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Committee hears sharply divided testimony on bill to ban adding fluoride to public water
Summary
Senate Bill 162, a one-line proposal to prohibit adding fluoride to public water systems, drew proponents who cited recent toxicity reports and opponents who defended fluoridation's dental benefits; the sponsor asked to roll the bill to next week after extended testimony.
Senate Bill 162, introduced by Senator Hensley, would ban deliberate addition of fluoride to municipal drinking water, a measure the sponsor framed as an informed-consent issue. Supporters said ingestion-based exposure poses systemic health risks and that topical fluoride provides most dental benefit. After hearing multiple witnesses, Senator Hensley asked the committee to roll the bill for a week to allow further consideration.
Speakers who testified in support included Dr. Jack Call, a dentist and executive chair of the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology, who described a shift in recent scientific findings. "Please remember, teeth can be repaired, but brains cannot," he told the committee, urging a precautionary approach. Kathleen Thiesen, a scientist who worked on fluoride exposure reviews, told senators: "In conclusion, there is no safe level of fluoride exposure, and the ideal maximum concentration of fluoride in drinking water should be 0." Water-plant operator Clark Culver said operators face infrastructure and dosing risks, arguing fluoride "introduces operational risk, infrastructure damage, and dosing challenges." These speakers urged a prohibition or moratorium on adding fluoride.
Opponents included retired and practicing dental professionals who said U.S. fluoridation at recommended concentrations has demonstrated public-health benefits. Leon Stanislav, speaking for community members and the Tennessee Dental Association, said he "firmly stand[s] in support of community water fluoridation at the current recommended level of 0.7," and warned that discontinuing fluoridation would raise dental-care costs and emergency visits. Alicia Zamipore, legislative chair of the Tennessee Dental Hygienist Association, recounted clinical experience supporting systemic fluoride's role in enamel health: "I know the importance of receiving systemic fluoride and hardening their enamel."
The committee adopted an amendment to the bill earlier in the hearing but did not take a final vote; after testimony and member questions, the sponsor asked to roll SB 162 to next week for additional review and the chair agreed. The bill will return to the committee at the scheduled final meeting.
