Since the 1970s, fluoride has been fought over in Utah. This bill would ban it from water, whether citizens want it or not.
By Robert Gehrke, The Salt Lake Tribune
This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aims to inform readers across the state
Fluoride will be banned from Utah water systems by May 7, if Gov. Spencer Cox signs a bill now headed to his desk.
Friday evening, the Utah Senate approved HB81, sponsored by Rep. Stephanie Gricius, R-Eagle Mountain, prohibiting fluoride from being added to water systems, the latest battle in a war that has been waged in Utah for five decades.
Fluoride is scientifically proven to strengthen the enamel on teeth and prevent cavities. The Utah Dental Association was among the groups that spoke out against the bill.
But Gricius argued that a court in California had also found that it could potentially cause cognitive issues and said the Environmental Protection Agency should reassess its fluoride standards.
Additionally, she said, a majority of residents should not be allowed to decide whether chemicals should be added to everyone’s drinking water. By eliminating fluoride and making it easier for those who want it to get it from a pharmacy, people can decide for themselves whether they want fluoride or not.
Conservative groups like the Utah Eagle Forum and others rallied to support the bill and succeeded in winning the support to ban it.
For more on Utah’s fluoride debate visit The Salt Lake Tribune story linked here.