Communities across the U.S. have been adding fluoride to their water systems since the 1960s, and in Michigan even longer, but that could change under Donald Trump’s second term.
President-elect Donald Trump recently nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a fluoridation opponent, to run the Department of Health and Human Services.
“For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health. … Mr. Kennedy will restore these Agencies to the traditions of Gold Standard Scientific Research, and beacons of Transparency, to end the Chronic Disease epidemic, and to Make America Great and Healthy Again!,” Trump said on X on Nov. 14.
RFK Jr. has said he hopes to remove fluoride from all drinking water in the U.S.
“On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S?. water systems to remove fluoride from public water. Fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease,” Kennedy said on X on Nov. 2. In a reply to that post, Kennedy also called fluoride a neurotoxin.
While fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral found in the water of many communities, Grand Rapids was the first city in the nation to intentionally add fluoride to its water, on Jan. 25, 1945.
The city was chosen to take part in a study, according to the Grand Rapids Historical Commission, “because of its large population of school-age children, its closeness to Lake Michigan, which is mostly free of natural fluoride, and its proximity to Muskegon, which served as the control city.”
By 1955, the study found a 65% reduction in tooth decay, the commission said.
As more cities added fluoride, by 1975, more than 100 million Americans drank fluoridated water, the Centers for Disease Control said. In 2008, more than 64% of U.S. residents drank fluoridated water.
Here’s what to know about fluoride.
Who is Robert F. Kennedy Jr.?
Kennedy was born on Jan. 17, 1954, in Washington, D.C. He is the nephew of America’s 35th President, John F. Kennedy, and the son of his attorney general, Robert F. Kennedy.
RFK Jr. graduated from Harvard University, studied at the London School of Economics and received his law degree from the University of Virginia Law School. He then attended Pace University School of Law, which awarded him a master’s degree in environmental law. He served on the Pace Law School faculty from 1986 to 2018 and cofounded and supervised Pace’s Environmental Litigation Clinic.
In addition to questioning fluoride use, Kennedy also has been an opponent of vaccines.
What is fluoride?
Fluoride, a mineral, is naturally present in water, many foods and is available as a dietary supplement, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Foods such as brewed black tea, coffee, shrimp, raisins, oatmeal, potatoes, rice, cottage cheese, pork shops, cheese, bread and many others contain trace amounts of fluoride.
Why is fluoride added to drinking water?
In the early part of the 20th century, medical professionals began noticing that people in some communities had lower incidences of tooth decay. Some of those people also had unusual staining of their teeth, known as fluorosis, John Hopkins school of public health explained.
Over years of research, scientists discovered higher levels of fluoride in the water in those locations, among them, Colorado where concentrations ranged from 2 ppm to 13 ppm.
By the early 1940s, findings of an NIH study of 7,200 children aged 12 to 14 from 21 cities in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio showed children tended to have fewer cavities and less severe decay in cities with more fluoride in the community water supply. The effect plateaued at concentrations greater than 1.0 ppm, the CDC said.
How did Grand Rapids become the first to fluoridate?
In 1945, a 15-year fluoridation trial was launched in four cities, all of which were paired with a control city.
Grand Rapids was paired with neighboring Muskegon; Newburgh, New York, with Kingston; Evanston, with Oak Park; and — in Canada — Brantford, Ontario, with nearby Sarnia, the CDC said.
On Jan. 25, 1945, engineers at the Monroe Avenue Water Filtration Plant began adding sodium fluoride to the city’s water supply, the CDC said. Notably, Grand Rapids’ portion of the study ended early when Muskegon began fluoridating its water.
Do other Michigan cities add fluoride to their water?
Yes, many Michigan cities add fluoride, including Detroit (and its customers), Saginaw, Midland, Bay City, Jackson, Battle Creek, Marquette, Traverse City, Charlotte, Lansing, Flint and Muskegon.
How much fluoride is added to drinking water?
While guidance starting in 1962 offered a sliding scale of 0.7 ppm to 1.2 ppm, in 2015, the U.S. Public Health Service updated its guidance to a uniform concentration of 0.7 mg/L of fluoride in drinking water, ensuring cavity prevention benefits while minimizing the risk of dental fluorosis.
What is the controversy over fluoride?
There have been concerns that excessive fluoride levels can affect the IQ of infants.
The National Toxicology Program concluded, with moderate confidence, that higher levels of fluoride exposure, such as drinking water containing more than 1.5 milligrams of fluoride per liter, are associated with lower IQ in children. The NTP noted there were insufficient data to determine if the fluoride level of 0.7 mg/L recommended for U.S. community water supplies has a negative effect on children’s IQ. The NTP found no evidence that fluoride exposure had adverse effects on adult cognition.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has set a drinking water maximum of 4.0 mg/L. If someone is exposed to levels higher than that for a long time, it can cause a condition called skeletal fluorosis, in which fluoride builds up in the bones. The condition can eventually result in joint stiffness and pain, and can also lead to weak bones or fractures in older adults, the American Cancer Society said.
There also have been concerns, the Cancer Society said, of fluoride contributing to bone cancer, but no studies have confirmed a link.
What does the ADA say about fluoride?
The American Dental Association unreservedly endorses the fluoridation of community water supplies as safe, effective and necessary in preventing tooth decay, the group said.
Do other nations use fluoride in public water?
Yes, some other countries add fluoride to public water systems, including Australia, Chile, Ireland, Israel, New Zealand, South Korea, Spain and the United Kingdom. All have seen drops in tooth decay.
Other countries do not add fluoride, including Austria, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Portugal and Switzerland. Those countries also, generally, have seen lower levels of tooth decay, according to Harvard.
How much do cities spend on fluoride?
Fluoride is inexpensive, according to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. It costs between 50 cents and $3 per capita per year to fluoridate a community’s water supply. Every dollar spent on fluoridation saves $38 in dental restoration costs, the department said.
Is tooth decay a problem?
Tooth decay remains the most common chronic disease of children aged 5 to 17 years, the DEGLE said. In the U.S., tooth decay affects:
- 1 out of 4 elementary school children
- 2 out of 3 adolescents
- 9 out of 10 adults
Original article online at: https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/michigan/2024/12/10/rfk-jr-fluoride-city-water-michigan-grand-rapids/76887148007/