Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called for the end of community water fluoridation on Monday, applauding Utah’s decision to prohibit the addition of fluoride to the water supply.
“It makes no sense to include it in our water supply. And I’m very proud of this state for being the first to prohibit it. “And I hope many more will come,” Kennedy told reporters in Utah.
It comes as the Environmental Protection Agency announces that it has launched a new review of fluoride’s health effects, collaborating with Kennedy’s department as it considers tightening federal restrictions on its use in drinking water.
Kennedy will also reconvene his department’s Community Preventive Services Task Force to make new recommendations on water fluoridation, according to an HHS official. Following a review in 2013, the federal task force recommended water fluoridation, citing “strong evidence” that the public health benefits of reducing cavities outweighed the costs.
“As soon as President Trump nominated me as administrator of the EPA, the secretary immediately reached out to begin discussing issues that he is very passionate about. According to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, fluoride was at the top of that list.
Fluoride has been added to public water supplies across much of the country for decades to help prevent tooth decay. Dental organizations and public health experts agree that it is a safe and low-cost intervention with proven benefits.
However, Kennedy cited a previous review by the federal government’s National Toxicology Program, which concluded that “higher levels” of fluoride were linked to lower IQ in children. These levels exceeded what is recommended for water systems.
While the program’s report concluded that more research was needed to determine whether fluoride was affecting IQ at levels found in most U.S. drinking water, a federal court ruled last year that the report’s findings were sufficient to require the EPA to do more to address this possible risk.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Kennedy went beyond the report, warning of a variety of other potential health risks ranging from hyperthyroidism to osteoarthritis. He stated that adding fluoride to water “clearly is doing harm” and undermines freedom of choice.
The EPA previously reduced its fluoride limits in water in 2011, following a National Academy of Sciences report that found some effects on thyroid and arthritic symptoms could be possible under the maximum limits at the time.
“They have not been completely well studied, but they are alarming enough that we shouldn’t be demanding that parents accept something for their children and in their homes, that is essentially a medication,” according to Kennedy.
The American Dental Association has disputed claims that water fluoridation is harmful, calling the report flawed. The organization cites ongoing evidence that the policy significantly reduces cavity rates, particularly among children in low-income communities.
Kennedy’s remarks come just days after he eliminated the CDC’s Division of Oral Health as part of the department’s massive layoffs.
Prior to its elimination, the division was in charge of promoting the safety and benefits of community water fluoridation as a way to prevent tooth decay.
The health secretary did not directly respond to a question about the possibility of rehiring many of his department’s laid-off employees, despite suggesting last week that some of the cuts he ordered were mistakes.
“No, the program — what I said was that there are programs that there are — the programs have been consolidated,” Kennedy told reporters at the scene.
Kennedy has faced criticism for layoffs that have impacted a wide range of federal health agency services, such as forcing Food and Drug Administration officials to reduce food and drug safety inspections and closing the CDC’s only labs that investigate STD and viral hepatitis outbreaks.
“We did not eliminate any core programs, critical care programs, or scientific programs. “These programs are being consolidated into a new agency that will make America healthy again,” he stated.