SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — A heated debate over the fluoridation of drinking water has erupted in Utah.
Two counties, Salt Lake and Davis, have added fluoride to their water supplies.
Rep. Stephanie Gricius has introduced a bill, HB 81, that seeks to make this practice illegal, citing concerns over personal freedom and potential health risks.
“It comes down to personal freedom when it comes to what medications you want to put into your body,” Gricius said.
She referenced a California court decision from 2024, where a judge ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to take action, stating that fluoride “causes an unreasonable risk of injury to health.”
Dentist and naturopathic doctor Cole Griffin is among those advocating for the removal of fluoride from water.
“We shouldn’t be adding this to our water supply. It’s not helpful to teeth, and it does so much harm,” Griffin said.
However, Dr. Brent Larson, a dentist with four decades of experience in the Salt Lake area, disagrees.
“It’s one of the greatest health programs that we have,” Larson said.
He noted that during his decades of practice he could easily identify patients who had fluoride in their water by how their teeth looked.
“Kids came into my office and they’d have six, eight, sometimes 10 cavities,” he said.
Opponents of fluoride point to studies suggesting a link between high fluoride levels and reduced IQ in children, as well as other cognitive effects. Griffin said fluoride causes “brain impairments.”
Larson, who has extensively researched fluoride, argues that these studies involve fluoride levels “three to six times higher than what we have” in drinking water.
“It’s really safe. There are no studies that show that at the level we put fluoride in the water there is any issue at all. And there have been over 7,000 studies done,” he said.
Gricius, while not commenting on the validity of health risks, emphasized the importance of individual choice.
Her bill also proposes making fluoride supplements available by prescription.
“Whenever we have that risk, we have to also introduce individual choice,” she said.
Approximately 1.5 million people in Utah receive fluoridated water. Larson warned that removing fluoride could result in significant dental costs.
“Which could be thousands and thousands of dollars and hours and hours in the dental chair,” he said.
Gricius, however, believes concerns about the impact on oral health are exaggerated.
“You’re not going to see everyone’s teeth falling out. I think it’s going to be alright,” she said.
Organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization, American Medical Association, National Academy of Sciences and American Academy of Pediatrics all endorse water fluoridation.
“The best and brightest minds in our country are all supportive of community water fluoridation,” Larson said, asserting that the real science is on the side of fluoride.
The legislative debate on Gricius’s bill began the last week of January.
Original article online at: https://kjzz.com/news/local/utah-fluoride-debate-ignites-over-concerns-of-health-and-freedom