Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has enacted a first-of-its-kind law that removes fluoride from all public water systems across the state. The law, which goes into effect May 7, eliminates the use of a chemical long promoted by health agencies despite mounting evidence that it may impair developing brains.
The new legislation bans local governments from adding fluoride to water supplies, stripping authority from cities and counties that had previously decided whether to use it. According to data from the CDC, around 44 percent of Utah residents were receiving fluoridated water before the law’s passage.
BREAKING: Utah has become the first state to completely BAN fluoride in their drinking water.
All 50 states should follow suit! pic.twitter.com/YGogmMvuSG
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) March 30, 2025
Growing research has raised alarm about fluoride’s effect on intelligence in children. A government-funded analysis found that every 1 part per million increase in fluoride in a pregnant woman’s urine was associated with a drop in her child’s IQ, especially among boys. Some studies recorded up to a 5-point decrease.
The National Toxicology Program has determined with “moderate confidence” that fluoride levels exceeding 1.5 milligrams per liter may affect the brain. That conclusion was based on over 70 studies worldwide, many of which identified similar cognitive issues among children exposed to higher fluoride concentrations.
Utah banning fluoride and pride flags in the same day…
Check on your liberal friends. They might die. https://t.co/Ws9zf0Shn9— Storm (@stormrobinson) March 28, 2025
President Donald Trump’s Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has pledged to support water systems that choose to remove fluoride. He previously described the substance as a risk to the developing brain and has pointed to it as an unnecessary and outdated public health measure.
An Associated Press review found that most Utah water systems already did not use fluoride. Of the 484 systems reporting last year, only 66 included fluoride, with Salt Lake City being the largest.
