The Louisiana Senate approves legislation that would allow local governments to hold a vote to see if their residents want to have fluoride removed from their drinking water. Houma Republican Mike Fesi is the author of the bill; he says fluoride is bad for your body and your brain.
“In a lot of kids, it’s a known fact; a lot of children, where fluoride is dominant, their IQs are lower than areas that their fluoride is not put into the water,” Fesi explained.
The measure passed on a 26-7 vote. Some Democrats voted for the legislation, like Lafayette Senator Gerald Boudreaux, who is fine with giving Louisiana voters an opportunity to decide if they do not want fluoride in their water.
“If you wanted to take it away, then you would have to have a vote of the people. That’s what we’re supposed to be doing, is allowing those municipalities who want out to opt out by a vote of the people,” Boudreaux said.
Local governments began adding fluoride to public water systems in the mid-1900s as a way to prevent tooth decay. Health experts say it’s safe. But Fesi says more research keeps coming out on how fluoride impacts your body, including parts of your brain.
A recent Yale publication suggests there can be health risks if too much fluoride is in drinking water, but at recommended levels it is safe.
“While the benefits of fluoride are clear, prolonged exposure to high levels of fluoride can be harmful to teeth and bones (known as fluorosis), which includes causing discoloration, spots, or damage to teeth and bone fractures. There has also been more recent evidence that low to moderate levels of fluoride exposure may be linked to lower IQ in children. This recent research observed these negative effects at fluoride levels that were more than double the amounts recommended for U.S. community water fluoridation programs,” according to a Yale School of Public Health article in 2025.
