For decades, the majority of Americans have been drinking tap water with added fluoride to improve oral health. But WSJ’s Kris Maher says that backlash to fluoride is spreading. Nearly 20 communities have halted the practice since October and Utah has now banned adding fluoride to water across the state. This comes after a landmark ruling by a federal judge that the mineral poses an “unreasonable” risk, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has spoken out against it. Ryan Knutson hosts. Sign up for WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter. Further Listening: -The Fight to Kick Soda Out of Food Stamps Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Full Episode
So, Chris, how are your teeth?
So, you know, I grew up having a number of cavities, actually.
Our colleague Chris Marr has been reporting on one of the biggest debates in teeth, whether or not fluoride should be added to drinking water. For decades, municipalities around the U.S. have been doing this to improve oral health. But recently, fluoride has become more controversial.
I have done a lot of reporting on water, but really, to be honest, fluoride never really hit my radar as an issue until last year.
Over the past year, communities across the country have started to reconsider fluoride.
There's a shift in tone where I think there's just more credence to the position that, you know, fluoride may have been a good thing in the past, but it just may not be necessary now. It's really gaining some momentum.
And last week, Utah became the very first state to ban local governments from adding fluoride to water.
Utah taking a side in the renewed debate over fluoride in drinking water.
Utah's now the first state to ban fluoride in drinking water.
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