A bill to ban the use of the mineral in public water passed the Florida House 88-27. It now awaits Gov. Ron DeSantis' signature.

A bill to ban the use of the mineral in public water passed the Florida House 88-27. It now awaits Gov. Ron DeSantis’ signature.

Lawmakers in Florida gave final passage to a bill to ban fluoride in public water systems Tuesday, with the state House voting 88-27.

SB 700, also known as the Florida Farm Bill, doesn’t mention the word “fluoride,” but it would effectively ban the chemical compound by preventing “the use of certain additives in a water system.” The bill awaits Gov. Ron DeSantis’ signature.

If DeSantis, a Republican, signs the bill, Florida will become the second state to ban fluoride from water supplies.

  • ryrybang@lemmy.world
    1561·
    10 days ago

    Leave Florida if you can. Especially if you have or are expecting children. Moving isn’t always possible, but if you live in Florida know that your state is actively trying to hurt you.

    • tal@lemmy.todayEnglish
      247·
      10 days ago

      You don’t need municipal water to be fluoridated if you just want your kids to have fluoridation. When I was a kid, we didn’t have fluoridation available in our municipal water, and so my folks got themselves a water cooler and ordered delivery of five gallon bottles of fluoridated water for it. Mom made a point of making milk with it from powdered milk so that everyone got their fluoridation. You can still get those bottles.

      I mean, I’m sure that the great bulk of people aren’t going to do that, and that it’s going to lead to dental problems down the line, but it’s not like an individual can’t get ahold of the water if they want it. Costs more per unit of water volume to have it delivered than to pipe it in, but then, you’re not drinking all that much volume of water, either; most residential water use goes to things other than drinking.

      EDIT: Plus, if you have a water cooler, you also can have chilled water. We didn’t have a powered cooler; ours was just an unpowered, gravity-fed dispenser, but all of the modern-day ones I’ve run into in offices have a chiller.

      https://www.amazon.com/s?k=water+dispenser+cooler

      If I lived in (tropical) Florida, I’d probably want to have chilled water handy…

      • P00ptart@lemmy.world
        30·
        10 days ago

        You’re kinda missing the point. It doesn’t stop at flouride. It doesn’t stop at deregulating manufacturing waste. Nothing in politics is “just one thing” it’s either an up or down trend that continues until people force change.

      • atzanteol@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        16·
        10 days ago

        You don’t leave Florida because you want flouride in your water. You leave Florida because it’s the type of state that would ban flouride in the water.

      • hansolo@lemm.eeEnglish
        2·
        10 days ago

        Done even need that.

        I went to a rural school and every week on Tuesdays we took 10 minute shifts to go rinse our mouths with a fluoride mouth wash. 1 gallon jug with a pump and Dixie cups. Lasted most of a school year.

  • then_three_more@lemmy.world
    484·
    10 days ago

    Yanks love to stereotype Brits as having bad teeth when statically your teeth have more cavities and removals (our dentistry focuses on health over cosmetics). Hopefully shit like this can fully kill that off that stereotype.

        • turtlesareneat@discuss.onlineEnglish
          14·
          10 days ago

          The majority of people I know with dental issues couldn’t afford to have minor things fixed so they turned into major things.

          Dental insurance is a joke and lots of people don’t even get that joke.

          • Ledericas@lemm.eeEnglish
            1·
            9 days ago

            i had to wait 10years befor going to the dentist, because it was mostly unaffordable, one of my bros went to a dentist who dint take insurance but they charged hundreds per (whatever they were doing for the teeth), ultimately resulting in an abscess /root canal and then a very expensive implant.

            the dentist reasoning is because insurance dont fully reimburse for the cost of the procedures, plus its a hassle to deal with in general.

    • evasive_chimpanzee@lemmy.world
      162·
      10 days ago

      The UK largely doesn’t fluoridate, so this is one of the (few) areas where the US actually does better than the UK. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_fluoridation_by_country

      The UK does generally have better tooth health in the grand scheme of things, but it’s actually pretty close, and the US is still really high on the list.

      https://www.yongeeglintondental.com/blog/healthy-primary-teeth/

      Without checking, I suspect the US’s slightly higher cavity rate is more down to sugar consumption than received dental care.

      • Ledericas@lemm.eeEnglish
        4·
        9 days ago

        and also dental care isnt usually covered by most insurance so people try to ignore the problem til its too late.

          • andros_rex@lemmy.world
            1·
            8 days ago

            Vision insurance is also completely useless.

            “Whoops, your prescription is too strong. We only cover glasses for the mildly blind.”

            I stopped signing up for vision insurance when it was cheaper to do some “two for one frames” deal without insurance.

    • Ledericas@lemm.eeEnglish
      1·
      9 days ago

      what ive found out when i was looking for toothpaste is how many people are obsessed with whitening thier teeth, that alot of toothpaste have it. whitening toothpaste actually damages the teeth overtime, either via through peroxides, or high abrasive toothpastes. Also if your going sls and flouride free, they also tend to have alot of whitening products in them too. and these also cause ulcers and chelitis issues.

  • toy_boat_toy_boat@lemmy.worldEnglish
    161·
    10 days ago

    Don’t worry, y’all, they’re probably gonna make lead pipes great again, too!

    edit - that way, you can all look and act like wild bill from the green mile! isn’t that GREAT?