Headline Roundup • May 14th, 2025
EPA, FDA, and Some States Reconsider Effects of Fluoride
Healthcare,Department Of Health And Human Services,Robert F Kennedy Jr,Fluoride,Florida,Ron DeSantis,Public Health
Summary from the AllSides News Team
In May, three areas of government changed policies regarding fluoride additives in public water, as some Americans reconsider fluoride and its potential health impacts.
State-Level Bans: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill on May 7 banning the addition of fluoride to public water supplies, arguing that this is akin to forced medication. The practice of adding fluoride to public water supplies began in 1954 as an effort to combat tooth decay and other dental health issues. Fox News (Right bias) wrote that this “effort aligns with the national 'Make America Healthy Again' movement led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.” which “emphasizes consumer choice, reduced reliance on centralized health mandates and a renewed skepticism of top-down medical policies.”
EPA: The Hill (Center bias) reported on the Environmental Protection Agency's decision to review the health impacts of fluoride after advocacy from RFK Jr. Recent research by the National Toxicology Program linked higher levels of fluoride exposure to lower IQs in children. The Hill also noted that organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still endorse fluoride and argued that the toxicology program left out existing studies that did not show a link between fluoride and IQ.
RFK Jr. and the FDA: The Food and Drug Administration is working to phase out ingestible fluoride supplements for children, citing potential interference with healthy gut bacteria and possible links to decreased IQ. Associated Press (Left bias) quoted the president of the American Dental Association saying “proposals like this stand to hurt rural America, not make them healthier,” and that the studies cited do not demonstrate harmful effects.
Revised by the AllSides staff (of humans) after a first draft from our custom AI. Learn more. Support our mission. Suggest an improvement to this summary.
Featured Coverage of this Story
AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, file
U.S. health regulators announced plans Tuesday to phase out ingestible fluoride supplements sometimes used to strengthen children’s teeth, opening a new front in Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s effort against a mainstay of dental care.
The Food and Drug Administration said it will conduct a scientific review of the children’s products by late October with the aim of removing them from the market. It was not immediately clear whether the agency planned to formally ban the supplements or simply request that companies withdraw them.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed SB 700 into law Tuesday, eliminating the ability of local governments to add fluoride or other medical additives to the state’s public water supply, a move cheered by supporters of medical freedom and health transparency. "Jamming fluoride in the water supply … is essentially a forced medication," DeSantis said during a news conference in Tallahassee. "At the end of the day, we should all agree that people deserve informed consent." The new law, part of the broader Florida Farm Bill, does not ban fluoride entirely....
...
The Hill
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will reconsider the health impacts of fluoride in drinking water — taking what could be an initial step toward new national limits or a ban on the substance. An EPA press release said Monday that the agency would “expeditiously review new scientific information on potential health risks of fluoride in drinking water” and that doing so will inform any potential moves to restrict fluoride under the Safe Drinking Water Act. “Without prejudging any outcomes, when this evaluation is completed, we will have an updated foundational...
...
