Over objections by the Florida Dental Association and League of Women Voters of Florida, a Senate panel voted Tuesday to bar public water systems from “the use of any additive included primarily for health-related purposes.”
The ban is included in an omnibus Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services bill (SB 700) that now heads to the full Senate for consideration.
The bill was praised by Pensacola resident Pueschel Schneier, the first to testify on the bill during public debate.
She said the decision to add fluoride to water may have been valid in the 1940s, before people knew about tooth decay and cavities and proper oral health.
“But times have changed. Eighty years later, America is the land of plenty. There is no excuse for someone who claims they don’t have access to a toothbrush. It boils down to personal accountability. People are responsible for making sure their children are brushing their teeth correctly and that they’re eating the proper diet,” Schneier said.
She did add, “I’m sure genetics play a huge role.”
The Florida Dental Association opposes the bill but did not publicly testify against it in committee Tuesday.
League of Women Voters Co-President Cecile M. Scoon said her organization opposes the bill because it preempts local governments from deciding whether to add fluoride to water. The organization generally has opposed legislation curbing local government from making decisions locally.
Moreover, Coon took aim at Schneier’s testimony that proper health habits are ingrained in every child.
“There have been studies that have shown that despite the first speaker, not every parent is doing everything the right way. I mean, obviously, children come with all kinds of problems that we would not want to see and sometimes it’s nutrition, it’s their immunizations, different things. “
A movement?
The bill passed the committee as Seminole County leaders voted Tuesday to stop adding fluoride to its water supply. That followed the Miami Dade County commission’s decision a week ago to do the same.
Utah became the first state to stop adding fluoride to its water supply. The decision was praised by Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention named community fluoridation of drinking water one of the 10 great public health interventions of the 20th Century because of the dramatic decline in cavities since it started in 1945.
There is no government mandate, though, for community fluoridation of drinking water. The U.S. Public Health Service recommends fluoride levels for municipalities that do choose to add fluoride to community water supplies.
Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo recommended against community fluoridation late last year.
Ladapo, whose past advice on health issues has roundly been criticized by others in the healthcare arena, saw his suggestion rejected by the group that represents Florida dentists, which countered that fluoridation is one of the “most effective and affordable public health measures” around.
Ladapo asserted a “neuropsychiatric risk associated with fluoride exposure,” citing studies that allege exposure to fluoride increases risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and lower IQs.
“It is clear more research is necessary to address safety and efficacy concerns regarding community water fluoridation,” Ladapo, who works for Gov. Ron DeSantis, said in a written statement. “The previously considered benefit of community water fluoridation does not outweigh the current known risks, especially for special populations like pregnant women and children.”
–Christine Sexton, Florida Phoenix
