U.S. Health Secretary pushes reevaluation of fluoride in water

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he plans to tell Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to stop recommending fluoridation in communities nationwide. Kennedy said he’s assembling a task force of health experts to study the issue and make new recommendations.

Also, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it is reviewing “new scientific information” on potential health risks of fluoride in drinking water. The EPA sets the maximum level allowed in public water systems.

In Arizona, several communities don’t have optimally fluoridated water, most notably Tucson. Other cities that don’t fluoridate are Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Cave Creek, Goodyear, Flagstaff, Kingman, Globe, Hayden, Miami, Payson, Cottonwood, Jerome, Bisbee and Prescott Valley.

Phoenix, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale, El Mirage, Tempe and Yuma actively add fluoride to their water supplies.

Will Humble, Executive Director of the Arizona Public Health Association, joined us to discuss and to explain what fluoride is, why it is added to water supplies, the benefits and whether there are any bad effects.

Fluoride is a “mineral that when it’s in drinking water, provides extra protection for your teeth so that you’re less likely to get cavities,” Humble said.

The decision to fluoridate water is made by city councils within states and has been that way since the 1960s, Humble explained. Some of the claims that have created this opposition against fluoridation in water are that it could damage bone strength, however, Humble said the amount of insertion of fluoridation is what will cause problems.

“Those systematic reviews consistently show that it’s safe and effective, so if the water has more than one part per million, the recommendation is 0.07%, that 2% of the people will get what’s called fluorosis so a discoloring of the enamel, which is cosmetic, that’s the effect,” Humble said.

He predicted the decision will depend on the jurisdiction between CDC and the states to negotiate fluoridation in water.