SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, March 28, 2025 (UPI) — Utah became the first U.S. state to ban fluoride in its public water systems under bill signed into law by Gov. Spencer Cox.
Cox signed the bill Thursday that “prohibits adding fluoride to public water systems.”
The bill was introduced in January, then passed in the state Senate in February. It takes effect May 7.
Utah’s population already had one of the lowest Community Water Fluoridation percentages in the nation; the CDC ranked Utah 44 out of the 50 states in 2022, as only 43.6% of its residents received fluoridated water.
Medical associations and public health groups such as the CDC, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Dental Association support adding fluoride to drinking water to help prevent cavities.
Bills have also been filed by lawmakers in Kentucky, Montana and Tennessee to either make fluoridation optional for water systems or completely prevent fluoride from being added to systems altogether. And in Florida, a bill proposed Thursday in the current legislative session would ban “the use of any additive included primarily for health-related purposes,” which would include fluoride.
