A Maine lawmaker has introduced a bill to prohibit fluoride from being added to public water supplies, the Maine Morning Star reported April 22.
Public water systems are legally able to fluoridate drinking water as long as they have voter approval. LD 1570 would end that practice while instituting civil penalties for communities that intentionally violate the ban.
Rep. Jennifer Poirier introduced LD 1570 April 22, describing water fluoridation as “mass medication without the ability to monitor individual dosage or gain consent.”
More than 60 community water systems in the state currently add fluoride to their water supplies, serving more than 520,000 people, according to state data.
Utah most recently became the first state to enact a statewide ban on community water fluoridation. Several other states are weighing bans, including Florida, Texas, Tennessee and Ohio.