Florida lawmakers ended up passing a bill that bans fluoride in public water systems on Tuesday, with the state legislature voting for 88 YAY and 27 years old.
SB 700, also known as the Florida Farm Act, does not mention the term “fluoride” but can effectively ban compounds by preventing “use of certain additives in water systems.” The bill is now awaiting the signature of Gov. Ron DeSantis.
If Republican state Gov. Ron DeSantis signs the bill, Florida will become the second state to ban fluoride from water supply.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox is also a bill signed by Republicans in late March that prohibits anyone or government entities from adding war-type mineral minerals to the state's water system, making it the first state to do so. It will take effect on May 7.
At a Florida House meeting Tuesday, lawmakers supported the bill, believing that fluoride does not improve water quality and remove it from the water supply system could save local governments money. Opponents of the bill believe that Floridians rely on fluoride for dental health every day.
D-Fl. “This bill will not hurt the rich. They will keep seeing private dentists, get expensive treatments and flash their perfect smiles,” Rep. Daryl Campbell said at the meeting. “But for Floridians every day, people at 6 a.m. clocks cannot take a break – those who rely on dental access, taps to protect their children, the bill adopts a safe, reliable, reliable, affordable public health tool and tear them apart.”
Major public health organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Dental Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which include drinking fluorinated water that keeps teeth strong and reduces cavity, support the addition of minerals to water.
The anti-fluorination campaign seems to be growing in popularity, especially Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Legislation for fluoride bans has been distributed in Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Wisconsin and North Carolina.
Hawaii, which has never been mandatory for fluorination, has “the highest dental attenuation rate” among its children, with only 11% of residents serving by fluorinated community water systems, according to a health department study of third-year students across the state.