Florida’s fight against fluoride in water taking hold in communities

• Some communities in Florida are removing fluoride from their drinking water supplies following a recommendation from Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo. Multiple cities, including Naples, have voted to remove it.
• Fluoride has been used in the U.S. water supply since 1945 in an effort to prevent tooth decay by strengthening enamel, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
• Ladapo called for an end to adding fluoride to drinking water in November 2024.

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Some communities in Florida are removing an additive that has been part of the nation’s drinking water supply for nearly 80 years.

Following guidance from Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo, some towns and counties in the Sunshine State are removing fluoride from drinking water.

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Why is fluoride used in drinking water?

Fluoride has been used in the United States drinking water supply since 1945 in an effort to prevent tooth decay by strengthening enamel, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

What has led Florida’s surgeon general to this conclusion?

Ladapo called for an end to adding fluoride to drinking water in November 2024, citing health risks he claims are posed by fluoride, including reported links to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), IQ reduction and sleep disorders.

What are health organizations saying?

The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Dental Association and the CDC all say that adding fluoride to drinking water is safe and prevents tooth decay.

Which communities are taking action?

The Lee County Board of Commissioners followed Ladapo’s advice, voting unanimously on Tuesday, Feb. 4, to remove fluoride from its drinking water.

Multiple cities, including Naples, have also voted to remove fluoride from their drinking water.

Hillsborough County, however, has said it will not go along with Ladapo’s recommendation.

Florida has left it up to each community to decide whether or not they remove fluoride, but Ladapo argues the use of the additive “does not outweigh” the “risks.”

How does this issue relate nationally and internationally?

Ladapo also pointed out that European nations like France, Germany, Italy, and several others have removed fluoride from their drinking water.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s nominee for the head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has been a critic of fluoride in drinking water. He said last November that the Trump administration intends to advise all communities to take fluoride out of their public water.