SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is coming to Utah on Monday, according to the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services.
Kennedy will be holding a news conference with Lee Zeldin — administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — in Salt Lake City on Monday. They are expected to discuss “MAHA” (Make America Healthy Again) legislation passed by the Utah Legislature this year.
“HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. will embark on a multi-state tour to celebrate MAHA initiatives in the Southwest,” a press release from HHS states. “He will meet with elected officials, tribal leaders, nutrition experts, and charter school visionaries as he works to fulfill President Trump’s promise to Make America Healthy Again.”
READ: Gov. Cox signs fluoridation ban into law – a nationwide first
Kennedy and Zeldin will be discussing new state laws that ban ultra-processed foods and dyes in public schools (H.B. 402), restrict SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) purchases of candy and soda (H.B. 403), and ban adding fluoride to public drinking water (H.B. 81) — a bill that made Utah the first state to do so in history.
On March 28, Governor Spencer Cox signed a bill banning water fluoridation in public water systems – a nationwide first.
H.B. 81 — or Fluoride Amendments — is a law that prohibits fluoridation in public water systems. It also allows pharmacists to prescribed fluoride tablets to those wishing to take fluoride.
Currently, there are two counties and several municipalities across the state that fluoridate their water systems, which serve around 1.6 million people. With the bill being signed by the governor, public water managers have until May 7 to cease fluoridation operations.
Fluoridation is the process of adding the mineral fluoride to public water supplies in order to raise levels of fluoride to recommended levels that are beneficial to oral health. The Centers for Disease Control recommends that levels of fluoride should be at 0.7 milligrams per liter, which is the equivalent of three drops in a 55-gallon barrel of water, in order to give the maximum benefit without negative health effects.
Unlike other bills this session, the debate around fluoridation saw support and resistance from bi-partisan lawmakers as Utah’s Republicans and Democrats either voiced support or opposition to the bill in the final vote in the legislature. The bill also garnered nationwide attention, as the Beehive State is the first in the nation to mandate a statewide ban on public water fluoridation.
Although water providers will be removing their fluoridation systems, don’t expect your water bill to be affected much. In previous statements to ABC4.com, water providers don’t expect prices to change at all for customers. Water Pro INC said residents might see “less than 90 cents per month” in savings as a result of the ban. Other providers said that bills might go up as they get rid of standing supplies and equipment.
Dentists have issued warnings about what the ban could mean for Utahns, saying that without fluoride, cavities will go up, especially among the less fortunate.
“It really only hurts the children whose families are not aware of the benefits of the program, or cannot afford to go to their dentist or physician to get fluoride supplements,” Mark Fullner, local dentist in Utah County, told ABC4.com. “It also puts the burden of compliance on adults in those families who care enough to follow the guidelines to administer proper doses. Chances of a mistake in those circumstances seems to be much higher than the associated risks with well-monitored addition of fluoride to the water source.”
In a statement to ABC4.com, the Utah Dental Association expressed disappointment in the signing, saying that the governor had failed to put children and the vulnerable first.
“The Utah Dental Association (UDA) is disappointed in the Utah Legislature and Governor for failing to put Utah’s children, vulnerable, and at-risk populations first by signing HB 81,” the statement reads. “This decision disregards decades of scientific research demonstrating that community water fluoridation at optimal levels is a safe, effective, and cost-efficient way to prevent tooth decay.”
ABC4.com reached out to the governor for further comment on this, which his office declined.
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