For the second year in a row a Louisiana lawmaker is proposing a ban on fluoride in public drinking water. And this time, an amendment to the measure could make all the difference in navigating the bill successfully through this legislative session, unlike last year.
That’s according to members of the Louisiana Senate Health and Welfare Committee. The same committee approved a very similar measure in 2025, sponsored by Senator Mike Fesi, R-Houma. That effort ultimately failed in a House committee. So Fesi has returned in 2026, where he made his case before members, on Wednesday, March 18: [Courtesy/La. Senate/VOD]
* [video/audio clip at: 1:32:52] “Fluoride is a hazardous waste that we put into our water. It’s also considered a ‘forever chemical.’ So one of the concerns about it is not just our health issues but being a forever chemical, when we dispose of our water and everything goes into the sewer systems, now we’re pumping up the fluoride in all of our water systems.”
Fesi also made a point a characterizing fluoride as a hazardous waste a number of times in his testimony. He and others who testified in support of removing fluoride
But it was committee member Sen. Senator Gerald Boudreaux, D-Lafayette, who offered an amendment to the proposed legislation. Instead of a statewide ban, Senate Bill No. 4, , would allow customers in each individual water system with more than 5,000 service connections, to vote if they want their water supply to remain fluoridated:
* [video/audio clip at: 2:07:54] “Give them the opportunity to decide what those communities want without the statewide ban and without forcing people to have to opt back in.”
As Louisiana Public Radio reports, The Louisiana Dental Association (LDA) for one, strongly opposes the bill. The group said as much in a strongly worded letter pointing out that only 40% of state citizens live in areas where water districts even add fluoride. According to the LDA, evidence showing that community water fluoridation at .7 mg/L (equivalent to three drops in a 55 gallon barrel) is a safe and effective public health measure.
But fluoride opponents often cite studies which suggest a potential link between high exposure levels and lower IQ scores in children. That includes highly controversial research results published in a January 2026 JAMA Pediatrics meta-analysis of fluoride exposure (above 1.5 mg/L) and lower IQ scores in children.
The amendment stipulates that getting the question of keeping or removing fluoride from your public water system, on an election ballot would require a petition signed by at least 15% of affected voters. Fesi’s amended bill, SB No. 4 now advances to the full Senate for debate.
