Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that he plans to direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to end its recommendation that fluoride be present in public drinking water sources.
Kennedy shared his plans with The Associated Press following a news conference with EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. The health secretary commended Utah for being the “leader in making America healthy again,” as Governor Spencer Cox (R) signed a bill making the state the first to ban fluoride in public drinking water.
“I’m very, very proud of this state for being the first state to ban it, and I hope many more will,” Kennedy said.
In a statement surrounding the new evaluation of fluoridation, Zeldin said, “Without prejudging any outcomes, when this evaluation is completed, we will have an updated foundational scientific evaluation that will inform the agency’s future steps to meet statutory obligations under the Safe Drinking Water Act.”
“Secretary Kennedy has long been at the forefront of this issue. His advocacy was instrumental in our decision to review fluoride exposure risks and we are committed to working alongside him, utilizing sound science as we advance our mission of protecting human health and the environment,” he added.
A 2024 report from the National Toxicology Program found that “fluoride exposure above 1.5 milligrams per liter is associated with lower IQ in children,” the EPA explained.
States such as Florida and Tennessee have launched efforts to reevaluate fluoridated water. Florida’s Surgeon General, Joseph Ladapo, has called for local governments to stop adding fluoride to water, saying, “Moms and children exposed to higher levels of fluoride have experienced adverse neurologic and neuropsychiatric effects. I mean, it’s appalling. But it’s actually been documented in multiple studies now.”
In January, Tennessee State Senator Joey Hensley introduced Senate Bill 162, which proposes an amendment to Tennessee law that would prohibit water suppliers from adding fluoride to public water systems.
