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Senate approves requirement that water systems receive batch certificates for fluoride; dentists warn of dental impact
Summary
The Senate passed a bill requiring suppliers to provide certificates of analysis for fluoride batches to local water systems and for public posting; supporters said it increases transparency, dentists warned it could lead utilities to reduce fluoride levels and harm dental health.
The Tennessee Senate approved legislation requiring companies that supply fluoride for public water systems to provide certificates of analysis for each batch, and directing water systems to make those certificates available to the public.
Senator Crow, sponsor of the bill, said the measure does not ban fluoride use but “simply says that that certificate that shows what's in the batch that they're putting in your water systems is supposed to be given to the water system and then put on your website so that people can see what they're drinking.”
Supporters described the change as a transparency measure to help water-system operators and the public respond quickly if a problematic batch causes contamination or a spill. “Until the day we can take fluoride out of the water, I support this bill,” said Senator Hensley, adding that workers handling fluoride “certainly need to know what's in it.”
Dentists and some senators, however, warned that stricter public reporting requirements or narrower ranges might prompt utilities to reduce fluoride levels below the public-health standard. “Fluoride has effectively kept our teeth in this country doing much better than in other countries that don't have fluoride in the water,” said Senator Campbell, who said she would vote against the bill for that reason.
After discussion, the Senate approved the measure on third reading and declared the bill passed by constitutional majority.
