Utah became the first state in the nation to restrict all but a few approved flags in government buildings and to prohibit fluoride from being added to public water systems.

Since 1945, this mineral has been widely added to U.S. drinking water to prevent cavities. While the safety of water fluoridation has been debated since the 1940s, recent years have seen heightened concerns.

Republican Governor Spencer Cox signed a bill into law Thursday banning fluoride from the state's drinking water becoming the first to do so.

Utah has become the first U.S. state to outlaw the addition of fluoride to public drinking water. The law, which was signed by Gov. Spencer Cox on March 27 and will go into effect on May 7, comes amid renewed scrutiny of fluoride,

The order—which will go into effect on May 7—is a culmination of a baseless premise that originated in the 1960s that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy has pushed even further. Fluoride removal bills are also on the table in North Dakota,

Utah has become the first state to ban adding fluoride to public water. The law was signed Thursday by Republican Gov. Spencer Cox, among 77 other bills. The ban, which still allows pharmacists to prescribe fluoride,

Fluoride helps strengthen teeth and prevent cavities. SALT LAKE CITY - Utah is now the first state to ban fluoride in public drinking water, despite widespread opposition from dentists and national health organizations.

Utah officially became the first state in the nation to ban fluoride in public drinking water after Gov. Cox signed H.B. 81 into law Thursday.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed a bill this week making the state the first in the nation to ban fluoride in public drinking water. Under the bill, a person "may not add fluoride to water in, or water that will be introduced into a public water system" and a "political subdivision may not enact or enforce an ordinance that requires or permits the addition of fluoride to water in,