The previous Tuesday, the Florida House of Representatives voted 88-27 to pass a bill banning fluoride in public water systems. If Republican Governor DeSantis approves the law, Florida will become the second state to prohibit fluoride from its water systems. During a Florida House session on Tuesday, backers of the bill said that fluoride does not improve water quality and that extracting it from water systems may generate revenue for local governments. Continue reading to learn all the information.
“The use of certaint additive in a water system”
SB 700, often known as the Florida Farm Bill, does not use the phrase “fluoride,” but it effectively bans the chemical compound by prohibiting “the use of some additives in a water system.” The bill is awaiting Gov. Ron DeSantis’ signature. If Republican Governor DeSantis approves the law, Florida will become the second state in the United States to prohibit fluoride from water systems.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, signed a bill in late March prohibiting any individual or government body from introducing the cavity-fighting mineral into the state’s water systems, making it the first state to do so. It will go into effect on May 7.
During a Florida House session on Tuesday, backers of the bill said that fluoride does not improve water quality and that removing it from water systems may save local governments money. Opponents said that everyday Floridians rely on fluoride for dental health.
“This bill does not genuinely harm the wealthy. They’ll keep going to private dentists, having pricey treatments, and flaunting their lovely smiles,” Democratic Rep. Daryl Campbell said during the session. “But for everyday Floridians, the people who clock in at 6 a.m., who can’t take time off — off for their dental visits, who trust on water from their taps to protect their kids, this bill takes a safe and proven and affordable public health tool and rips it away.” It should be noted that this has a direct impact on people’s lives.
Disappointment with this legislature’s option
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, a Democrat, said in a statement that she was “deeply disappointed” by the Legislature’s decision to ban fluoride, which “disregards the overwhelming consensus of dentists, doctors, and medical experts and will end a practice that has been in place for decades to protect our health.”
“No investigations have proved that fluoridation at low levels is not safe for our communities, including babies and pregnant women — in fact, it is truly relevant for the health of developing teeth in infants and children,” Cava explained, adding that such decisions should be left to local communities. “Ending fluoridation will have long-lasting health consequences, in specific for our most vulnerable families.”
According to health organisations, consuming flouritades with water helps to strengthen teeth
Most public health organisations, including the American Academy of Paediatrics, the American Dental Association, and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, who have said that drinking fluoridated water keeps teeth strong and decreases cavities, endorse adding fluoride to water. It must be emphasised that these groups take care of people’s health.
The anti-fluoridation movement appears to be gaining traction, particularly as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of health and human services, has stated that there is no “systemic advantage” to consuming fluoridated water. Fluoride-free legislation has been introduced in Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and North Carolina.
Hawaii, which has never mandated water fluoridation, has the “highest prevalence of tooth decay in the United States” among its children, with only 11% of its residents served by fluoridated community water systems, according to a 2015 State Health Department study of third-grade students across the state.