- Utah bans fluoride in public water, first state to do so in U.S.
- Removal process is costly, hazardous; Weber Basin spent $6.3 million on fluoride.
- Judge’s ruling on fluoride’s risk to children’s IQ influenced Utah’s legislative decision.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah public water systems that fluoridate their water are now facing a tricky path forward of slowly removing the chemical and ways to safely dispose of what remains at existing injection wells.
It is a complicated and at times costly process to ensure systems are in compliance with the May 7 law that mandates fluoride is no longer added to public drinking water systems.
Utah became the first state in the nation when Gov. Spencer Cox signed HB81, sponsored by Rep. Stephanie Gricius, R-Eagle Mountain, to prohibit the addition of fluoride to public drinking water systems. Other states — including Nebraska, Florida and Arkansas — are also looking at removing the substance. Hawaii has never added fluoride to drinking water…