The governor of Florida, Republican Ron Desantis, signed on Thursday night the law that makes the State the second of the United States to prohibit fluoride in the public water system, after Utah, considering it a “forced medication” despite alerts of experts on dental health risks. The measure will enter into force on July 1.
The president promulgated the SB 700 standard to “protect against forced medication and promote agriculture” in an event in Dade City, where he said that “forcing fluoride in the water is not good” because, as he argued, “there are risks associated with that for pregnant women, for young people and for children.”
“If you use fluoride for your teeth, that’s fine. But putting it in the water supply is basically forced medication for people. They have no option. You are taking that (the decision) to people,” said Desantis before signing the law.
The legislation does not specifically mention the fluorine or fluoride, which is present in the drinking water of the United States since 1945, but prohibits the “use of certain additives in the water system”, so the governor insisted that this “basically no longer allows Florida” this mineral in the state supply.
The firm occurs despite the fact that the National Institute for Dental and Craneofacial Research (NIDCR), which depends on the federal government, ensures that “fluoride can prevent dental caries throughout life” and “is beneficial for both children and adults.”
This prohibition occurs after the arrival of Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. to the United States Department of Health, where it has suggested to stop adding fluoride to public water because it is related, according to him, with health problems.
The Floridan governor also framed the law within the freedom that people have to decide on their health, similar to the shortage of state restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In addition to Florida and Utah, other states such as Ohio, South Carolina and Louisiana are considering similar laws to restrict or prohibit water flow.
While California, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, Ohio and Dakota del Sur, have laws that require water fluoration in large communities.
With information from EFE and NBC News
