继犹他州之后，佛罗里达州成为美国第二个禁止地方政府向公共供水系统添加氟化物的州。
州长罗恩·德桑蒂斯签名账单周四，在位于坦帕东北38英里的戴德城的辛普森湖。该法律将于7月1日生效。
“我们现在肯定，在我们2025年的社会中，我们有能力通过牙膏和所有这些东西来释放氟化物，”德桑蒂斯说在一次活动中为了法案的签署。“你不必强迫它，剥夺人们的选择。但问题的关键在于，你应该能够在知情同意的基础上做出决定。”
德桑蒂斯补充说:“在供水系统中强制使用这种物质，是试图让那些可能想做出不同决定的人远离这种物质，而不是在水中使用这种物质。”
德桑蒂斯说，该州受到了卫生与公众服务部部长小罗伯特·F·肯尼迪的赞扬，他一直对氟化物持批评态度。
在全州范围的法案之前，佛罗里达州的当地社区已经采取行动，停止向公共供水中添加氟化物，迈阿密-戴德县专员以8比2的投票赞成上个月禁止氟化物.
支持这项立法的专员罗伯托·冈萨雷斯，指氟化物作为一种“神经毒素”，并说研究表明它“不应该在水中。”
据报道，氟化物是一种天然存在于湖泊和河流等水源中的矿物质，甚至天然存在于一些食物和饮料中美国牙科协会(阿达)。
它被添加到一些牙科产品中，如牙膏，以帮助预防蛀牙。
高质量的研究表明，氟化物可以预防蛀牙，修复口腔细菌对牙齿的损害。美国牙科协会说，氟化物能使牙齿珐琅质变得更强，并能修复受损的牙齿珐琅质。
根据疾病控制和预防中心(CDC)的说法，氟化物还可以替代由于酸分解而从牙齿中流失的矿物质。
然而，像肯尼迪这样有影响力的怀疑论者一直对氟化物的益处表示怀疑。
肯尼迪声称，饮用水中的氟化物会影响儿童的神经发育，其他已经从水源中去除氟化物的国家并没有发现蛀牙的增加。
上个月，在犹他州的一次新闻发布会上，肯尼迪说他组建特别工作组的计划并改变CDC的指导，停止推荐在饮用水中添加氟化物。
此外，本周，食品和药物管理局宣布的它正在采取行动，从市场上移除儿童浓缩可摄入氟化物处方药。这不包括含氟牙膏或含氟漱口水。
A大型评论论文2025年1月发表的一项研究表明，氟化物与儿童智商低下之间存在联系，但许多潜在数据来自其他国家，这些国家的氟化物暴露水平远远高于美国饮用水中的水平。
一些卫生专业人员也表达了对过量摄入氟化物和潜在毒性的担忧。
然而，许多医生和牙科协会认为，水中的氟化物仍然是一种至关重要的、低风险/高回报的公共卫生工具，尤其是对那些可能无法进行常规牙齿卫生的弱势儿童和成人而言。
Florida becomes 2nd state to ban fluoride from public drinking water
Florida became the second state in the country after Utah to ban local governments from adding fluoride to their public water systems.
Gov. Ron DeSantis signedthe billat Simpson Lakes in Dade City -- about 38 miles northeast of Tampa -- on Thursday. The law is set to go into effect on July 1.
"We certainly now, in our society in 2025, we have the ability to deliver fluoride through toothpaste and all these other things," DeSantis saidat an eventfor the signing of the bill. "You don't gotta force it and take away people's choices. But the whole crux of the issue is you should be able to make decisions on the basis of informed consent."
"Forcing this in the water supply is trying to take that away from people who may want to make a different decision rather than to have this in water," DeSantis added.
DeSantis said the state has received praise from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been critical of fluoride.
Local communities in Florida had moved to stop adding fluoride to the public water supply prior to the statewide bill, with Miami-Dade County commissioners voting in favor 8-2last month to ban fluoride.
Commissioner Roberto Gonzalez, who sponsored the legislation,referred to fluorideas a "neurotoxin" and said that studies show it "should not be in the water."
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 theAmerican 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 (CDC).
However, influential skeptics such as Kennedy have long raised doubts about the benefits of fluoride.
Kennedy 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.
Last month, during a press conference in Utah, Kennedy said heplans to assemble a task forceand change guidance from the CDC to stop recommending adding fluoride to drinking water.
Additionally, this week, the FDAannouncedit is taking action to remove concentrated ingestible fluoride prescription drug products for children from the market. This does not include toothpaste with fluoride or fluoride rinses.
Alarge review paperpublished 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 disadvantaged children and adults who may not be able to practice regular dental hygiene.
