Why water fluoridation is under fire in the US

By MIKE STOBBE and KASTURI PANANJADY NEW YORK AP U S Vitality Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has commented he wants communities to stop fluoridating water and he is setting the gears of regime in motion to help make that happen Kennedy this week explained he plans to tell the Centers for Ailment Control and Prevention to stop recommending fluoridation in communities nationwide And he disclosed he s assembling a task force of soundness experts to inquiry the issue and make new recommendations At the same time the U S Environmental Protection Agency publicized it would review new scientific information on probable healthcare risks of fluoride in drinking water The EPA sets the maximum level allowed in general water systems Here s a look at how reversing fluoride initiative has become an action item under President Donald Trump s administration The benefits of fluoride Fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear according to the CDC In federal leaders endorsed water fluoridation to prevent tooth decay and in set guidelines for how much should be added to water Fluoride can come from a number of sources but drinking water is the main one for Americans researchers say Nearly two-thirds of the U S population gets fluoridated drinking water according to CDC material The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water was long considered one of the greatest residents physical condition achievements of the last century The American Dental Association credits it with reducing tooth decay by more than in children and adults About one-third of society water systems out of across the U S serving more than of the population fluoridated their water according to a CDC analysis A inhabitants water fountain is seen Friday March in Grosse Pointe Park Mich AP Photo Paul Sancya The prospective problems of too much fluoride The CDC now recommends milligrams of fluoride per liter of water Over time studies have documented likely problems when people get much more than that Excess fluoride intake has been associated with streaking or spots on teeth And studies also have traced a link between excess fluoride and brain advancement A record last year by the federal cabinet s National Toxicology Initiative which summarized studies conducted in Canada China India Iran Pakistan and Mexico concluded that drinking water with more than milligrams of fluoride per liter more than twice the CDC s recommended level was associated with lower IQs in kids Meanwhile last year a federal judge ordered the EPA to further regulate fluoride in drinking water U S District Judge Edward Chen cautioned that it s not certain fluoride is causing lower IQ in kids but he concluded that research pointed to an unreasonable exposure that it could be Kennedy has railed against fluoride Kennedy a former environmental lawyer has called fluoride a dangerous neurotoxin and an industrial waste tied to a range of medical dangers He has mentioned it s been associated with arthritis bone breaks and thyroid ailment Various studies have suggested such links might exist usually at higher-than-recommended fluoride levels though specific reviewers have questioned the quality of available evidence and explained no definitive conclusions can be drawn How fluoride recommendations can be changed The CDC s recommendations are widely followed but not mandatory State and local governments decide whether to add fluoride to water and if so how much as long as it doesn t exceed the EPA s limit of milligrams per liter So Kennedy can t order communities to stop fluoridation but he can tell the CDC to stop recommending it Related Articles If they cut too much people will die Healthcare coalition pushes GOP on Medicaid funding Suicides and attempts fall in strength systems implementing the Zero Suicide Model scrutiny finds RFK Jr says he plans to tell CDC to stop recommending fluoride in drinking water Immigration crackdowns disrupt the caregiving industry Families pay the price Less heart infection more breast cancer takeaways from a new description on moderate drinking It would be customary to convene a panel of experts to comb through the research and assess the evidence that speak to the pros and cons of water fluoridation But Kennedy has the power to stop or change a CDC recommendation without that The power lies with the secretary but population trust would erode if recommendations are changed without a clear scientific basis revealed Lawrence Gostin a masses medical law expert at Georgetown University If you re really serious about this you don t just come in and change it he stated You ask somebody like the National Academy of Sciences to do a assessment and then you follow their recommendations On Monday Kennedy declared he was forming a task force to focus on fluoride while at the same time saying he would order the CDC to stop recommending it HHS representatives did not answer this instant questions seeking more information about what the task force would be doing Chosen places are already pulling back on fluoridation Utah lately became the first state to ban fluoride in drinking water and legislators elsewhere are looking at the issue An Associated Press analysis of CDC evidence for states shows that numerous communities have halted fluoridation in latest years Over the last six years at least water systems that consistently communicated their input in those states have stopped fluoridating water according to the AP s analysis Mississippi alone accounted for more than in of those water systems that stopped Preponderance water systems that discontinued fluoridation mainly did so to save money explained Melissa Parker the Mississippi state wellness department s assistant senior deputy During the pandemic Mississippi s wellbeing department allowed local water systems to temporarily cease fluoridating because they could not purchase sodium fluoride in the midst of global supply chain issues Numerous never restarted Parker noted CDC funding for fluoride is typically a small factor Since CDC has funded a limited number of state oral robustness programs through cooperative agreements The agreements run in cycles and at the beginning of this year states were each receiving over three years The money can be used on a number of things including collecting statistics on people with dental problems dental care and technical assistance for society water fluoridation exercises The current oral robustness funding is going to Iowa Kansas Louisiana Maryland Michigan Minnesota Missouri Ohio Nevada New York North Dakota Pennsylvania South Carolina Virginia and Wisconsin The states are informed not to use the money for chemicals because the funding is intended to help set up fluoridation not for everyday expenses federal personnel have revealed South Carolina for example sets aside up to to help communities in that state fluoridate Iowa spends about to promote district water fluoridation Earlier this year CDC leaders declined to answer questions about how much of the total oral healthcare money has been going toward fluoridation Now there is no one to ask Last week the CDC s entire -person Division of Oral Healthcare was eliminated as part of widespread authorities staffing cuts Congress appropriated money to CDC specifically to advocacy oral robustness programs and chosen congressional staffers say the agency must distribute those funds no matter who is running the HHS or CDC But Trump-driven budget cuts have struck at a number of programs that Congress had called for and it s not clear what will happen to the CDC oral healthcare funding Fluoridation is relatively cheap compared with other water department expenses and greater part communities exclusively incorporate the cost into the water rates charged to customers according to the American Water Works Association In Erie Pennsylvania for example fluoridating water for people costs about to a year and is entirely funded by water rates commented Craig Palmer the chief executive of the Erie Water Authority So cutting off the CDC money would not have much impact on majority of communities particular experts stated although it could be more impactful for chosen smaller rural communities Pananjady announced from Philadelphia The Associated Press Vitality and Science Department receives sponsorship from the Howard Hughes Therapeutic Institute s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation The AP is solely responsible for all content