A bill before the governor would prohibit adding fluoride to water systems. The move could affect children’s health, experts warned.

Utah is on the verge of becoming the first state to prohibit cities and towns from adding fluoride to their public water supply. The Utah Senate on Friday voted 18-8 to give final

The Republican-controlled statehouse sent the bill to Gov. Spencer Cox’s (R) desk last week after it passed both chambers largely along party lines.

Utah appears to be the first state ready to put a full ban on fluoride in public water systems under a bill that doesn’t allow cities or communities to decide whether to add the cavity-preventing mine

The Utah governor’s signature is all that stands between a state ban on water fluoridation after House Bill 81 cleared its final hurdle in the legislature on Friday.