April 29 (UPI) -- Floridians no longer would have fluoridated water if Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signs a measure into law that would ban adding fluoride to public water supplies.
Florida's House of Representatives on Tuesday passed Senate Bill 700 with an 88-27 vote to ban local governments from adding fluoride and other "water quality" additives to water supplies.
The measure is dubbed the "Florida Farm Bill" and would ban the labeling of plant-based foods as eggs, poultry, meat or milk if signed into law.
The Senate bill does not specifically mention fluoride, but language banning "the use of certain additives in a water system" would include the commonly used ingredient, NBC News reported.
Related
Florida House members who supported the measure argued fluoride does not improve water quality and banning enables local units to save money.
Those opposing the measure argued it would disproportionately affect working and low-income households.
"This bill doesn't hurt the wealthy," Rep. Daryl Campbell, a Democrat, said during Tuesday's House debate. "They'll keep seeing private dentists, getting their expensive treatments and flashing their perfect smiles."
Campbell said the measure would harm "everyday Floridians" who can't take time away from their jobs and their children.
"This bill takes a safe and proven and affordable public health tool and rips it away," Campbell said.
Florida would become the second state to ban fluoride in public water supplies if DeSantis signs the measure into law.
Utah lawmakers in March banned fluoride in state water sources after Republican Governor Spencer Cox signed a similar measure into law. That ban takes effect on May 7.
Officials for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Health and Human Services on April 7 announced a review of possible health risks associated with the addition of fluoride in drinking water.
"This renewed scientific evaluation is an essential step that will inform agency decisions on the standards for fluoride under the Safe Drinking Water Act," the EPA said in a statement.
"This action closely aligns with EPA's core mission of protecting human health and the environment ... to ensure all Americans can rely on clean and safe water."
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says adding fluoride to public water supplies "has passively protected the oral health of Americans for decades by reducing cavities, tooth decay and dental health disparities," officials at Johns Hopkins University said.
The CDC has called fluoridated water "one of the 20th century's greatest public health achievements," but recent concerns about fluoride's safety have been aired by HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr., who has publically embraced and spread medical and health misinformation, and others.
