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Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed a bill Thursday banning fluoride in public water systems, making his state the first in the nation to do so. The legislation appears to be the product of health misinformation and a decline in trust in scientists since the Covid pandemic, fueled in part by conspiracy theorists like Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Utah’s law goes into effect May 7.
Kennedy has linked fluoride to various health maladies, despite U.S. scientists and public health groups supporting the mineral’s use, and has said the Trump administration would advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water.
During his confirmation hearing in January, Kennedy bemoaned that he’s been labeled a conspiracy theorist for linking fluoride to low IQ levels, but the data he references has been criticized by experts. As NBC News reported:
A report published recently in JAMA Pediatrics found a statistically significant association between higher fluoride exposure and lower children’s IQ scores — but the researchers did not suggest that fluoride should be removed from drinking water.
According to the report’s authors, most of the 74 studies they reviewed were low-quality and done in countries other than the United States, such as China, where fluoride levels tend to be much higher, the researchers noted.
An Australian study published last year found no link between early childhood exposure to fluoride and negative cognitive neurodevelopment. Researchers actually found a slightly higher IQ in kids who consistently drank fluoridated water. The levels in Australia are consistent with U.S. recommendations.
Scientists and major medical associations, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have touted the benefits of fluoride in water for decades, particularly for children, to help prevent tooth decay and reducing cavities.
Utah’s anti-fluoridation law is what happens when the MAGA movement’s anti-science efforts spur official policy.
