Utah is gearing up to make history as the first state to ban fluoride in public water systems if Gov. Spencer Cox signs a bill to prohibit the addition of the tooth decay-fighting mineral.
If signed into law, HB0081 would prevent any individual or political subdivision from adding fluoride “to water in or intended for public water systems.”
Cox, a Republican, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“The bill also repeals previous laws related to fluoridated water provisions, including sections about providing fluoridated water upon resident request and under emergency circumstances,” the bill summary reads.
This bill, introduced last month and passed out of the state legislature on Friday, comes as the new federal health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has openly criticized use of the mineral. He linked fluoride to various illnesses, despite major medical associations supporting water fluoridation.