Lawmakers will likely consider making the addition of fluoride to drinking water optional. House Bill 141 was introduced during the 2024 Kentucky Legislative session and is expected to be reintroduced next year. Legislators in favor of making fluoride optional cited a ruling from Food and Water Watch versus the EPA. The federal court case last month found the mandated optimal level of fluoride that’s added to potable water poses an unreasonable risk to public health. Officials said the ruling states some of those concerns are cognitive development issues and lower IQs in children.
Mary Jones, professor of dental hygiene at Bluegrass Community and Technical College said the decree has set a precedent for states to consider.
“Since this ruling, municipalities across the country have stopped fluoridating their water. And in Kentucky, zero have, because we can't because it's the law. So, I would ask you to help us do something about this,” said Jones.
Cosponsor of the bill Representative Mark Hart said the ruling could mean trouble in the future.
“It's the same legislation that we filed the last several sessions, but our legislation does not ban fluoride, it just removes the unfunded mandate, and it brings it to local choice. With the new risk and the new data that's come out with the federal court ruling at some point if the state continues to mandate the state’s going to be responsible for the outcome,” said Hart.
Currently, the law states that any public water point that serves more than 1,500 people must contain 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water. Fluoride was added in the past to improve dental health, but Hart added while Kentucky is the number one state in terms of the number of people mandated to have fluoride in their water, it ranks 49th in overall oral care. Fluoride has been mandatory in the state since 1951. Kentucky is one of 13 states that have this law.