RFK Wants Communities Nationwide to Stop Fluoridating Water

NEW YORK — U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said this week he plans to tell the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop recommending fluoridation in communities' drinking water nationwide.

Federal officials endorsed water fluoridation in 1950 to prevent tooth decay, and in 1962 set guidelines for how much should be added to water.

However, studies have shown a link between excess fluoride and brain development, along with other health issues.

A report last year by the federal government’s National Toxicology Program, which summarized studies conducted in Canada, China, India, Iran, Pakistan and Mexico, concluded that drinking water with more than 1.5 milligrams of fluoride per liter — more than twice the CDC's recommended level — was associated with lower IQs in children.

Some studies have suggested that fluoride is associated with arthritis, bone breaks and thyroid disease at higher-than-recommended levels.

Kennedy has called fluoride a “dangerous neurotoxin” and “an industrial waste.” He said he is forming a task force of health experts to study fluoride with updated information.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it would review new scientific information on potential health risks of fluoride in drinking water. The EPA sets the maximum level allowed in public water systems.

State and local governments decide whether to add fluoride to water, which means Kennedy can’t order communities to stop fluoridation, but he can tell the CDC to stop recommending it.

The CDC's recommendations, while followed by many communities, are not mandatory.