Topline
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Thursday banning fluoride from the state’s public water, making it the second state to do so as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has advocated against the use of it.
DeSantis has characterized the use of fluoride in public water as “forced medication.” (Photo by Joe … More
Key Facts
DeSantis, who has called fluoride “forced medication,” signed the Florida Farm Bill, which prevents local governments from putting fluoride in their water systems.
DeSantis said at the bill’s signing “people think they know better for you… that they should decree how you live your lives,” the Tallahassee Democrat reported.
The law will go into effect starting July 1, nearly two months after Utah’s fluoride ban will have been in effect.
The bill’s signing comes amid Kennedy’s concerted push against fluoride, saying last month he planned to tell the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop recommending the use of fluoride in public water throughout the U.S., something that has been done for several decades.
Kennedy has long associated the use of fluoride with lower IQ and bone conditions, while health experts have insisted the amount of fluoride needed to cause such conditions is higher than the level typically found in public water.
Big Number
62.9%. That is the share of Americans whose water systems were fluoridated as of 2020, according to CDC data.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
