Well being and Human Companies (HHS) secretary Robert Kennedy has been vocal in his need to ban fluoride from public ingesting water. As lately as final month, in an interview on Fox News’ The Faulkner Focus, Harris Faulkner requested Kennedy about considerations held by dentists and public well being specialists that taking added fluoride out of water would trigger an increase in dental considerations, significantly amongst low-income youngsters who don’t repeatedly see a dentist.
“It is a matter,” the secretary conceded, “it is a steadiness. You are gonna see in all probability barely extra cavities, though in Europe, the place they banned fluoride, they didn’t see an uptick in cavities. The difficulty is mother and father have to resolve as a result of science may be very clear on fluoride. The Nationwide Toxicity Program issued a report of a meta-review of all of the science on it in August that mentioned there is a direct inverse correlation between the quantity of fluoride in your water and your lack of IQ.”
There’s rather a lot to unpack right here, beginning with…
Fluoride isn’t banned in Europe
Whereas it’s true most international locations in Europe don’t add fluoride to their water provides, fluoridation isn’t banned throughout the continent, although some international locations (the Netherlands, for instance) have certainly prohibited including fluoride to water.
Many European international locations have by no means fluoridated their water. Others have stopped fluoridating their water — usually as a consequence of logistical points or public strain — however didn’t essentially ban the observe.
In a variety of European international locations, fluoride ranges discovered naturally within the water are adequate to guard towards cavities and don’t warrant any additions. Others desire so as to add fluoride to different generally ingested substances, like salt or milk.
And certainly a handful of European international locations, or municipalities inside international locations, do certainly fluoridate their water, together with Eire, UK, and Spain.
A 2018 survey of 28 EU nations discovered that no nation has banned and even halted fluoridation efforts as a consequence of hurt, and few have carried out so as a consequence of security considerations.
Much less fluoride in water has been linked to extra cavities
Although Kennedy claims there have been no extra cavities present in Europe after the cessation of fluoride remedies, studies have pointed to an increase in caries (one other phrase for cavities) as soon as fluoride stopped being added to water sources. Exact information is difficult to return by since fluoride isn’t simply current in water — individuals additionally get fluoride in toothpaste, mouthwash, or fluoride complement tablets, which Kennedy also hopes to ban.
The Canadian metropolis of Calgary banned fluoride in 2011 solely to reverse course a couple of decade later when space dentists started to see important upticks in cavities.
Fluoride has been linked to decreased IQ, however context is vital
Whereas a meta-analysis revealed earlier this yr in JAMA Pediatrics did join fluoride to barely lowered IQ in youngsters, however solely at ranges which might be considerably greater than what they’re in U.S. water provides. There was no evidence on this evaluation to point that low fluoride ranges negatively have an effect on IQ in both youngsters or adults. Furthermore, different research have criticized the January 2025 research for methodological and statistical flaws.
Two states have banned fluoridating water lately
Fluoride has been added to U.S. public water provides since the 1940s. In the present day, fluoridated water is equipped to almost 75% of Individuals via public water techniques. Water fluoridation efforts have been hailed as a significant public well being triumph of the twentieth century, as cavities characterize the most prevalent chronic disease in each youngsters and adults.
However earlier this yr, each Florida and Utah have banned the addition of fluoride in water. Quite a lot of different states, together with Louisiana, Nebraska, South Carolina, Massachusetts, and Kentucky have launched related laws.
They may wish to name Calgary earlier than they do the rest…
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