Utah is poised to be the first state to ban fluoride in public water systems

Chris Morris

<ul>
<li>Utah has passed a law banning fluoridated water. The state’s governor says he will sign the bill, despite objections from the health care community. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called the addition of fluoride to drinking water one of the 10 best public-health achievements of the 20th century.</li>
</ul>



Less than six months after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on social media that Donald Trump would push to <a href="https://fortune.com/well/article/rfk-jr-fluoride-drinking-water-removed-trump/">remove fluoride</a> from drinking water, a western state is prepared to make the leap.<div class="paywall-selector"></div><div class="paywall">



Utah has <a href="https://www.wsj.com/us-news/utah-fluoride-public-water-ban-346da342?mod=hp_lead_pos10">passed a bill</a> that bans the use of fluoride in public water systems, and the state’s governor says he will sign it, though even he admits it’s not a passion project of his.



“It’s not a bill I felt strongly about; it’s not a bill I care that much about, but it’s a bill I will sign,” Republican Gov. Spencer Cox told ABC4 Utah.



The bill is set to go into effect in early May and will be a first in the nation.



Kennedy and other opponents of fluoride allege it is linked to neurodevelopmental problems, but health officials <a href="https://fortune.com/well/2025/01/10/fluoride-iq-study-divisive-rfkjr-ban-it-in-water/">say it is safe</a> and has done a tremendous job in improving the oral health of Americans. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called the addition of fluoride to drinking water one of the 10 best public-health achievements of the 20th century.



Utah may be the first, but it <a href="https://fortune.com/2024/11/22/rfk-jr-american-towns-debate-removal-cavity-preventing-fluoride-drinking-water/">likely won&#8217;t be the only</a> state to remove fluoride from its water supply. Montana, North Dakota, and Tennessee all have bills in the works to enact a statewide ban of the practice.



Two major Canadian cities tried removing fluoride from their drinking water in recent years, but officials in Calgary and Windsor both reversed those decisions after seeing a notable rise in tooth decay.



Utah currently provides fluoridated water to more than 365,000 people.</div>

Did your workplace make our list of the World's Most Admired Companies?
<a href="https://fortune.com/ranking/worlds-most-admired-companies/?&itm_source=fortune&itm_medium=article_tout&itm_campaign=DecJanMag">Explore this year's list.</a>

F-BreakingNews

water use and conservation

Health

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called the addition of fluoride to drinking water one of the 10 best public-health achievements of the 20th century.

Utah likely to be the first state to ban fluoride in public water

Utah is poised to be the first state to ban fluoride in public water systems | Fortune

Beth Greenfield

Mom sitting with her arms around her kid who looks to be around 10 years old

Why moms rejecting the ‘tiger’ approach turn to ‘panda’ parenting instead

/well/article/what-is-panda-parenting/

Ani Freedman

5 things most Americans say are true about love and successful relationships

/well/article/marriage-americans-love-successful-healthy-relationships/

Anna Edney

Bloomberg

L’Oreal recalls acne treatment on cancer-linked chemical

/well/2025/03/10/loreal-recall-effaclar-duo-acne-treatment-cancer-linked-chemical-benzene/

Kate Hudson in a pale slip dress sitting and speaking into a microphone

Kate Hudson, mom of 3, admits that ‘parenting is hard.’ But learning this important lesson can help, she says

/well/2025/03/10/kate-hudson-parenting-lesson-mom-of-3/

This gastroenterologist says probiotics are ‘a waste of money.’ Here’s what you should be doing instead

/well/article/probiotics-bloating-gut-health-fiber-diet/

Alexa Mikhail

These 4 M’s are the key to successful aging, expert reveals

/well/article/4-ms-successful-aging-expert/

This gastroenterologist says probiotics are 'a waste of money.' Here’s what you should be doing instead

https://fortune.com/well/article/probiotics-bloating-gut-health-fiber-diet/?itm_source=parsely-api

Sasha Rogelberg

Fired NIH workers fear bleak job prospects in the private sector because their research is too specific to be retrofitted: 'No VC is going to fund that'

https://fortune.com/2025/03/11/fired-nih-workers-bleak-jobs-private-sector/?itm_source=parsely-api

Phil Wahba

Here’s why the CEOs of major retailers like Walmart, Gap and Target are sounding so calm about Trump’s tariff standoff

https://fortune.com/2025/03/10/trump-tariffs-retail-ceos-react-soun-calm-walmart-gap-target-home-depot/?itm_source=parsely-api

Josh Hoffman

Kevin Katari

The California crisis in homeowners insurance has only one real solution

https://fortune.com/2025/03/10/california-homeowners-insurance-crisis/?itm_source=parsely-api

Nicholas Gordon

Tesla loses $127 billion in one-day market bloodbath as China car group questions Musk’s pursuit of ‘personal glory’

https://fortune.com/asia/2025/03/11/tesla-shares-drop-china-byd-ev/?itm_source=parsely-api

Amanda Gerut

Larry Ellison’s Oracle just reported $130 billion in future contracts—which doesn’t include even a single transaction from Stargate

https://fortune.com/2025/03/11/larry-ellison-oracle-stock-future-revenue-stargate-ai-nvidia/?itm_source=parsely-api