Oklahoma Ends Recommendation To Add Fluoride To Water

Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

The Oklahoma State Department of Health has removed its recommendation that fluoride be added to public water systems, joining a growing number of states that have rolled back similar guidance.

An archived version of the webpage states the department “supports community water fluoridation and recognizes the practice as safe, cost-effective and beneficial to all who drink and use the water.” The page now returns an error message.

“I’m instructing the Oklahoma Department of Health to stop recommending fluoride in our water,” Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, said during a press conference on June 26. “Cities and water districts, they can still choose to do what they want, based on their constituents and the science, but it’s no longer going to be a recommendation from the state health department.”

An executive order issued by Stitt on the same day said that there is “growing public concern, evolving scientific research, and fundamental principle of informed consent that call into question the continued appropriateness of mandatory fluoridation of the public drinking water system, a practice historically supported by the State of Oklahoma as a means of promoting dental health.”

The order directs state health and environmental officials to “immediately cease any state-level promotion or endorsement of fluoridation of the public water supply.”

It also directs the officials to carry out a comprehensive review of all state policies and procedures related to adding fluoride to public water supplies.

Stitt ordered the officials to submit a written report of their findings to him and lawmakers within 90 days.

The report shall document fluoridation practices and include “concrete recommendations and a timeline for transitioning away from a position or practice that mandates or promotes the fluoridation of the public water supply,” according to the order.

Some states have acted against water fluoridation, including Utah and Florida, in recent months.

Fluoride is a mineral. Proponents of adding fluoride to water say it helps prevent cavities. Opponents say the practice can result in negative effects, such as lower IQ.

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. opposes water fluoridation and said in April he would tell the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop recommending it.

The CDC has not stopped recommending adding fluoride to water. The agency, which is part of Kennedy’s department, said in a May statement that “water fluoridation is beneficial for reducing and controlling tooth decay and promoting oral health across the lifespan.”

Kennedy joined Stitt for the June 26 news conference, during which Stitt also announced the launch of a Make Oklahoma Healthy Again (MOHA) campaign, modeled after Kennedy’s and President Donald Trump’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative.

Stitt’s order established a MOHA advisory council and directed state officials to examine the use of artificial dyes in food for schools and programs.

“For far too long, we have settled for food that has made us sicker as a nation,” Stitt said in a statement. “In Oklahoma, we’re choosing common sense, medical freedom, and personal responsibility. President Trump and Secretary Kennedy have led the charge nationally, I’m grateful for their support as we Make Oklahoma Healthy Again.”

Kennedy told reporters on Thursday that the country is dealing with a mental health crisis and that “there’s more and more emerging science that shows how it’s directly connected to our food.”

He said that improving food through initiatives such as the ones introduced by Stitt will end the mental health crisis.