Health Secretary Intends to Tell CDC to Halt Drinking Water Fluoridation Recommendation

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., President Trump’s appointee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), announced on Monday that he plans to tell the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to stop recommending the addition of fluoride in public drinking water. The CDC currently recommends an optimal fluoridation level of 0.7 mg/L to help prevent dental problems in consumers. The practice of public water fluoridation is widely regarded as one of the best public health initiatives of the 20th century because of the health and cost saving benefits the practice provides to consumers. There is debate, however, about the potential developmental harms that fluoride consumption can have on children, although more research on the topic needs to be conducted.

Following the announcement, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it will “expeditiously review new science on fluoride in drinking water.” This review of more recent studies that link fluoride to low IQ in children will inform EPA’s decision to adjust its MCL levels, and EPA is conducting this review alongside Secretary Kennedy and DHHS. EPA currently has a primary maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 4.0 mg/L and a secondary MCL of 2.0 mg/L for fluoride in drinking water.