The movement by state legislators to ban fluoridation in public water systems, which was recently made lawful in Utah and Florida, now has a proponent in the Massachusetts legislature. Rep. Justin Thurber (R-Somerset) has introduced a bill (H 2548) that would ban the addition of fluoride to Massachusetts public water supply systems.

Needless to say, the Massachusetts Dental Society is vigorously advocating against the proposal. Thurber was likely prompted by his constituents to push this legislation because voters in Somerset in May passed an article to petition the state for a home rule exemption to allow them to enact a town fluoride ban.

Will Massachusetts follow Florida and Utah and proceed in the direction of proposals to ban fluoridation in Kentucky and Nebraska? The figurehead of anti-fluoridation efforts now has the bully pulpit of the federal government in Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and his position as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  Kennedy said in April that he will instruct the Centers for Disease Control to stop recommending fluoride in drinking water, despite scientific data confirming that fluoridation has decreased tooth decay in generations of Americans for decades without documented harmful effects from reasonable amounts introduced into municipal water supplies.

On the other hand, the medical journal JAMA published an article showing that if all U.S. water fluoridation programs were to cease, children could expect 25.4 million more cavities in the next five years.

H 2548 is being referred to committee in Massachusetts, so stay tuned

Brian Hatch
Hatch Legal Group
8 North Main Street, Suite 403
Attleboro, MA 02703
HatchLegalGroup.com
brianhatch@hatchlawoffices.com
508-222-6400