Florida recommends communities stop adding fluoride to water supply
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Florida's surgeon general issued guidance on Friday recommending communities in the state stop adding fluoride to their water.
Why it matters: There is ample evidence fluoride in water improves dental health and is safe at the level recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While the federal government can't require municipalities to remove fluoride from their water, earlier this month Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's pick to lead Health and Human Services, said the administration could issue national guidance advising against it.
State of play: The memo from Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo cites studies linking high levels of fluoride exposure to intellectual and behavioral development challenges in children.
- Ladapo acknowledges there isn't evidence that the recommended amount of fluoride in water — 0.7 milligrams per liter — has negative health effects.
- But the state official, who has reportedly been a contender for a role in the Trump administration, recommends against water fluoridation because high concentrations of the mineral have been linked to neuropsychiatric delays.
- There's already "wide availability" of other fluoride sources for dental health, such as toothpastes and fluoride application at the dentists' office, his memo says.
Catch up quick: Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral found in water.
- U.S. public health officials have recommended since the 1960s that municipalities adjust the amount of fluoride in their water supply to a level that helps prevent tooth decay.
- The current fluoride recommendation from the federal government amounts to about three drops of water in a 55-gallon barrel.
- Adding fluoride to a local water system can make dental health more widely accessible, as it reaches people who can't or don't see a dentist often.
- A little over half (53%) of Florida adults had dental insurance in 2018.
What we're watching: Ladapo's guidance doesn't require municipalities to take action, but some Florida cities have already voted to stop adding fluoride to their water, and others are considering the move. Friday's memo could influence additional cities to do the same.
- More than 70% of Florida residents on community water systems received water with added fluoride as of 2023, according to the memo.
