Tennessee lawmakers could look at water fluoridation next session

Tennessee could be one of the next states to address fluoride levels in drinking water as some question its benefits versus possible risks.

The debate over fluoridation reignited after statements from Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump's nomination for secretary of Health and Human Services.

"On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S​. water systems to remove fluoride from public water," Kennedy said in a post on X. "Fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease."

Florida's surgeon general issued a guidance on Nov. 22 about a possible neuropsychiatric risk associated with fluoride exposure.

"Due to the neuropsychiatric risk associated with fluoride exposure, particularly in pregnant women and children, and the wide availability of alternative sources of fluoride for dental health, the state surgeon general recommends against community water fluoridation," Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph A. Ladapo said.

In Tennessee, state lawmakers and at least one local utility company are questioning the benefits of fluoridation in water.

"I think there's going to be legislation this year that's going to try to possibly recommend what Florida's recommending," said Sen. Rusty Crowe, R-Johnson City, at a recent Government Operations Joint Subcommittee on Commerce, Labor, Transportation and Agriculture meeting.

One northern Tennessee town is considering eliminating fluoride from water. The Woodland Utility District will hold a meeting Tuesday, and the authority is expected to vote on it, according to a report from WTVF. Paul Clay, a Woodlawn water treatment operator, is quoted as saying he believes fluoride causes health problems in younger children.

The city of more than 10,000 people does not list how much fluoride is included in the water on a database from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that provides information about fluoridation for U.S. water systems.

Nashville's Metro Water Services maintains a fluoride level of approximately 0.7 mg/L (or ppm) in its drinking water, Sonia Allman, manager of strategic communications, said in an email to The Center Square.

"Metro Water Services looks to the health professionals regarding fluoridation, Allmann said. "Since 1950, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the American Dental Association, and other leading public health authorities have continuously and unreservedly endorsed the optimal fluoridation of community water supplies as a safe and effective public health measure for the prevention of dental decay."

The Tennessee Department of Health advocates for fluoride, calling it "nature's cavity fighter." A Gibson County water system was the first to add fluoride in 1951, according to the agency's website. More than 88% of the state's water systems add fluoride.

"Every dollar spent on community water fluoridation saves $38 in dental costs and helps to keep our children in school, learning, instead of sitting in a dentist’s chair with a toothache," the agency said on its website. "We lose 51 million school hours each year in the U.S. due to dental-related childhood illnesses."