The city also kept in place its monitoring of natural levels of fluoride in the water system.
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Santa Fe officials said that the fluoride levels in the previous ordinance were out of date, since federal guidance since 2015 has recommended fluoride levels of about 0.7 parts per million.
