Florida becomes the first state to back radical changes to tap water amid fears of brain damage

Florida has become the first state to recommend removing fluoride from its public water systems because of the risks it poses to children’s brains.

The mineral has increasingly become part of the public debate since a dramatic government report released earlier this year and comments from Health and Human Services nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The report concluded that consuming high levels of fluoride can harm brain development in children and is associated with lower IQ.

Based on an analysis of previously published research, the report marks the first time a federal agency has determined “with moderate confidence” that there is a link between fluoride and IQ.

Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo said, “It is clear that more research is needed to address the safety and efficacy issues related to water fluoridation in the community.

“The previously considered benefit of water fluoridation in the community does not outweigh the current known risks, especially for special populations such as pregnant women and children.”

Dr. Ladapo, who has been shrouded in controversy over his response to the Covid-19 pandemic and vaccine resistance, is not the first official to call for the removal of fluoride, which was added to water to strengthen teeth and improve oral health. RFK Jr. said removing the mineral from water would be the first action he takes as an official in the new Trump administration.

The staunch anti-vaxxer has called fluoride “industrial waste” and claimed it is linked to bone fractures, arthritis, bone cancer, thyroid disease and neurodevelopmental disorders.

However, much of the literature on water fluoridation shows that the practice is safe.

Based on self-reported data from Florida, more than 70 percent of residents who rely on community water systems receive fluoridated water.

Adding fluoride to water is touted as a major public health achievement, but doubts about its benefits and concerns about its health effects are growing.

In Dr. Ladapo’s announcement, he said that “Floridians should be aware of safety concerns related to systemic fluoride exposure,” including some of those promoted by RFK.

These, he said, include ADHD risk in children, behavioral problems in children of mothers who consumed fluoride during pregnancy, sleep distribution, premature puberty in girls, thyroid disorders, lowered IQ and an increased risk of bone fractures.

The announcement continued: ‘Due to the neuropsychiatric risk associated with fluoride exposure, especially in pregnant women and children, and the wide availability of alternative sources of fluoride for dental health, the State Surgeon General recommends against the fluoridation of water in the community .’

Water fluoridation is the standard national policy in the US, England and Canada, but other developed countries such as Germany, Sweden, Scotland and Switzerland have stopped it, arguing that people now get enough fluoride from other sources, such as toothpaste and mouthwash.

And earlier this year, a U.S. federal judge ruled that the EPA must reassess national regulations on fluoride, which would make teeth more resistant to substances that can attack enamel and make them thin, weak and more susceptible to cavities and dental infections.

This map, from 2020, shows fluoride levels in untreated groundwater supplies. Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral and is often already present in many water supplies. Areas marked with a yellow or red dot have more than twice as much fluoride in the groundwater as recommended

Health authorities have long called water fluoridation one of the top ten public health achievements of the 20th century.

In addition to preventing cavities and infections, the NIH says it has saved Americans hundreds of millions of dollars in dental medical costs.

Originally introduced into the water supply in 1944, the government has taken steps to add it to most public water systems, meaning about 72 percent of Americans who consume public water drink fluoride.

Since national fluoridation was introduced, rates of dental problems in children have fallen and the program has been praised by dentists.

However, critics argue that the potential harm caused by fluoride outweighs any benefits, and that Americans get enough fluoride from other sources.

According to the advice of Dr. Ladapo, fluoride is already widely available in toothpaste, mouthwash and dental applications.

Florida is not the first state to take this path. Hawaii isn’t adding the mineral to its water because lawmakers disagree on whether it will improve oral health in the state, which has the highest rate of tooth decay in children.

Hawaii Sens. Mike Gabbard and Donna Mercado Kim have rejected fluoride recommendations, saying it amounts to unnecessary mass medication.”