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.
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.
Out of the 484 Utah water systems that reported data to the CDC in 2024, only 66 fluoridated their water, an Associated Press analysis showed.
Lawmakers who backed the bill, which was sponsored by state Republican Rep. Stephanie Gricius and state Sen. Kirk Cullimore, said putting fluoride in the water is too expensive.
Utah ranked 44th in the nation for the percentage of residents that receive fluoridated water, according to data published in 2022 by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
