(NEW YORK) — More cities and counties across the U.S. are moving to ban fluoride in public drinking water after Utah became the first state in the country to do so.
The Miami-Dade County commissioners voted 8-2 on Tuesday to stop adding fluoride to the public water supply.
Commissioner Roberto Gonzalez, who sponsored the legislation, referred to fluoride as a “neurotoxin” and that studies show it “should not be in the water.”
Florida surgeon general Dr. Joseph Ladapo has previously recommended removing fluoride from public water supplies, citing potential harms, according to local ABC News affiliate WPLG.
In a statement last year, Ladapo claimed that “more research is necessary to address safety and efficacy concerns regarding community water fluoridation.”
Opponents, including Mayor Daniella Levine-Cava, argue fluoride is safe and essential for dental health.
“Miami-Dade County has been adding fluoride to the water for 60 years. It has been constantly verified, scientifically and medically, that it is safe. We know that it provides protection for dental care and prevents cavities. We use a very, very low level, well within the guidelines,” she said before the meeting, according to WPLG.
The measure also calls for the mayor “to create and implement a countywide public service campaign focused on dental hygiene and alternate sources of fluoride available in dental health products.”
The county has 30 days to halt fluoride use. It’s unclear whether or not the mayor will veto the legislation.
Local reports indicate that a town in Virginia has also voted unanimously to bar adding fluoride to its town water supply.
Meanwhile, an Ohio state representative has also proposed a bill prohibiting adding fluoride to public water systems.
Fluoride is a mineral that naturally occurs in water sources such as lakes and rivers, and is even naturally present in some foods and beverages, according to the American Dental Association (ADA).
It is added to some dental products, such as toothpaste, to help prevent cavities.
High-quality studies show fluoride prevents cavities and repairs damage to teeth caused by bacteria in the mouth. Fluoride makes tooth enamel stronger and rebuilds weakened tooth enamel, the ADA says.
Fluoride also replaces minerals lost from teeth due to acid breakdown, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
However, influential skeptics, such as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have long raised doubts about the benefits of fluoride.
In an interview with NPR in November 2024, Kennedy doubled down on his promise of persuading local governments to remove fluoride from their water supplies.
He has claimed that fluoride in drinking water affects children’s neurological development and that other countries that have removed fluoride from their water supplies have not seen an increase in cavities.
A large review paper published in January 2025 suggested a link between fluoride and lower IQ in children, but much of the underlying data was pulled from other countries, where fluoride exposure is far higher than levels used in drinking water in the U.S.
Some health professionals have also expressed concerns about excessive fluoride intake and potential toxicity.
Many doctors and dental associations, however, argue that fluoride in water is still a crucial, low-risk/high-reward public health tool, especially for children and adults who may not be able to practice regular dental hygiene.
The association calls community water fluoridation “the single most effective public health measure to prevent tooth decay.”
“Studies prove water fluoridation continues to be effective in reducing dental decay by at least 25% in children and adults, even in the era of widespread availability of fluoride from other sources, such as fluoride toothpaste,” the ADA states on its website. “So, by simply drinking fluoridated water, you are doing something good for your oral health.”
ABC News’ Sony Salzman and Jason Volack contributed to this report.
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