EPA must review risks of risks of fluoride in drinking water to children, judge rules 

A federal judge in California has ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to strengthen regulations for fluoride in drinking water, saying the compound poses an unreasonable potential risk to children at levels that are currently typical nationwide.

U.S. District Judge Edward Chen in San Francisco on Tuesday sided with several advocacy groups, finding the current practice of adding fluoride to drinking water supplies to fight cavities presented unreasonable risks for children’s developing brains.

Chen said the advocacy groups had established during a non-jury trial that fluoride posed an unreasonable risk of harm sufficient to require a regulatory response by the EPA under the Toxic Substances Control Act.

“The scientific literature in the record provides a high level of certainty that a hazard is present; fluoride is associated with reduced IQ,” wrote Chen, an appointee of Democratic former President Barack Obama.

But the judge stressed he was not concluding with certainty that fluoridated water endangered public health.

The ruling was hailed by the environmental group Food & Water Watch, which led a coalition of organizations that sued the EPA in 2017. The agency had denied their so-called citizen’s petition asking it to consider banning fluoridation chemicals from public drinking water.

“The court’s historic decision should help pave the way towards better and safer fluoride standards for all,” Michael Connett, a lawyer for the advocacy groups, said in a statement on Wednesday.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRepublicans seek inroads with Black voters in Michigan’s tight Senate race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSEurope’s protests are about more than schools. They are a generational roar.

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump is desperate to bring gas prices down. The solution might be in India.

FOR SUBSCRIBERSNew AI tool for voters offers a specialized chatbot to explain your ballot

FOR SUBSCRIBERSWhat the rural data center boom looks like, from the people who have lived through it

FOR SUBSCRIBERSInteractive map: How far do you live from the nearest data center?

FOR SUBSCRIBERSiPhone Duo review: The good, bad and the buggy

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAnger over rising prices could be decisive in Alaska’s unusually close Senate race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDOJ weighs election litigation against more states

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP Senate hopeful Ashley Hinson balances standing by Trump and standing up to him in Iowa

FOR SUBSCRIBERSInside the reopened U.S. Embassy in Caracas

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAIPAC shifts tactics amid voter frustration with Israel

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe viral attack ad featuring an estranged mother

FOR SUBSCRIBERSU.S. troops and diplomats evacuating Middle East posts, sources say

FOR SUBSCRIBERSBogus trans youth brochure rattles Texas voters

Slide 1 of 1

The EPA said it was reviewing the decision.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRepublicans seek inroads with Black voters in Michigan’s tight Senate race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSEurope’s protests are about more than schools. They are a generational roar.

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump is desperate to bring gas prices down. The solution might be in India.

FOR SUBSCRIBERSNew AI tool for voters offers a specialized chatbot to explain your ballot

FOR SUBSCRIBERSWhat the rural data center boom looks like, from the people who have lived through it

FOR SUBSCRIBERSInteractive map: How far do you live from the nearest data center?

FOR SUBSCRIBERSiPhone Duo review: The good, bad and the buggy

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAnger over rising prices could be decisive in Alaska’s unusually close Senate race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDOJ weighs election litigation against more states

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP Senate hopeful Ashley Hinson balances standing by Trump and standing up to him in Iowa

FOR SUBSCRIBERSInside the reopened U.S. Embassy in Caracas

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAIPAC shifts tactics amid voter frustration with Israel

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe viral attack ad featuring an estranged mother

FOR SUBSCRIBERSU.S. troops and diplomats evacuating Middle East posts, sources say

FOR SUBSCRIBERSBogus trans youth brochure rattles Texas voters

Slide 1 of 1

Water in the U.S. has been fluoridated since 1945, though the recommended levels have since been lowered to address the potential for tooth damage and other risks.

More than 200 million Americans, or about 75% of the population, currently have fluoride added to their drinking water at recommended levels of 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water.

Communities add fluoride to water on a voluntary basis. Doctors and dentists recommend it because it can help protect children’s teeth that have not yet broken through the gums. The U.S. practice differs from Europe, where fluoridated drinking water is rare.