The Environmental Protection Agency announced it has released the protocol for developing its human health toxicity assessment of fluoride on Aug. 3, marking a key milestone in an expedited review that could reshape water fluoridation policy for virtually every community in America with a municipal water system.
The fluoride review is a priority under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again agenda and reflects the administration’s skepticism of water fluoridation as a public health practice, according to EPA.
The toxicity assessment protocol will govern EPA’s determination of safe fluoride exposure levels in public drinking water, with potential implications for current federal standards that have been in place for decades, the agency said.
Fluoride has been added to U.S. public water supplies since the 1940s as a dental health intervention supported by decades of research and endorsed by the American Dental Association, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the World Health Organization.
However, the administration has questioned fluoride safety at current exposure levels, with Kennedy and other officials citing research suggesting potential neurological effects at certain concentrations.
The outcome of the review could affect fluoride standards in water systems serving approximately 73% of the U.S. population connected to community water systems that add fluoride, according to CDC data.
Mainstream public health organizations, including the American Dental Association, have maintained that community water fluoridation at recommended levels is safe and effective in preventing tooth decay. The ADA has previously expressed concern about the administration’s review process.
The public comment period on the toxicity assessment protocol provides an opportunity for stakeholders to weigh in before EPA proceeds to its formal assessment.