TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – A bill banning fluoride in all water systems is advancing in the state senate, amid pushback from health experts.

At least 10 municipalities in the state, including Lakeland and Winter Haven, have already voted to ban the use of fluoride in public water.

If this bill passes, it could require all of Florida to ban fluoride.

The bill would ban additives in water that are not meant for water quality, including fluoride. 

Opponents of the idea believe the decision should be left up to local communities, with some saying the benefits of adding the mineral to public water are clear.

“Where fluoride is available, I see cavities come in 1-in-2 per kid, 1-in-2 per grandma. Where fluoride is not available, I see cavities coming in 1-in-2 per tooth,” said Dr. John Paul, a dentist in Lakeland.

Fluoride has been added to drinking water for years to help prevent tooth decay.

Recent concerns about potential health risks to children have led some to question the practice.

“I really didn’t have a choice in my pregnancy to decide on whether I was drinking fluoride and ingesting it or not. He doesn’t have a choice either whether I drink it and it goes through my breast milk to him,” said a mother who spoke out against fluoride at a Bartow City commissioners meeting.

The statewide proposal comes as U.S. Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. said he plans to tell the CDC to stop recommending fluoridation nationwide.

State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo, a longtime fluoride critic, believes the ban should move forward.

“It is public health malpractice with the information we have now to continue adding fluoride to water systems in Florida,” he said.

If this bill is passed, fluoride will be banned across the state starting in July.