The measure was signed into law Thursday by Gov. Spencer Cox.
Utah became the country’s first state to ban the addition of fluoride to drinking water systems after the governor signed the law Thursday.
Many cities and municipalities across the United States moved to end the fluorination of drinking water, a practice dating back to the 1940s. Medical groups have long said that minerals can strengthen teeth and reduce cavities. Still, a landmark ruling issued by a federal judge last year directed federal officials to assess whether this could lead to a child’s intellectual abilities decline.
Utah Sen. Stephanie Grisius, a Republican and lead sponsor of the bill, said he allows pharmacists to prescribe fluoride for those who want to protect dental minerals.
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“I believe in individual choices when it comes to prescriptions and fluorides we put in our bodies are federally regulated as prescriptions,” Glycius told Reuters earlier this month. “Community water fluorination and informed consent are the basis of good health care, but they cannot coexist.”
“It’s just rejecting people who don’t want to have fluoride in water,” he said.
“The weight of evidence and the near-universal support of community water fluorination in every corner of the healthcare sector encourages us to veto HB 81,” reads the letter, referring to the bill’s name.
The ADA said the measure “deprives us of the most effective, efficient and fair way to prevent dental disease.”
He also said Utah would become “the first state in the country to ban fluorination practices.”
“As we’ve seen recently in other communities, stopping fluorination leads to more cavity and higher costs for dental care,” Tomar said. “On average, every dollar invested in fluorination saves about $20 in treatment costs. If Utah takes this measure, it won’t save money, but it costs more treatment costs to the backs of Utah citizens.”
“If the margins are inadequate, chemicals pose a risk,” the judge said. “Simply put, health risks at exposure levels in US drinking water are high enough to trigger a response to EPA regulatory (under federal law).”
His orders can also refer to “the scientific literature on the record,” indicating that “provides a high level of certainty that there is a risk” and that “fluoride is associated with a decrease in IQ.”
The program found that exposure to high levels of fluoride, which defines a child as 1.5 milligrams per liter, was “consistently related” to a child’s low IQ. We also mentioned other possible neurodevelopmental issues related to compounds, suggesting that more evidence is needed.
Reuters contributed to this report.
