As states move to ban fluoride in drinking water, experts say people do not need to worry about what’s coming from the tap.
Dr. Rob Warren is a professor of sociology at the University of Minnesota. He studies how early-life exposures affect people long-term. He said concerns that drinking fluoridated water will result in lower IQ come from studies in places with naturally high levels of fluoride in groundwater.
“If I were the mayor of a small town in China that had astronomically high amounts of fluoride in the water for geological reasons, I would pay attention to those studies, and I would really think about how to fix it,” Warren said. “But if I am a federal or state or local official in the United States with some say over community water fluoridation, I would want results and scientific evidence from the United States and from representative samples from the United States.”
“And when we use those kinds of data, we do not see a connection between community water fluoridation and IQ at the levels, in the ballpark of the levels recommended by the CDC,” Warren said.
The debate over water safety comes as federal policy undergoes a significant shift under the Trump administration. According to an Associated Press report, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has signaled his intent to reverse decades of federal guidance by directing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop recommending water fluoridation. Kennedy, who has characterized fluoride as a “dangerous neurotoxin,” is reportedly assembling a task force of experts to reassess health risks, while the Environmental Protection Agency has simultaneously launched a review of federal limits on fluoride in public water systems.
While the CDC has endorsed water fluoridation since 1962—citing it as a premier public health achievement that significantly reduces tooth decay—the AP reports that the agency’s influence is currently in flux. Recent budgetary shifts have led to the elimination of the CDC’s Division of Oral Health, raising questions about the future of federal support for dental initiatives. Although Kennedy lacks the authority to ban fluoridation directly, the AP analysis notes that his shift in recommendations could significantly erode public trust and accelerate a trend seen in states like Utah and Mississippi, where some communities have already halted the practice.
Warren also said drinking water with fluoride at CDC-recommended levels keeps kids’ teeth strong and reduces cavities.
When kids have fewer dental problems, they have less pain and spend more time in school.
Original article online at: https://www.kwqc.com/2026/05/14/expert-defends-tap-water-safety-federal-fluoride-policy-faces-uncertainty/