Florida Set To Ban Fluoride In Public Drinking Water
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who likened fluoride to "forced medication," said he intends to sign the bill. Meanwhile in Utah, dentists brace for an influx of dental decay as the first-in-the-nation fluoride ban goes into effect. Also in the news: Nebraska, Connecticut, Tennessee, Illinois, and Hawaii.
Health News Florida:
DeSantis Says He Will Sign Bill Banning Fluoridation In Public Water Systems
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday said he plans to sign into law a bill that bans the use of fluoride in public water systems across the state. When it becomes law July 1, local governments are prohibited from using fluoride or other health additives to municipal water supplies, a practice that's been in place for decades to fortify dental hygiene. (Mayer, 5/6)
AP:
Utah Dentists Prepare For The First Statewide Fluoride Ban
With Utah’s first-in-the-nation ban on fluoride in public drinking water set to take effect Wednesday, dentists who treat children and low-income patients say they’re bracing for an increase in tooth decay among the state’s most vulnerable people. Republican Gov. Spencer Cox signed the law against the recommendation of many dentists and national health experts who warn removing fluoride will harm tooth development, especially in young patients without regular access to dental care. (Schoenbaum, 5/6)
More health news from across the U.S. —
AP:
A Republican Nebraska Bill Would Criminalize Hemp-Based THC
Kind Life Dispensary has been offering cannabinoid gummies, tinctures, ointments, now even canned beverages for seven years as one of the first businesses in Nebraska to offer such products. Founder and co-owner Andrea Watkins said her venture has been wildly successful, and she now has three locations in Nebraska’s capital city that employ eight people and sell to hundreds of regulars who use the products to treat everything from aches and pains to anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. But now, she’s worried her livelihood will crumble as a bill winding its way through the Nebraska Legislature would outlaw most of the products she sells. (Beck, 5/6)
The CT Mirror:
As CT 1199 Strike Deadline Looms, Nursing Homes Face Added Costs
Though Connecticut’s largest health care workers’ union has a May 19 strike deadline at 51 nursing homes, facilities already have incurred costs to prepare for a possible work stoppage, the head of a major industry association said Tuesday. (Phaneuf, 5/6)
Politico:
'How Come I Can’t Breathe?': Musk's Data Company Draws A Backlash In Memphis
Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company is belching smog-forming pollution into an area of South Memphis that already leads the state in emergency department visits for asthma. None of the 35 methane gas turbines that help power xAI’s massive supercomputer is equipped with pollution controls typically required by federal rules. (Wittenberg, 5/6)
Belleville News-Democrat:
Over 80K In Metro East Have Elevated PFAS In Their Water
More than 80,000 people in Madison County recently learned their city’s water exceeded new state and federal limits on contamination from PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” the last time it was tested. Collinsville had some of the highest levels in the state: four and a half times the limit for one type of chemical. (Cortes, 5/6)
AP:
Adults Can Still Marry Teens At 15 After Death Of Proposed Ban In Hawaii
Fifteen-year-olds can’t get a driver’s license or vote in elections, but they can get married in Hawaiʻi – one of a shrinking number of states that allows underage marriage. A bill that would’ve outlawed the practice, raising the legal age of marriage to 18 without exceptions, passed the Hawaiʻi House of Representatives this year but failed to gain traction in the Senate. It’s the seventh year in a row Hawaiʻi lawmakers have considered a child marriage ban without passing legislation despite a push by national advocacy groups to end the practice. (Jedra, 5/6)
