Two Louisiana lawmakers want to ban fluoridation of all public water systems across the state, arguing that individuals should be able to choose whether or not to ingest more fluoride than what already occurs naturally in the environment.
But some public health experts and dentists have pushed back on that approach, arguing that fluoridated water keeps teeth healthy and poses no health risks.
The state health department established Louisiana’s water fluoridation program in 1997 with the goal of preventing tooth decay and promoting dental health.
In 2008, the Legislature required water systems with at least 5,000 service connections to begin fluoridation programs, as long as funding was available to implement the change. The law also set up a mechanism for some water systems to opt out of the requirement with voter approval.
Current federal guidelines recommend a fluoride concentration of 0.7 milligrams per liter in drinking water.
In 2024, of 1,033 community water systems serving nearly 4 million people in Louisiana, just 122 of those water systems serving 1.5 million people were fluoridated, according to state data compiled by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Sens. Mike Fesi, R-Houma, and Patrick McMath, R-Covington, are sponsoring Senate Bill 2, which would eliminate and ban fluoridation programs.
“We should not be forced to put fluoride in our drinking water,” said Fesi, saying it can lower the IQ of children and cause a number of other health problems, such as Alzheimer’s disease.
McMath said parents in his district have raised reasonable concerns about the decades-old practice, which warrants “public reconsideration.”
He pointed to the findings of a 2024 report on fluoride exposure and neurodevelopment by the National Toxicology Program, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
That study found “insufficient data to determine if the low fluoride level of 0.7 mg/L currently recommended for U.S. community water supplies has a negative effect on children’s IQ.” But it also found that higher concentrations, “such as drinking water containing more than 1.5 milligrams of fluoride per liter, may lower IQs.”
“I strongly believe in the principle of informed consent when it comes to matters of individual health,” McMath said in a text message. “Adding a substance to public water supplies to prevent a health condition a person may or may not suffer effectively removes individual consent.”
The Louisiana Department of Health said it doesn’t comment on pending legislation and declined to comment for this story. But according to the agency’schronic disease prevention and healthcare access arm, “water fluoridation is the single most effective and inexpensive public health measure to fight bacteria in the mouth and prevent tooth decay.”
Frank Martello, a New Orleans dentist who has been practicing for over 45 years, called skepticism of water fluoridation programs “ludicrous.”
He noted that the fluoride concentration recommended by the federal government is the equivalent of three drops in a 55-gallon container of water.
“Fluoride has been such a benefit without any side effects that I think it’s just not right to take it out the water and expect dental decay to be kept at the same levels or decreased,” he said.
Many public health organizations, including the CDC, laud community water fluoridation programs as among the greatest public health achievements of the 20th Century.
The CDC says there is not “convincing scientific evidence linking community water fluoridation with any potential adverse health effect or systemic disorder.” This includes Alzheimer’s disease, low intelligence, Down syndrome, and increased cancer risk, as well heart disease, bone fracture and osteoporosis, renal disorders and immune disorders.
McMath, who chairs the Senate Health and Welfare Committee, said he’s seen substantial support from Louisiana citizens concerned about informed consent.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was recently confirmed as secretary of HHS which houses the CDC, has cast doubt on community water fluoridation.
Ahead of the November presidential election, Kennedy said in a social media post that the White House would “advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water,” although that promise has yet to materialize.
The Utah Legislature last week passed a bill that fully bans fluoride in public water systems and only needs the governor’s signature before becoming law. It would be the first state to enact such a measure.
Original article online at: https://www.nola.com/news/politics/louisiana-state-lawmakers-file-legislation-to-ban-water-fluoridation/article_28ded142-f607-11ef-a025-57dcf10eeb11.html