DC, Experts Say Fluoridated Water Is Safe, Contrary to RFK Jr.’s Warnings

The mineral fluoride, at the right dose, has been shown to reduce the risk of tooth decay. Based on studies demonstrating this in children drinking naturally fluoride-containing water, individual cities in the U.S. began to add fluoride to tap water beginning in 1945. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and multiple expert groups endorse water fluoridation as a safe way to reduce tooth decay, including the American Dental Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatrics. However, a Feb. 4 post from independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on X, formerly known as Twitter, made a sweeping claim about fluoride’s effects on the nervous system. “As president. I’m going to order the CDC to take every step necessary to remove neurotoxic fluoride from American drinking water,” the post said. Kennedy, who has a history of advocating against water fluoridation, accompanied his claim about fluoride’s neurotoxicity with a link to a Law360 article about testimony in a trial that has been unfolding in a San Francisco-based federal district court. The case was brought against the Environmental Protection Agency by nonprofit organizations and other plaintiffs and alleges that fluoridation poses “an unreasonable risk of injury...