Fluoride Levels in Drinking Water To Be Reviewed by EPA

Review comes amid RFK Jr.’s plan to urge the CDC to end its recommendation for adding fluoride to public drinking water.

Federal regulators indicate that they intend to launch a review of the safety and effectiveness of adding fluoride to drinking water, which has been a common practice in communities nationwide for decades.

Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that has been recognized for its role in promoting strong teeth and healthy gums for decades. Due to these benefits, experts have advised adding it to public water supplies since the 1950s, following research that showed a notable decline in childhood cavities when fluoride was present in drinking water.

However, more recent studies have questioned the benefits of adding fluoride to drinking water, while others have raised concerns about potential health risks. Some research suggests fluoride exposure may lower children’s IQ and that prenatal consumption could increase the risk of autism and ADHD in unborn children.

Amid these growing concerns, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has recently announced that he intends to instruct the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to stop recommending that communities add fluoride to their drinking water.

In a press release issued last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it intends to “expeditiously review new scientific information on potential health risks of fluoride in drinking water.”

Issued in conjunction with an event in Salt Lake City, Utah that featured HHS Secretary RFK Jr., EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin indicated that the renewed evaluation will help guide the agency’s decisions regarding fluoride standards under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

The Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 allows the EPA to set national drinking water standards to protect against both manmade and natural contaminants.

This reevaluation of fluoride standards in drinking water is based on a National Toxicology Program report from August 2024, which concluded that exposure to fluoride levels above 1.5 milligrams per liter could lead to lower IQs in children. That report also encouraged additional research to better understand any health risks that might be associated with even lower levels of fluoride concentration.

The EPA intends to review prior findings from both the U.S. government and peer-reviewed journals to help make any necessary revisions to existing fluoride standards. The agency says it will work in conjunction with other federal, state and local agencies, including HHS, to research and implement any new standards it devises.

“Secretary Kennedy has long been at the forefront of this issue. His advocacy was instrumental in our decision to review fluoride exposure risks and we are committed to working alongside him, utilizing sound science as we advance our mission of protecting human health and the environment,” Administrator Zeldin said.