LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A group of Arkansas Republicans are looking to repeal a law on the statewide fluoridation program, according to a bill filed ahead of the 2025 legislative session.
The proposed legislation was filed on Nov. 20 by state Sen. Clint Penzo (R-Springdale) with state Sen. Bryan King (R-Green Forrest) and state Reps. Aaron Pilkington (R-Knoxville) and Matt Duffield (R-Russellville) serving as other sponsors.
This bill would remove language from Arkansas law that allows any company, county, or town to control the amount of fluoride in the water to "maintain a fluoride content established by the Department of Health." This law applies to any water system that provides water to 5,000 or more people.
Currently, that law allows the state health board to create rules regarding the amount of fluoride in a water system as well as how to maintain that amount.
This push to change Arkansas law comes after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suggested that President-elect Donald Trump would work to get all water systems across the country to remove fluoride from drinking water.
Fluoridation of drinking water began in 1945 and has been declared as one of the greater public health interventions of the 20th century "because of the dramatic decline in cavities," according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Fluoride is naturally occurring in "almost all water," but the CDC said that's usually too low of a level to help prevent tooth decay. The recommended about of fluoride in drinking water is 0.7 milligrams per liter of water, which the CDC said is similar to three drops of water in a 55-gallon barrel.
A report from the National Toxicology Program determined "with moderate confidence" that drinking water with more than double of the recommended amount of fluoride in the U.S. is "consistently associated with lower IQs in children in 10 countries." None of the studies were performed in the U.S.
The next legislative session is set to begin on Jan. 13, 2025.
