The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention once called fluoridation of drinking water one of the 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century thanks to its ability to help fight tooth decay. Come January, the new presidential administration is poised to argue otherwise.
“On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water,” said Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom President-elect Donald Trump has announced as his choice for Health and Human Services Secretary, in a post to X. “Fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease. President @realDonaldTrump and First Lady @MELANIATRUMP want to Make America Healthy Again.”
Yet despite Kennedy’s looming advisement, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says the decision to fluoridate a water supply is made by state or local municipalities, and is not mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency or any other federal body. Fluoridation is common in California and throughout the country, while studies have shown it can help populations improve oral health, particularly in lower income areas. A CDC study suggested fluoridation saved an estimated $6.5 billion a year in dental treatment costs. WHY FLUORIDE? According to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, fluoride was initially discovered to help teeth in the late 1920s and early 1930s while studying mottled enamel disorder in Idaho and Colorado Springs. After years of study, Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1945 became the first city in the world to fluoridate its drinking water and it was later believed that tooth decay became preventable for most people for the first time in history.
By 1954, 20 million Americans were receiving fluoridated tap water, and in 2012 nearly three-quarters of the United States population had access. By 2015, the U.S. Public Health Service determined the optimal fluoride concentration was 0.7 milligrams-per-liter of fluoride to drinking water, which led to water services throughout the country adopting it as standard. Today, fluoride is one of the most common ingredients in everyday toothpastes because it’s been proven to rebuild dental enamel, fight plaque and prevent cavities. WHERE IS FLUORIDE IN CALIFORNIA? In 1995, Assembly Bill 733 became a law that said all water systems in the state with at least 10,000 service connections must fluoridate their water supplies if funding is available. All of the water agencies in Sacramento County fluoridate water with the exception of an industrial area in Northgate, according to the county. The Placer County Water Agency does not fluoridate its water throughout most of the county, though Rocklin receives water from Roseville during the warmer months, which adds fluoride to its water. Placer County’s last record of having regular fluoridated water was in 2012, according to information provided by the state.
Local areas that don’t fluoridate their water include the El Dorado Irrigation District and Davis. EID says its water supply is surface water stemming from snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains. There’s no record of EID ever having fluoride in its water. El Dorado Hills residents are most likely to get their water from Folsom Lake; others primarily get water from Jenkinson Lake. Some water comes from providers to the east during summer months when demand is high. A list of locations in the state that fluoridate there water supplies can be found on the CDC’s website or any water provider’s website. But California is not among the most fluoridated states. According to the CDC, California ranks 40th with 57.5% of its population receiving fluoridated water, significantly less than the nationwide average of 72.7%. Washington, D.C. and Kentucky are both near 100%, while Minnesota (98.8%), Illinois (98.4%), North Dakota (96.5%), Virginia (95.5%), Georgia (94.9%), South Dakota (93.8%), Maryland (93.7%) and Ohio (92.7%) round out the top 10, respectively. IS FLUORIDE CONTROVERSIAL? Kennedy, who has a history of being against widely-accepted vaccines, would go against years of conventional wisdom should he formally recommend a nationwide halt of adding fluoride to drinking water.
But there are studies that suggest overexposure to fluoride can lead to health issues, which is why government agencies outlined recommendations for concentration levels. A study published by JAMA Pediatrics in 2019 found increased levels of fluoride exposure during pregnancy were associated with declines in children’s IQ, while another study of 229 pregnant women and their children suggested increased exposure to fluoride roughly doubled the risk of a child having neurobehavioral problems. However, David Bellinger, a neurology professor at Harvard Medical School, suggested to Politifact there is no concrete evidence that says if typical fluoride exposure causes health issues or if they come from over-exposure. He also said fluoride being available in dental products could muddy exposure studies. “The fact that there are now multiple pathways of exposure to fluoride besides fluoridated water makes it really difficult to attribute a particular adverse effect to the fluoride added to the water,” he wrote to Politifact in an email. “It is the cumulative exposure from all sources that contribute to any adverse health effects.”
Original article online at: https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article295885689.html