RFK Jr wants to remove fluoride from US tap water over brain damage fears – what does the science say?
Robert F Kennedy Jr. calls for the removal of fluoride from the US water supply, calling it his first act as an official in a possible Trump administration.
Reports that the controversial former presidential candidate may be tapped for a position in Trump’s White House have been circulating for weeks, and RFK tweeted that if appointed, he would “advise all US water systems to remove fluoride from public water.”
In a post on
Adding fluoride to water is touted as a major public health achievement, but doubts about its benefits and concerns about its health effects are growing.
Water fluoridation is standard national policy in the US, England and other countries Canada, but ohother developed countries such as Germany, SwedenScotland and Switzerland have stopped this, arguing that people now get enough fluoride from other sources such as toothpaste and mouthwash.
And earlier this year, a US federal judge ruled that the EPA must reassess national fluoride regulations based on a study conducted by a federal organization that provided “moderate confidence” evidence that fluoride was linked to lower IQ in children.
Still, Dr. Paul Offit, a physician in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, told NPR that Kennedy’s claims are misleading.
Dr. Offit said: ‘Fluoride has tested well. It clearly and definitively reduces the number of cavities and is not associated with any clear evidence of the chronic diseases mentioned in that tweet.
Robert F Kennedy Jr. is an ardent anti-vaxxer and stated that he would remove fluoride from public water systems if given a position in a possible Trump White House
Other health authorities stand behind Offit, calling water fluoridation one of the ten greatest public health achievements of the 20th century.
The NIH says it helps prevent cavities, prevent disease and avoid hundreds of millions of dollars in related medical costs for Americans.
Much of the literature on water fluoridation, which began in the US in 1944, shows that the practice is safe.
Since then, the government has taken steps to fluoridate most public supplies, meaning that about 72 percent of Americans who use public water supplies drink water with fluoride added.
The element makes teeth more resistant to substances that can attack enamel – such as citrus fruits, sugary foods and carbonated drinks – causing teeth to thin, weaken and become more sensitive.
This, in turn, prevents cavities and other dental infections.
Since national fluoridation was introduced, rates of dental problems in children have fallen and the program has been praised by dentists.
Critics have been raising concerns about the safety of fluoride for almost as long.
In his November 2 message on X, Kennedy said: ‘Fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders and thyroid disease.’
He then linked to a video of anti-vaccine advocate Del Bigtree.
It is not clear whether Trump supports this plan, and he has yet to publicly state whether he would give Kennedy a position in his administration if he were to win.
However, the former president did say in a phone conversation with NBC: “Well, I haven’t talked to him about it yet, but I think it’s okay.”
But, Dr. Offit told NPR: ‘Robert F Kennedy Jr. is a science denier. He makes up his own scientific truths and ignores the actual truth.’
The US began adding fluoride to their tap water in the 1940s. About 72 percent of Americans who use public utilities receive fluorinated drinking water
Fluoride is the active ingredient in most toothpastes, and 13 million children participate in fluoride mouthwash programs, in which students rinse their mouths with sodium fluoride mouthwash during the school day. according to the NIH.
In 2015, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Agency reviewed the levels of fluoride added to water and decided to standardize the national recommendation.
Older recommendations had allowed different concentrations based on local air temperature, but the 2015 update set the limit at 0.7 mg of fluoride per liter of water.
However, this re-evaluation did not come about because of concerns about health consequences, but was intended to address concerns that higher levels of fluoride could cause white spots on teeth.
But critics point to other countries that have eliminated the substance from their water supplies.
Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden have dropped fluoride plans in favor of other national dental programs. They didn’t ban fluoride outright, and there is a history of it in Germany add fluoride salty.
Opponents of fluoridation note that its addition to water may have been necessary for people in the twentieth century who did not have access to fluoride in dental products, but that in the modern world people already ingest enough fluoride – and excessive exposure could be harmful
Recently a study was conducted in the US National Toxicology Program found that there was a link between high levels of fluoride exposure and lower IQ.
The fluoride levels they included in the study were two times higher than the federal limit for drinking water.
The authors wrote that this does not definitively prove that fluoride causes lower IQ, noting that their research only establishes a pattern between the two.
The authors said: ‘Many substances are healthy and beneficial when taken in small doses, but can cause harm at high doses. More research is needed to better understand whether there are health risks associated with low fluoride exposure.”
Still, federal judge Edward Chen found the evidence from the investigation compelling enough to issue an order asking the EPA to regulate the drinking water. He asked specifically
In response to Jude Chen’s statement, the American Dental Association strongly supported fluoridation.
It said: ‘The most important thing the public health and public health community can take away from this ruling is that it does not conclude with any certainty that fluoridated water is harmful to public health.’
