...
By Jordan King
Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Arkansas Republicans have filed bills that could lead to fluoride being removed from drinking water in the state.
The two bills were filed on Wednesday in the state legislature in Little Rock, where Republicans hold a supermajority in both chambers.
It comes after Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, said earlier this month that a Trump White House would advise "all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water."
Read More
Why Is Fluoride Used in Tap Water, and How Much Is Safe?5 min read
Map Shows Where Most People Drink Fluoridated Water4 min read
Are RFK Jr.’s Views on Flouride Really So Eccentric?5 min read
The first piece of legislation proposed on Wednesday, Senate Bill 2, aims to remove the state's mandatory fluoridation of drinking water. If passed, municipal water systems serving more than 5,000 people would be exempted from adding fluoride.
The bill was sponsored by State Senator Clint Penzo and Sen. Bryan King, and cosponsored by Rep. Matt Duffield and Rep. Aaron Pilkington. They are all Republicans.
Senate Bill 4, filed later in the day by the same four sponsors, would allow voters to decide whether to keep fluoride in drinking water. The legislation would allow for a vote to be held by voter petition or by community officials, including a local water board.
...
The bills were filed on the first possible day ahead of the forthcoming legislative session, which is due to begin on January 13.
Arkansas' Department of Health states on its website that water systems add fluoride to drinking water to "improve the dental health of its customers," adding that it is an "added benefit."
The department also notes: "Although many questions have been raised about fluoride and its relationship to cancer, no studies have proven that its effects are harmful at levels normally used in drinking water. Almost every study demonstrates that fluoride greatly reduces the incidence of cavities."
Newsweek has contacted Arkansas' Department of Health for comment via email.
RFK Jr. revealed plans to remove fluoride from drinking water on November 2, prior to Trump's election win.
"On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
"Fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump want to Make America Healthy Again."
The fluoridation of U.S. water began in 1945, but recommended levels have since been lowered because of health risks.
The CDC does not mandate community water fluoridation, but it says it is "one of 10 great public health interventions of the 20th century."
It comes less than two months after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was ordered to address how fluoride in water could risk children's intellectual development.
Edward Chen, a U.S. District judge in San Francisco, California, said in September that although it is unclear if the amount of fluoride typically added to water is causing lower IQ levels in kids, there is increasing research that it could be an unreasonable risk.
Chen ruled that the EPA must take steps to lower that potential risk, but did not clarify what the process would look like.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines