40 pm ET): A previous version of this article misrepresented when Utah’s fluoride ban came into effect. It was Wednesday, May 7, not next Wednesday.