Fluoridation repeal measure stalls in Senate committee

A bill that would repeal Arkansas’ statewide fluoridation program and remove the requirement that water systems maintain a fluoride content failed in the Senate Public Health Committee on Wednesday (Feb. 12).

The committee’s chair, Sen. Missy Irvin, R-Mountain View, initially ruled that Senate Bill 2 by Sen. Clint Penzo, R-Springdale, failed on a voice vote. The bill then failed 4-4 in a subsequent requested roll call. It required five votes.

Irvin voted against the bill along with Sen. Dave Wallace, R-Leachville, and the committee’s two Democrats, Sens. Greg Leding, D-Fayetteville, and Fred Love, D-Mabelvale.

Voting for the bill were Penzo along with Sens. Scott Flippo, R-Bull Shoals; Ricky Hill, R-Cabot; and John Payton, R-Wilburn.

The two-page bill would have repealed a state requirement that systems serving at least 5,000 persons maintain a fluoride content established by the Department of Health. The law requires the State Board of Health to adopt rules related to water system fluoridation, including permissible concentrations and procedures for maintaining and testing those concentrations.

Water systems are not required to comply with the requirements until they have obtained sufficient capital startup costs for fluoridation equipment coming from sources other than tax or service revenue they regularly collect.

Penzo described the bill as a local control issue and said fluoride is a toxic chemical and regulated drug whose dosages depend on how much water a person drinks. He said not all states mandate fluoride in water systems. He said toothpaste contains fluoride, but users are not supposed to swallow it.

“There’s a skull and crossbones on these packages,” Penzo said in his closing. “It’s poison. I mean, the people that put it in our water supply have to wear hazmat suits.”

The U.S. Centers For Disease Control and Prevention recommends that drinking water be fluoridated at 0.7 milligrams per liter as a way to prevent tooth decay.

Several health professionals and others spoke for and against the bill. Those speaking for the bill included Andy Anderson, chairman of the Ozark Mountain Regional Public Water Authority, which serves rural north Arkansas. He said the Arkansas Department of Health is fining his system $500 a week because it doesn’t fluoridate. He said it’s cheaper to pay the fine than to install the equipment.

Chris Harris, deputy director of the Arkansas Rural Water Association, said his 16-member board voted unanimously in favor of the bill. He said his members don’t like mandates that don’t involve water quality. Dr. Bill Smith, a Fayetteville chiropractor, pointed to a Journal of the American Medical Association study showing an association between fluoride and reduced intelligence in children.

The bill’s opponents included Dr. Niki Carter, a dentist and the Delta Dental dental director. She said water fluoridation is the best strategy for distributing fluoride and said Arkansas ranks last in the nation in oral health.

Dr. Terry Fiddler is a dentist and executive director of Arkansas Mission of Mercy, an organization that has provided free dental care to 27,000 patients over 18 years. He said water fluoridation provides fluoride to people at no cost.

Dr. Natalie Burr, a pediatrician with Little Rock Pediatric Clinic and board member with the Arkansas Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said dental disease is the most common health issue in children and that pediatricians oppose the bill.

The bill comes after U.S. District Judge Edward Chen in September mandated the Environmental Protection Agency increase regulations on fluoride concentration in drinking water because of the risk that large amounts can impair a child’s mental development. The American Dental Association continues to support community water fluoridation.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of health and human services, in an X post (formerly Twitter) on Nov. 2 referred to fluoride as an “industrial waste” associated with health issues. In the post, which was written before Trump was elected, Kennedy wrote that the Trump administration would advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water.