Utah lawmakers vote to say farewell to fluoridated drinking water

A controversial bill to prohibit the introduction of fluoride into public drinking water systems in Utah passed the Senate Friday and is destined to become a new law if Gov. Spencer Cox signs it.

HB81 by Rep. Stephanie Gricius, R-Eagle Mountain, would zap the injection of fluoride, derived from hydrofluorosilicic acid, into drinking water. As a concentrate in its undiluted form, hydrofluorosilicic acid is classified as a hazardous, poisonous material. While it contains fluoride, it also contains arsenic, lead, copper, manganese, iron and aluminum. It is a byproduct from phosphate mining operations.

That chemistry debate came up Friday prior to the Senate’s passage of the bill on a 18-8 vote.

Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, argued that fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral and tests show that many communities exceed the dosage amount of injected water systems of .007 parts per million recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

That dosage, however, is under review given a California federal court decision on the issue.

“I don’t really have a dog in the fight whether we fluoridate our water or not, but I’m not sure I’m comfortable with the legislature telling Salt Lake City, Brigham City, Helper and Davis County that their local authorities can’t do what their residents have voted to do, so that’s why I’ll be voting no,” he said.

Both Davis and Weber counties have previously voted to introduce fluoride into drinking water by a vote of the citizens, as has Brigham City.

But Senate Majority Leader Kirk Cullimore, R-Sandy, emphasized the bill allows people to go to a pharmacist to get fluoride supplements for dental care.

“This bill does not prohibit anybody from taking fluoride in whatever fashion they want. It just disallows people who do not want fluoride from having to consume fluoride in their water,” he said.

Cullimore’s district envelopes Sandy which had a disastrous overfeed of fluoride in 2019.

In that incident, the well’s pump was operational, and when an alarm went off and was cleared, the fluoride pump began to work, discharging the fluoride. Because it is 20% denser than water, it displaced the water and was fed by gravity into a portion of the drinking water system.

Residents began to complain as early as Feb. 6 in 2019, when a resident was informed by the public utilities department that it was a water softener problem. The resident, however, didn’t have a water softener at the home.

The Utah Division of Drinking Water was notified Feb. 8 and told the city to expand what it was sampling for and the geographic area as well.

In testimony before Sen. Lincoln Fillmore, R- South Jordan, stressed a number of factors.

“My response to those would be that there is a difference between medicated fluoride that is added to water, and the element fluoride that occurs naturally because it exists in our world. All medications come prescribed at a dose. Right? You take Tylenol, you’re taking one pill, you are getting 200 milligrams. And you know, any prescription you get you’re going to get, you’re going to have so much. This is what is right that’s judged by medical professionals for your condition. That is not possible when what you do is add medication to a universal good that everyone has immediate access to, but that nobody is drinking the same amount.”

Supporters of the bill pointed out that it is the only “medication” added to drinking water.

The bill has faced stiff opposition from dental professionals who argue it has been key to improving dental health in children. While getting a prescription may seem easy at first glance, they have emphasized it places undue burdens on communities.

The bill passed 18-8 in the Senate after passing the House. It is up to the governor on what happens next.