AUSTIN (Nexstar) — The Texas Agriculture Commissioner, Sid Miller, called on Gov. Greg Abbott and the State Legislature to institute a statewide ban on fluoride and other non-water additives.
“Every American family can decide what’s good for them and what’s not,” Miller said about why he wants to ban the use of fluoride in water. “We don’t need the government telling us how to live our lives.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fluoride is added to drinking water as a public health measure to prevent tooth decay and reduce cavities. It is up to state and local governments to decide if it will add small amounts of fluoride into its drinking water.
There are numerous studies on the safety of fluoride. The Texas Dental Association highlighted one called, “U.S. Public Health Service Recommendation for Fluoride Concentration in Drinking Water for the Prevention of Dental Caries” from 2015. It looked at the optimal fluoride concentration in drinking water for prevention of dental caries, or tooth decay, in the United States.
The study stated, “Community water fluoridation remains an effective public health strategy for delivering fluoride to prevent tooth decay and is the most feasible and cost-effective strategy for reaching entire communities.”
In recent years, there have been debates over whether to have fluoride in the drinking water in Texas cities and municipalities. In 2017, the city of Buda put the question to a vote and its citizens decided against fluoridated water.
Last year, the Abilene City Council unanimously voted to temporarily ban the use of fluoride in its drinking water. It was the second time the city decided to ban fluoridated water. City leaders said at the time that the Trump administration and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. would look into the question of fluoridated water. Kennedy was confirmed as the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.
In 2023, the Brushy Creek Municipal Utility District in Williamson County decided to stop adding fluoride into its drinking water. It told residents in a letter that scientists have “raised questions about the long-term effects and potential risks associated with water fluoridation. While some studies suggest benefits, others indicate potential adverse health effects, especially in vulnerable populations such as infants, individuals with kidney disease, and those with specific medical conditions.”
The TDA fought against the decision from the Brushy Creek MUD in 2023, writing its own letter to argue the benefits of fluoridated water. Dr. Tyrone Rodriguez, a pediatric dentist and spokesperson for the TDA in 2023, said at the time that, “The science that’s behind fluoridation is a very current science. And there are fringe studies that alarm people because they are done with excessive amounts, and they’re done with abnormal types of exposures.”
There is a national movement to rid the drinking water of fluoride. Miller said he endorsed efforts happening in Florida, Utah, Tennessee, New Hampshire and North Dakota. Currently there is no law filed at the Texas Capitol to institute a statewide ban on water fluoridation, but Miller hopes lawmakers will let Texans decide.
“I’m a big boy and I can decide that. My family can decide that,” Miller explained.
We reached out to the governor’s office but have not heard back as of this story.
