RFK Jr, Trump is calling for a ban on fluoride in drinking water. Here’s what it does
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said over the weekend that the second Trump administration will advise the public to remove fluoride from public water supplies.
He wrote that former President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, want to “Make America Healthy Again,” and shared a link to a recent court decision that found mining posed a substantial risk of regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Fluoride is used to strengthen teeth, replacing minerals lost due to wear and tear. About 44 percent of Americans have fluoridated tap water.
“No, I haven’t talked to him about it, but it sounds good to me,” Trump told NBC News on Sunday. “You know, it’s possible.”
Kennedy told supporters last week that Trump had promised to give him “control” over many public health agencies, such as the Department of Health and Human Services.
“Fluoride is an industrial waste linked to arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease,” Kennedy said on Saturday.
The National Toxicology Program previously concluded with “moderate confidence” that there is a link between high levels of fluoride exposure and low IQ in children, based on findings from studies of fluoride levels that about twice the recommended limit for drinking water. Previous research has come up with similar results, including a 2019 study that found high levels of fluoride exposure during pregnancy were linked to lower IQ in children.
But, major public health groups support water fluoridation, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Dental Association, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC has named drinking water fluoridation nationwide as one of the 10 greatest public health initiatives of the 20th century because of the significant reduction in infections since implementation. started in 1945.
Almost all water contains fluoride naturally, but at levels too low to prevent cavities. The recommended level is 0.7 milligrams per liter, and state and local governments decide whether to implement fluoridation or not. In some areas, there is enough natural fluoride to prevent cavities.
About a decade ago, for the first time in more than 50 years, the federal government lowered the recommended level of fluoride in drinking water, which had previously been between 0, 7 and 1.2 milligrams per liter.
According to the Fluoride Action Network, 37 states give local governments and citizens power over fluoridation decisions, and 13 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia, have laws mandating statewide fluoridation. . Some communities have rejected it, the team noted.
Around the world, fluoridation varies, many European countries use fluoridation in different ways, including water fluoridation programs, salt and fluoridated milk, and other treatments. As of 2012, 25 countries had artificial water fluoridation to varying degrees, and another 28 had naturally fluoridated water. About half of the 435 million people who receive fluoridated water at the recommended level were US residents.
Consuming fluoride has both positive and negative effects, according to the WHO. It can reduce tooth decay and cavities, and can cause osteoporosis after long-term exposure to large amounts of food. It is estimated that excessive fluoride concentrations in drinking water have caused tens of millions of dental and skeletal fluorosis cases worldwide. Research on other side effects, such as bone fractures, is mixed.
Most experts still say the benefits outweigh the risks. The American Dental Association says studies prove that fluoridation reduces tooth decay by at least a quarter in children and adults – despite the widespread availability of fluoride toothpaste.
“We get people who don’t want fluoride, and their kids will come in with a mouth full of rot. Now they won’t want us to do any treatment,” Dr. Meg Lochary, a pediatric dentist in North Carolina, told NBC News earlier this year. I say, ‘Listen, dental infections are I could be very dangerous. You could end up in the hospital.'”
With a report from The Associated Press
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