New Mexico’s Santa Fe Stops Adding Fluoride to Water

The city also kept in place its monitoring of natural levels of fluoride in the water system.

A person fills up a glass of water from a tap in San Anselmo, Calif., on July 6, 2023. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

One of New Mexico’s largest cities will no longer add fluoride to its water supply, joining a growing number of other municipalities.

Officials in Santa Fe, the fourth-most populous city in the state, have approved an ordinance that removes a city code requiring the fluoridation of the municipal water system.

Two members of the Santa Fe City Council introduced the change during an Oct. 8 meeting, and the council approved the ordinance.

Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber signed the measure on Oct. 15, changing Section 25-1.8 of the city code by removing these lines: “The water supply of the city shall be fluoridated by the addition of sufficient fluoride ion to raise the concentration of fluoride ion reaching each customer to an optimal level on one (1) part per million parts of water. The fluoride ion level shall be maintained between a minimum of eight-tenths (.8) part per million parts and a maximum of one and two-tenths (1.2) parts per million parts of water.”

It also altered a section stating that the city must monitor fluoride ion levels in water samples at least once per month. The new version of the section states that the city shall test naturally occurring fluoride levels in the water at least once per month and report the results in its annual water quality report.

Fluoride is a mineral that has for years been added to water across the United States. Water fluoridation can help prevent tooth decay, although the benefits are less significant than they were before the introduction of fluoride-containing toothpaste, according to a 2024 analysis. Some research has also indicated that fluoridation could lead to dental fluorosis and lower IQ.

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in April that he would tell the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to stop recommending it, but the CDC to date still recommends water fluoridation. A recent government report states that the Environmental Protection Agency will review new information on the potential health risks of fluoride in water, which would inform new CDC recommendations.

Santa Fe officials said that the fluoride levels in the previous ordinance were out of date, since federal guidance since 2015 has recommended fluoride levels of about 0.7 parts per million.

Santa Fe’s naturally occurring fluoride levels range from 0.3 parts per million to 0.6 parts per million, Jesse Roach, interim director of Santa Fe’s Public Utilities Department, said at a recent meeting.

He said the equipment that adds fluoride to water has fallen into disrepair and would cost $400,000 to $600,000 to update, in addition to an ongoing $30,000 to $40,000 annual cost. He advised pausing water fluoridation and monitoring the natural levels of the mineral in the water supply.

Santa Fe Councilor Carol Romero-Wirth, one of the council members who introduced the ordinance, said at an August meeting, “What we think that we should do is monitor our naturally occurring levels, which are at the [CDC] recommendation for dental health, and that we continue at this time to, while we remove this requirement that’s too high, monitor the natural levels and monitor the legal and scientific developments at the national level, as this conversation continues, and perhaps a new standard is set.”

Jennifer Thompson, chair of the New Mexico Dental Health Care Board, said in a statement to news outlets after the ordinance was approved that ending water fluoridation in Santa Fe “jeopardizes the oral and overall health of residents and will increase costs for families, insurers, and taxpayers.”

She said that adding fluoride to water is safe and helps reduce the need for dental treatments.