LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The final bill to impact fluoride in Arkansas water systems failed in a House committee vote on Tuesday.
Senate Bill 2 was to eliminate the 2011 Arkansas law that mandates the addition of fluoride in state water systems.
Why – and when – was fluoride added to US drinking water in the first place?
The bill had faced a difficult path after its Nov. 20, 2024, introduction into the 95th General Assembly, having initially failed in its Senate committee vote until a procedural action brought it back to the floor for its final Senate vote, where it passed and was sent to the House.
The House sent it to the Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee last Tuesday. That committee heard it this Tuesday and voted it down in a 10-7 vote with one voting present.
RFK Jr. calls for CDC to stop recommending fluoride in drinking water
SB2’s lead sponsor, Clint Penzo (R-Springdale), cited the dangers of fluoride, citing studies showing that it may impact cognitive development in children…