Overview

• Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has instructed the CDC to stop recommending community water fluoridation and is forming a task force to reassess its safety and efficacy.
• The EPA, under Administrator Lee Zeldin, is reviewing recent studies on fluoride exposure, including links to lower IQ levels in children at higher-than-recommended concentrations.
• Utah recently became the first state to ban fluoride in public drinking water, a move Kennedy praised as a potential model for other states to follow.
• Critics, including the American Dental Association, warn that ending fluoridation could increase dental cavities, particularly in vulnerable populations lacking access to dental care.
• Fluoride has been a key public health measure since 1945, with federal guidelines supporting its use to prevent tooth decay, though recent studies have raised concerns about overexposure.