JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Florida’s fluoride ban in public drinking water is set to go into effect on July 1. However, not much will change locally.
According to JEA, it does not and will never add fluoride to drinking water.
Fluoride is a mineral that naturally occurs in water sources such as lakes and rivers, and is even naturally present in some foods and beverages, according to the American Dental Association (ADA).
“It’s a stronger version of the natural mineral your teeth are made out of,” James Nguyen, dentist at Distinctive Dentistry, said.
Fluoride also replaces minerals lost from teeth due to acid breakdown.
But people have long raised doubts about fluoride, claiming that it could be harmful and could negatively impact children’s development.
Governor Ron DeSantis has called water fluoridation “forced medication,” making the move to ban fluoride from public drinking water.
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“So I can see both perspectives here. You know. One is, you know, I believe in being able to control, you know, what you’re exposed to. And, it’s like putting vitamins in the water, essentially. And some people might like that, some people might not,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen said many of his patients will ask about the safety of fluoride.
“In the correct amounts, calcium, salt, fluoride, they’re beneficial and can improve the strength of your teeth. A lot of the controversy from fluoride originated around the movie Dr. Strangelove. One of the premises in that movie was fluoride was mind control from the government,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen said it is important to know about the history of fluoride.
“How did we discover that fluoride was good for us? And I think it was back in the 60s. They found that certain populations naturally had really low decay rates, and some populations had really high decay rates. And the one they studied what the differences were, they found that the naturally fluoridated water resulted in really low decay rates,” Nguyen said.
JEA’s most recent water testing revealed fluoride levels ranging from 0.4 to 1.22 mg/L.
The EPA said this is a perfectly safe amount that’s beneficial for your teeth.
“We do not and we never have added fluoride to JEA drinking water,” JEA spokesperson Karen McAllister said.
JEA, Clay and St. Johns utilities all said that the fluoride that’s present in their drinking water is natural.
“I would say there is nothing for JEA customers to worry about. We don’t add fluoride to our water. Fluoride is naturally occurring in the Florida aquifer at or below levels recommended by the CDC,” McAllister said.
Nguyen said fluoride is one of the modern advances of science that has proven benefits and no known detrimental effects.
“So to me, it’s more of a political play than really anything. And the impact to us here in Duval County is none, because our natural water is naturally fluoridated,” Nguyen said.
According to the Florida Department of Health, the closest areas to our area that are actively fluoridating their water are the city of Alachua and the Gainesville Regional Utilities, which serves Alachua County, also Daytona Beach in Volusia County.