Fluoride in drinking water poses enough risk to merit new EPA action, judge says

NEW YORK (AP) — Fluoride in drinking water poses a risk to the intellectual development of children, and U.S. environmental regulators need to address it, a federal judge in California has ruled.

U.S. District Judge Edward Chen cautioned that it’s not certain that the amount of fluoride typically added to water is causing lower IQ in kids, but he concluded that mounting research points to an unreasonable risk that it could be. He ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to take steps to lower that risk, but didn’t say what those measures should be.

The judge’s ruling is another striking dissent to a practice that has been hailed as one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century. Fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Last month, a federal agency determined “with moderate confidence” that there is a link between higher levels of fluoride exposure and lower IQ in kids. The National Toxicology Program based its conclusion on studies involving fluoride levels at about twice the recommended limit for drinking water.

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