GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Florida is poised to become the second state in the country to ban fluoride in public drinking water.
Lawmakers gave final approval to a bill on Tuesday that requires the mineral and other additives to be removed from public water systems across the state. It now goes to the desk of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
In March, Utah became the first state to ban fluoride in its water.
Fluoride has long been considered a public health success story, and many experts believe small amounts of the mineral can help to strengthen teeth and reduce cavities.
But earlier this month, US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told the CDC that he wants to stop fluoridation, a process that started here in West Michigan.
In 1945, Grand Rapids became the first city in the world to fluoridate its drinking water.
In the years following, researchers monitored the rate of tooth decay among nearly 30,000 schoolchildren. After roughly a decade, the cavity rate among kids born after fluoride was added to the water supply dropped more than 60 percent.
The findings were considered a scientific breakthrough, making tooth decay a preventable disease for most people.
To commemorate the research, the city installed a historical marker.
According to the Grand Rapids Historical Commission, it was dedicated on September 30th, 2010, at the Monroe Avenue Water Filtration Plant to celebrate the adoption of fluoridation as an accepted public health measure.
Not far from there, you'll find a 33-foot high fluoridation sculpture -- called "steel water".
It was erected in 2007 and sits along the Grand River, surrounded by the JW Marriott Hotel
The CDC recommends 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water, which is right around the amount you'll find in the city's public water systems.
So what are the benefits and potential side effects?
The CDC says fluoride can repair and prevent damage to teeth caused by bacteria in the mouth, which produce acid when a person eats or drinks.
Fluoride can replace the minerals lost due to that acid breakdown, and some fluoride can also make the outer enamel layer harder to dissolve.
Essentially, it can help prevent cavities later in life.
But, excessive fluoride intake can have some negative impacts. According to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, those impacts include 'dental fluorosis', which primarily occurs when children ingest too much of it, resulting in white spots, streaks, or discoloration of the teeth. And long-term exposure can lead to 'skeletal fluorosis', which can impact bone structure and potentially lead to bone damage.
Other studies also point to potential neurological problems and thyroid dysfunction, but more research is needed.
RFK, who's a former environmental lawyer, has previously called fluoride a 'dangerous neurotoxin.'
In the end, it's currently up to communities and states to decide whether they want to stop fluoridation..
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