WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) 鈥� Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a measure Thursday prohibiting local governments from adding fluoride to their water systems, making it the after Utah to .
DeSantis signed the bill at a public event in Dade City, Florida, over the concerns of dentists and public health advocates.
鈥淵es, use fluoride for your teeth, that鈥檚 fine, but forcing it in the water supply is basically forced medication on people,鈥� DeSantis said Thursday. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 have a choice, you鈥檙e taking that away from them.鈥�
State lawmakers approved the bill last month, requiring the mineral and some other additives be removed from water sources across the state. Utah was the first state to ban fluoride in late March, and its prohibition , while Florida鈥檚 provision is effective July 1.
Some local governments in Florida have already voted to remove fluoride from their water, ahead of the statewide ban. Earlier this month, Miami-Dade County commissioners voted to override a and move forward with plans to remove fluoride from the county鈥檚 drinking water.
鈥淲ater fluoridation is a safe, effective, and efficient way to maintain dental health in our county 鈥� and halting it could have long-lasting health consequences, especially for our most vulnerable families,鈥� Levine Cava said in a statement defending her veto.
Some Republican-led states have sought to impose bans following a push by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. . Earlier this month, DeSantis pledged to sign the bill and was flanked by the state鈥檚 surgeon general, Joseph Ladapo, who has over his opposition to policies embraced by public health experts, including COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
Fluoride is a mineral that has been added to drinking water for generations to by , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water has long been considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century.
Excess fluoride intake has been associated with streaking or spots on teeth. And studies also have traced a link between excess fluoride and brain development.
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Payne, who reported from Tallahassee, Florida, is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse 蜜桃视频app Initiative. is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Stephany Matat And Kate Payne, The Associated Press
