PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Fluoride in Arizona’s drinking water may soon be a thing of the past if a lawmaker gets her way.
Sen. Janae Shamp, a Republican from Surprise, has prefiled Senate Bill 1019 that would ban people and subdivisions from adding fluoride or fluoride-containing compounds to public water systems in Arizona.
“As a state senator and nurse, I cannot support fluoridation as a form of mass medication without informed consent,” Sen. Shamp said in a statement. “Unlike voluntary measures such as fluoride toothpaste or dental treatments, adding fluoride to our water forces every Arizonan—from infants to the elderly—to ingest a chemical they may not need or want. In a free society like ours, medical decisions should be personal, not mandated by the government.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. sparked the national debate and said earlier this year that fluoride is “an industrial waste” and is linked to several health issues.
The naturally occurring mineral has been added to public drinking water in the U.S. since 1945 to improve dental health. Phoenix began adding fluoride to its water in 1990, at a cost of $582,000 annually.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated in 2001 that the investment saves Phoenix residents more than $22 million in dental treatments each year.
Arizona dentists have said fluoridation is a public health success by helping to drop tooth decay rates.
However, Shamp said it should be up to Arizona families whether they want fluoride in their water.
“It’s now time for Arizona to embrace medical liberty and protect our children’s health by ensuring that our drinking water remains free from unnecessary chemicals,” she said in a statement.
Shamp added the money spent on fluoridation could be better used on infrastructure or conservation in Arizona.
Original article online at: https://www.azfamily.com/2025/12/11/gop-lawmaker-wants-ban-fluoride-arizona-drinking-water/