The western US state of Utah has become the first to prohibit fluoridation of its public drinking water, part of a growing movement reexamining the decades-old public health practice.
New US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long been a vocal critic of fluoridated water, which currently reaches an estimated 200 million Americans — about two-thirds of the population.
Utah’s ban, signed into law by Governor Spencer Cox on Thursday, is set to take effect on May 7. Legislatures in other Republican-led states including North Dakota, Tennessee, and Montana, are considering similar measures.
Opposition is not limited to red states. Liberal-leaning cities such as Portland, Oregon, and the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii, have also banned fluoridation.
Fluoride was first introduced to US water systems in 1945, dramatically reducing childhood cavities and adult tooth loss. The Centers…
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