A new bill that prohibits fluoride from being added to public water systems in Tennessee passed its first consideration in the Senate last week. This is the first step in a long line of votes and debates ahead regarding water fluoridation in the state.

Senate Bill 162 was introduced by Tennessee Sen. Joey Hensley on Thursday, Jan. 16.

The short bill introduces the amendment to prohibit “adding of fluoride to a public water system by the supplier of water who owns, operates, or controls the public water system.”

Water fluoridation is the process in which public water supplies add fluoride to help with the prevention of tooth decay in its citizens.

But over the recent years, more opponents of water fluoridation,including President Trump’s pick for the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have pointed to theories of negative side effects stemming from fluoride. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen ordered back in September of last year that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency further regulate fluoride in drinking water because it is still uncertain what levels may pose a risk to the intellectual development of children.

Currently, about 88% of Tennesseans served by community water systems receive fluoridated water, according to the TN Department of Health.

Original article online at: https://fox17.com/news/local/fluoride-will-no-longer-be-added-to-public-water-in-tennessee