Florida becomes the second state to ban fluoride in public water

Ron DeSantis signed a bill to ban fluoride in public water in Florida, the second state in the country to adopt this measure after Utah. During the signing ceremony, the Republican governor assured that there is evidence indicating that fluoride negatively affects both pregnant women and children.

The state legislature approved the legislation this week, just months after the state's surgeon general, Joseph Ladapo, warned about the adverse effects that overexposure to the chemical could generate in children.

"The previously considered benefit of community water fluoridation does not outweigh the current known risks, especially for special populations like pregnant women and children," he said at the time.

"Today I was in Dade City to sign SB 700, which among other things, prevents local governments from injecting fluoride into the water supply. Informed consent—not forced medication—is the Florida way," the governor wrote on his X account. While the bill does not explicitly mention fluoride, it calls for a ban on using certain additives in the water system, which will take effect on July 1.

Miami-Dade County's Democratic mayor, Daniella Levine Cava, strongly opposed the legislation. Many dentists also criticized the measure, noting that fluoride in water helps prevent tooth decay by strengthening and rebuilding weakened tooth enamel.

In the face of this criticism, the governor argued that there are other ways to strengthen teeth without the need for fluoride. "We have the ability to deliver fluoride through toothpaste and all these other things, you don’t got to force it and take away people’s choices. Yes, use fluoride for your teeth, that’s fine, but forcing it in the water supply is basically forced medication on people," he added.