Get Healthy!
- Posted March 30, 2026
Fluoride Quietly Removed From Birmingham Water Years Ago, Officals Face Backlash
Folks residing in Birmingham, Alabama, recently learned that their drinking water would no longer contain fluoride.
But there was a bigger surprise. It turns out fluoride had already been removed years ago, without the public's knowledge.
Officials with Central Alabama Water (CAW) said some treatment plants stopped adding fluoride as early as 2023. A third plant stopped in March 2024.
CAW spokesperson John Matson said the utility says it has "no record" that residents were ever told. The changes were made when the utility was under different leadership and had a different name.
The issue came to light just days after the utility announced it would stop adding fluoride altogether, based on costs and old infrastructure, NBC News reported.
Officials said repairs to fluoridation systems would cost more than $3.7 million.
Fluoride has been added to public water to help prevent cavities for decades.
Groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Dental Association support fluoridation, especially for kids.
About 72% of people served by public water systems in the U.S. receive fluoridated water, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Experts warn that removing it can have real health effects.
“It certainly is true that fluoride-containing toothpaste is effective at preventing decay, but it’s not true that that alone justifies removing fluoride from our drinking water,” Dr. Scott Tomar of the University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry told NBC News.
He warned that the change could increase cavities, especially in kids.
“It has probably put youngest children at the greatest risk, because that’s usually where we see it show up first when fluoridation stops,” he added.
Some Trump administration health officials have raised concerns about fluoride, but many experts say the evidence is weak.
Before becoming the U.S. health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed fluoridation could be linked to conditions like bone cancer and IQ loss. But scientists say there is not enough data to support those claims.
Still, some states are moving away from fluoridation. Utah has banned it and Florida has followed. At least 21 states have introduced similar bills.
Birmingham City residents have raised concerns about how the change was handled.
Mayor Randall Woodfin criticized the lack of communication in a Facebook post, NBC News said.
“Y’all can get the same energy I gave the prior board when you are not transparent and honest with the customers,” Woodfin said. “You are not just a public entity. This is our water we are talking about. Stop playing with us.”
Meanwhile, a former attorney for the area’s previous water board alleged that “the individuals most responsible for allowing the fluoride systems to fall into disrepair are now running CAW.”
CAW spokesman Matson said the utility informed state health and environmental agencies when fluoridation stopped and is committed to being more transparent.
More information
The American Dental Association has more on fluoridation in water.
SOURCE: NBC News, March 27, 2026
