Utah seems on verge of becoming first state to ban fluoride in public water systems

Utah appears to be the first state ready to put a full ban on fluoride in public water systems under a bill that doesn't allow cities or communities to decide whether to add the cavity-preventing mineral.

A bill sponsor and an organization opposed to fluoridating water said Utah's proposal would set a precedent in the U.S. — and it would come as new federal health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has expressed skepticism about water fluoridation, which is considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century.

Kennedy said in a post on X in November that "Fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease."