Summary

Utah became the first state to ban fluoride in public drinking water after Republican Gov. Spencer Cox signed legislation prohibiting local decisions on fluoridation.

Cox cited cost and personal choice, likening fluoride to government “medication.”

The ban faces opposition from dentists and health experts, who argue fluoride prevents cavities and benefits low-income communities.

Nearly two-thirds of Americans receive fluoridated water. Some cities have already removed fluoride, and a recent court order requires the EPA to regulate high levels that may affect children’s intellectual development.

  • pixxelkick@lemmy.world
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    5 days ago

    This would 100% be easily enough to make me move away.

    That’s a massive negative impact on my child’s health. Anyone with more than 1 braincell who lives in Utah right now and wants to raise kids should be considering leaving to live somewhere with fluoride, unless you want your kid to be at risk of a bunch of health issues.

    2025: we are bringing fucking Rickets back baby!

    • LordGimp@lemm.ee
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      4 days ago

      Just take the iodine out of salt while we’re at it. Don’t need no smart thunkers in the Amazon warehouse.

        • pixxelkick@lemmy.world
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          5 days ago

          This, this is what people completely whiff on…

          People forget not everyone can afford toothpaste…

          • mPony@lemmy.world
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            4 days ago

            Some people are unable to comprehend poverty. “just buy toothpaste” is low-key the equivalent of “just get a loan from your family and start your own business” or “Just get your accountant to write it off” or “just buy a second house” or “just let the lawyers clean it up”. If you have the financial means, certain problems just don’t affect you.

          • sexy_peach@feddit.org
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            4 days ago

            I only use home brand toothpaste which is like 50cent here in Europe. Everyone can afford that or they have other bigger issues than their fluoride intake

            • pixxelkick@lemmy.world
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              4 days ago

              You’d be surprised how much the intersection of “I luve in a literal cardboard box and can’t afford toothpaste” and “no longer getting fluoride in my water super fucks me over” is.

              There’s huge chunks of the population who, yes, can’t a0fford to brush their teeth, they Jaber neither toothbrush nor toothpaste.

              But they do drink free tap water, and that as a source of fluoride in any sane city is a powerful cheap way to help with their bone health, teeth health, etc.

              Cities that turn off fluoride in the water are, 4-5 years later, going to have some seriously excercerbated problems in their homeless communities which is going to impact everyone.

              It’s very dumb short term thinking that only someone very stupid would do…

        • thermal_shock@lemmy.world
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          5 days ago

          Anything to make plebs suffer /s

          America’s leadership is dog shit. Only reason to get into politics anymore is to bilk the system and join the grift, fuck everyone you have to squash along the way, and especially once you reach the top

        • Tehdastehdas@lemmy.world
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          4 days ago

          Cheaper to add fluoride to the small amount of water children drink than to the huge amount of water that the whole state uses. The state should pay, of course.

          • surewhynotlem@lemmy.world
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            4 days ago

            I’d disagree. The logistics of tiny local delivery would be massive. The dosing would be inconsistent. And we’d be putting the burden of doing it on already over burdened and struggling families.

            • Tehdastehdas@lemmy.world
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              4 days ago

              Logistics: Stores sell “child teething fluoride essence, one squirt per glass, pocket size”, price subsidised.

              I think it’s worth the upside of increased intelligence, which Americans clearly need.

              … 21 of 23 recent epidemiological studies report an association between high fluoride exposure and reduced intelligence. The discrepancy between experimental and epidemiological evidence may be reconciled with deficiencies inherent in most of these epidemiological studies on a putative association between fluoride and intelligence, especially with respect to adequate consideration of potential confounding factors, e.g., socioeconomic status, residence, breast feeding, low birth weight, maternal intelligence, and exposure to other neurotoxic chemicals.

              https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-020-02725-2

              • surewhynotlem@lemmy.world
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                4 days ago

                First you need to define “high”. The dose makes the poison. High amounts of water are deadly.

                There’s zero evidence that flouride at the levels found in public water is anything but positive. And your quote agrees with this. Did you just clip it without reading?

                • Tehdastehdas@lemmy.world
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                  4 days ago

                  I assume fluorine is one of the many “any dose matters” slow poisons for the brain in which there is no safe dose, only undetectable in insufficiently controlled studies of intelligence development over decades.

                  • surewhynotlem@lemmy.world
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                    4 days ago

                    You’re allowed to assume whatever you like. For example, I assume meat is toxic and everyone who eats it dies earlier than they should.

    • Ogmios@sh.itjust.works
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      5 days ago

      This would 100% be easily enough to make me move away.

      A bit of an overreaction there. Fluoride may provide some benefit for those who don’t even brush their teeth, but as long as you can manage at least that much self-care then it doesn’t actually do much of anything if at all.

    • finitebanjo@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      Technically there is very little evidence of the benefits of flouridated water, aside from reducing tooth decay, but there are absolutely zero risks too.

      • SynonymousStoat@lemmy.world
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        5 days ago

        Helping prevent tooth decay is the whole point of fluoridated water isn’t it? I also believe dental health has been linked to other health issues like increased risk of heart disease and stroke.

        • finitebanjo@lemmy.world
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          5 days ago

          It doesn’t prevent tooth decay, you still have to take good care of your teeth with it, but it reduces tooth decay. Reduces. Important distinction.

            • finitebanjo@lemmy.world
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              5 days ago

              I’m saying if this becomes more of a partisan political issue then I will refuse to argue with the dipshits.

              There are much more important issues at hand.

      • Habahnow@sh.itjust.works
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        5 days ago

        I don’t know if this is sarcastic or not. We’re in the type of world where would be sarcastic statements could be serious.

        This feels like someone saying, “there’s little evidence of vaccines having benefits, aside from preventing disease and death, but there’s absolutely little risk too”

        • finitebanjo@lemmy.world
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          5 days ago

          Vaccines actually prevent sickness and death in the vast majority. Like 95% reduction in cases.

          Flouridated water has been shown by World Oral Health Report 2003 to reduce the rate at which dental caries (tooth decay) require intervention by 15% and UK NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemination found 14.6%, however other studies have explored the idea that this rate of decline could be correlated with flouridated water and was not caused by it.

          Again I think we should keep flouridating water but its not the end of the world if we don’t.

          • Bonesince1997@lemmy.world
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            5 days ago

            Not the flu vaccine. It’s nowhere near 95% effective. But that’s not the point. You still take it especially if you are vulnerable.

      • infinitesunrise@slrpnk.net
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        4 days ago

        Technically there is very little evidence of the benefits of flouridated water, aside from reducing tooth decay

        Reducing tooth decay is such a massive benefit to the population that at first I thought you were making as sarcastic joke here. I think you underestimate what a big deal that actually is.

        • finitebanjo@lemmy.world
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          4 days ago

          What an original reply I’m so glad you’re not repeating the same things everybody else is saying.