Does adding fluoride in drinking water pose a health risk? Why RFK Jr. is calling on the CDC to stop it

For decades, fluoridation of drinking water has been common in the US. It has been a public health measure to prevent dental caries and tooth decay. So much so that the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers the practice of water fluoridation as one of the 10 great public health achievements in the 20th century.

While pros and cons of adding fluoride in water has been discussed for years, the issue is back in headlines with the US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr calling for states to stop fluoridated drinking water.

Kennedy on Monday said he is all set to tell CDC to change its fluoridation recommendation for drinking water, adding that he’s assembling a task force to focus on the issue. He told The Associated Press about his plans post a news conference in Salt Lake City. It will however not be easy for CDC to reverse its earlier position and advice against fluoridation.

CDC has maintained that fluoridation safely and inexpensively benefits both kids and adults by effectively preventing tooth decay.
Pros and cons of adding fluoride to drinking water
Fluoride in drinking water has been found beneficial for dental health but higher intake adversely affect tooth enamel and may give rise to mild dental fluorosis.

"Elevated fluoride intakes can also have more serious effects on skeletal tissues. Skeletal fluorosis (with adverse changes in bone structure) may be observed when drinking-water contains 3–6 mg of fluoride per litre," as per background document for development of WHO guidelines for drinking-water quality.

The WHO recommends fluoride level of up to 1.5 milligrams per litre in drinking water.

Why RFK Jr wants to stop this practice

Linking fluoride with various health problems, the US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has vowed to eliminate fluoride from drinking water.

Despite warnings by dentists and some national health organizations, Utah last month became the first state to ban fluoride in public drinking water.

Kennedy hailed Utah for taking the lead in “making America healthy again.”

As per reports, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is also reviewing “new scientific information” on potential health risks of fluoridation of drinking water.

In 1945, Grand Rapids, Michigan, initiated the first US water fluoridation program to reduce tooth decay. Following positive outcomes, fluoridation expanded nationwide, reaching about 50 million people by 1960. As of 2006, approximately 69.2% of Americans on public water systems received fluoridated water.