Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has signed legislation removing fluoride from all public drinking water systems in the state, making Utah the first in the nation to take such action. The law takes effect May 7 and ends fluoridation for the roughly 44 percent of Utah residents who currently receive treated water.

The bill, introduced in January and passed by Utah’s Republican-controlled legislature, bars cities and local governments from deciding whether to add fluoride. Gov. Cox, who raised his own children in a non-fluoridated community, questioned the need for mandatory fluoridation. “You would think you would see drastically different outcomes with half the state not getting it and half the state getting it,” Cox said. “We haven’t seen that.”

BREAKING: Utah has become the first state to completely BAN fluoride in their drinking water.

All 50 states should follow suit! pic.twitter.com/YGogmMvuSG

— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) March 30, 2025

Cox also raised the issue of government overreach, stating that requiring residents to consume fluoride amounts to being “medicated by their government.” He said the threshold for such policies must be very high, especially when it involves adding substances to water.

Utah banning fluoride and pride flags in the same day…
Check on your liberal friends. They might die. https://t.co/Ws9zf0Shn9

— Storm (@stormrobinson) March 28, 2025

Recent findings from the federal government’s National Toxicology Program (NTP), part of the Department of Health and Human Services, have added weight to Utah’s move. According to the NTP’s review, fluoride consumption above 1.5 milligrams per liter has been linked to lower IQ in children. The study’s findings indicate that even moderate fluoride exposure in utero could impact fetal brain development.

A separate federal review published in JAMA Pediatrics concluded that every 1 part per million increase in fluoride in a mother’s urine was associated with a 5-point IQ drop in male children. The research tracked fluoride levels in pregnant women and IQ scores in their children years later, showing consistent associations between exposure and cognitive decline.

Utah’s legislation reflects a broader concern over neurological impacts, particularly in early development. President Donald Trump’s Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has also highlighted fluoride’s risks and previously pledged to advise water systems nationwide to stop adding the chemical.

The law arrives as similar proposals are under review in Florida, South Carolina and Ohio. According to CDC data, Utah already ranked near the bottom nationally for the percentage of residents drinking fluoridated water. Of 484 water systems in Utah, only 66 had added fluoride as of 2024.