Why Health Secretary RFK Jr. says Utah is leading out on 'Making America Healthy Again'

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's new laws banning fluoride from public water, restricting certain additives from school lunches, and barring food stamps from being used to purchase soft drinks make the state a leader of the White House's public health approach, according to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Kennedy stood alongside Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, and the state lawmakers responsible for those laws at the University of Utah Monday afternoon, holding the state up as an example of his "Make America Healthy Again," or MAHA, philosophy to public health.

"I'm very proud of Utah," Kennedy said. "It has emerged as the leader in making America healthy, and we have a public health crisis now in our country like nothing we've ever seen before."

Kennedy urged other states to follow Utah's lead as it became the first state to ban fluoridation of public water systems and said he plans to direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop recommending that communities add the mineral to water to fend off tooth decay. He claimed adding fluoride to water can have adverse effects on cognition and that ingesting the mineral doesn't have the same benefits as applying it topically.

"It makes no sense to have in our water supply," he said. "I'm very, very proud of this state for being the first state to ban it, and I hope many more will come."

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin — one of three Trump administration officials in Utah on Monday, along with Kennedy and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy — said Kennedy's passion about fluoride made the issue a top priority for his agency, as well.

"If any members of the media wanted to quiz Secretary Kennedy on every aspect of science that is out there on fluoride, he is ready for any question that you have for him," Zeldin said. "He's read all the studies. He's memorized them, and he's fighting for them."

Dentists, however, have been opposed to Utah's fluoride bill, saying the mineral is critical to prevent cavities in low-income children and others.

Fluoride is safe and effective at levels currently recommended for communities, according to Darren Chamberlain, a pediatric dentist and board member of the Utah Dental Association. While he said Kennedy is right that there are some advantages when fluoride is applied topically instead of ingesting it, he said taking fluoride orally is beneficial for developing teeth.

"Fluoride in the water is a very cost-effective way to be able to help those that don't have a choice in the matter, which are infants and children, and you're going to see those children be affected dramatically in the next few years," Chamberlain said. "(Kennedy) touted a lot of research; that research is unfounded."

High levels of exposure to fluoride are "associated with lower IQ in children," per a 2024 National Toxicology Program report cited by both Kennedy and Zeldin, but Chamberlain said that study addressed fluoride intake at twice the levels currently recommended as safe.

The report itself states: "It is important to note that there were insufficient data to determine if the low fluoride level ... currently recommended for U.S. community water supplies has a negative effect on children's IQ."

"I think it's very interesting that we, as a state, would take away the right of communities who are drinking the water to be able to vote on whether they have fluoride in the water," Chamberlain said. "I see the most vulnerable in the state — they don't get to choose if their parents brush their teeth. ... And it breaks my heart when I have a child come in that I have to fix 16 of their teeth because their parents didn't brush their teeth and neglected them."

Although HB81 allows pharmacists to prescribe fluoride supplements as a way to make it easier for those who want additional fluoride to get it, Chamberlain said it's not that easy to implement because most pharmacists aren't trained to calculate the correct dosage for a patient — which can vary based on the amount of naturally occurring fluoride in their local water.

Rep. Stephanie Gricius, R-Eagle Mountain, disagrees, saying the bill gives families the "freedom to choose for themselves."

"This approach enables Utahns to receive fluoride in a manner that takes into account proper dosage as well as personal health needs, rather than a one-size-fits-all," she said. "This is the type of commonsense policy that makes Utah the greatest state in the nation. We empower individuals to choose what they put into their bodies while fulfilling the proper role of government."

"Utah is leading the way in making America healthy again," Schultz added. "We're not afraid to lead on these issues, even though they're very controversial in some circumstances. We know that when Utah leads, other states will follow."

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