Some Pennsylvania lawmakers want to ban fluoride in public drinking water. Here’s what to know.
The proposals are an attempt to join other states like Utah and Florida in banning the essential mineral now facing skepticism, though it's unlikely to reach the governor's desk in the state.
A bill recently introduced to the state Senate would ban fluoride in Pennsylvania’s public drinking water, part of growing skepticism toward the naturally-occurring mineral that dental health experts have considered essential for decades.
The Fluoride Choice Act, introduced by Sen. Dawn Keefer (R., York) would prevent fluoride from being added to any drinking water intended for public consumption. It’s been awaiting consideration in the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee for the past month.
The bill comes after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he intends to direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop recommending fluoride in drinking water, while Utah and Florida have enacted water fluoridation bans. The Department of Health and Human Services has directed a panel of health experts to review the CDC’s current fluoride recommendation.
The change to the fluoride recommendation is one of several controversial changes to national health policy Kennedy has pursued since being appointed to President Donald Trump’s cabinet. Kennedy, who has also promoted misinformation about vaccines in the past, has referred to fluoride as “poison.”
State Rep. Jason Ortitay (R., Washington) introduced a similar bill in the House last month, with support from 10 other Republicans cosponsors. A spokesperson for Ortitay said he was unavailable and declined to answer questions about the bill. In a memo seeking support for his bill, Ortitay said the decision to consume fluoridated water “should be an individual choice and not one forced upon them by their public water system.”
Nearly 63% of Americans live in an area with fluoridated tap water, according to the CDC. State governments have the power to regulate water fluoridation, while municipalities and water authorities typically decide how much fluoride is in water at a local level. Water fluoridation has been widespread across the country since the 1950s, leading to reduced cavities and improved dental health.
The Pennsylvania Dental Association opposes the removal of fluoride from drinking water, stating on their website that “evidence shows that fluoridation is the most effective way to prevent dental disease.”
Keefer said in a memo that “recent scientific studies” have “raised questions” about the safety and necessity of fluoride. She referenced a government study released last year by JAMA Pediatrics that linked higher fluoride consumption with a slight decrease in IQ among children in fluoride concentrations of 1.5 mg/L and higher.
The CDC recommends half that amount — 0.7 mg/L — in water, saying this “maximizes fluoride’s oral health benefits while minimizing potential harms,” which includes dental fluorosis, a condition caused by excess fluoride that can change the appearance of children’s teeth.
Pennsylvania law currently sets a maximum drinking water fluoride concentration of 2.0 mg/L but recommends a 0.7 mg/L concentration, in line with the CDC’s recommendation. Federal law prohibits fluoride concentrations higher than 4.0 mg/L in public water.
The JAMA study’s authors said their findings were based on “limited data.” After it was released, the American Dental Association issued a statement saying the study “does not provide any new evidence to warrant changing current community water fluoridation practices.”
A spokesperson for Keefer did not respond to a request for comment. Her bill is unlikely to become law because Democrats maintain a slim House majority and the governorship.
Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa (D., Allegheny) criticized the bill, saying Senate Democrats “will not be entertaining legislation meant to undo decades of cost-effective and successful public health policy.”
Utah lawmakers became the first in the nation to ban water fluoridation in March, and were followed by a ban recently enacted in Florida.
Connecticut took a step in the opposite direction this week, enacting a law to maintain the state’s current fluoride regulations that require local municipalities to maintain water fluoridation around 0.7 mg/L, in line with the current CDC recommendation.