In November, #RFKJr, now the federal #health secretary, said that the #Trump administration would “advise all U.S. water systems to remove #fluoride from public water” because of potential health risks. Anti-fluoridation bills have also been introduced in NorthDakota, Tennessee & Montana.

The #law, which was signed by #Republican Gov #SpencerCox on March 27 & will go into effect on May 7, comes amid renewed scrutiny of #fluoride, a mineral that has been widely added to US #DrinkingWater since 1945 to prevent cavities. Controversy over the safety of water fluoridation has intensified in recent years, driven in part by #ConspiracyTheories & by growing resistance to #PublicHealth interventions since the #pandemic.

Most Americans drink fluoridated water, including about ½ of #Utah residents. The process of adjusting #fluoride quantities to recommended levels—known as community water fluoridation—reduces #OralHealth disparities, acc/to the #CDC. Most communities that add the mineral do so voluntarily, but about a dozen states require fluoridation. Some of those mandates have been in place for >50 yrs.
#RFKJr #ConspiracyTheories #PublicHealth #health #HealthInequity #medicine #science #law #USpol #Trump #HHS

…Days before the presidential election, #RFKJr signaled that a future #Trump admin would advise #water districts to remove #fluoride, which he referred to as “an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, & thyroid disease.” #Medical organizations said Kennedy’s assertions are unfounded….

…#Utah’s potentially unprecedented move comes at a time of renewed attention to the practice of adding #fluoride to drinking water: #RFKJr, the newly appointed #HHS secretary, has assailed the practice, [falsely] alleging that it can harm brain development & bones.

Opponents of the measure argue that it infringes on communities’ right to decide whether to use the cavity-fighting mineral & that it departs from decades of #science demonstrating #fluoride’s enamel-strengthening, tooth-decay-combating benefits — particularly for #children. The bill’s supporters contend that it would prevent the government from *medicating* the public without its consent.

#Utah could become the first state to ban #fluoride in its drinking water, alarming #PublicHealth experts & #dentists who note the mineral’s role in reducing tooth decay across the nation.

…If signed into #law, the bill would prohibit adding fluoride to public water systems & would bar cities & counties from requiring the mineral in their #water.

@Soulshine @cairobraga @humanhorseshoes

I have a fringe belief

But I think it is scientifically sound

There are 2 studies I am aware of, of prefectures in Japan, and counties in Texas. Showing that higher levels of natural lithium in the ground water led to lower levels of suicide, homicide, drug abuse, mental health issues, domestic violence, etc. Adjusting for other variables

I say we should be supplementing table salt or municipal water with #lithium, like we do with #fluoride and #iodine