Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo is advising local governments across the state to stop adding fluoride to their community’s water supplies. He issued updated tips of the Florida Department of Health Friday during a news conference in Winter Haven, where city officials voted earlier this month to stop water fluoridation.

Ladapo cited research suggesting that chronic exposure to high levels of fluoride can have harmful neurological effects on children, such as lower IQ and higher rates of ADHD.

Fluoride is a chemical naturally occurring in water, soil, food and other sources. It helps strengthen teeth and protect them from decay.

For decades, many American communities have been adding fluoride to their drinking water, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is hailed as one of the “10 Great Public Health Interventions of the 20th Century” due to the dramatic decline in caries.

But recent studies have increased concerns about the risks of drinking fluoridated water.

What the studies say

The national toxicology program published a systematic review in August, research on the association between fluoride exposure, neurodevelopment and cognition. It concluded 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.

That’s twice as much as the 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water recommended by U.S. health authorities for community water supplies.

“The determination of lower IQ in children was based primarily on epidemiological studies conducted in non-U.S. countries such as Canada, China, India, Iran, Pakistan, and Mexico, where some women pregnant women, infants and children were exposed to total amounts of fluoride greater than 1.5 mg fluoride/L of drinking water,” the NTP notes in the report.

The scientists added that there was “insufficient data” to determine whether the recommended level in the United States had a negative effect on children’s IQs. The NTP added that there was no evidence that fluoride exposure had adverse effects on cognition in adults.

RELATED: How Floridians Can Get Help Freely Enrolling in Obamacare

But Ladapo said he found the results “appalling” and believes the risk outweighs the dental benefits. He added that there are now other ways to access fluoride, such as in some toothpastes, mouthwashes and foods.

“In this day and age, with the additional sources of fluoride that people have access to, it is a public health mistake to continue to add fluoride to community water systems that pregnant women and children have access to,” he said. declared during the press conference.

Ladapo was joined by Ashley Malin, an assistant professor in the University of Florida’s department of epidemiology, who has studied the effects of fluoride in pregnant women.

She conducted a study published in May which was based in Los Angeles and suggested that exposure to fluoride during pregnancy was linked to an increased risk of neurobehavioral problems in children.

“Although this issue has become politicized recently, I do not view it as a political issue; I view it as a human rights issue and a public health issue,” said Clever.

Ladapo’s guidance comes after new President Donald Trump’s nominee for Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., announced his plans. take similar measures at the national level if confirmed for the position.

When a reporter asked Ladapo about the timing of Friday’s press conference, he said it was something he had been working on “for months” but had been delayed by the recent hurricanes that hit the state.

The Florida Department of Health estimates that about 70 percent of residents on community water systems receive fluoridated water.

Collier County I voted to stop water fluoridation in February, while the city of Winter Haven did so on November 12. Ladapo urged Floridians to demand policymakers in their communities do the same.

“It is clear that additional research is needed to address safety and effectiveness concerns regarding community water fluoridation,” Ladapo said.

Many major health groups support adding fluoride to water

Organizations such as the CDC, World Health Organization, American Dental Association, and American Academy of Pediatrics support adding fluoride to community water supplies. They say this helps extend dental coverage to low-income people who may not be able to afford other forms of dental care.

In September, U.S. District Judge Edward Chen ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to strengthen its regulations on fluorideConcluding recent research suggests there is an “unreasonable risk” that 0.7 milligrams per liter is not low enough to protect children from harm. However, he also stressed that his decision “does not conclude with certainty that fluoridated water is harmful to public health.”

The Florida Dental Association said it continues to support community water fluoridation.

“Community water fluoridation is one of the most effective and affordable public health measures we can implement to protect the oral health of our residents,” said Dr. Jeff Ottley, President of the Florida Dental Association. “Adding optimal amounts of fluoride to our community’s water supply can prevent at least 25% of dental caries in children and adults, reducing the need for costly dental treatments. Decades of solid scientific research prove the safety and effectiveness of fluoridation and underscore the importance of continued community water fluoridation to the well-being of Florida residents.

The state health department also expresses concerns in its guidelines about the risks of a rare disease known as skeletal fluorosis from fluoride exposure, which can increase the risk of bone fractures. The EPA requires that water systems not exceed 4 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water to prevent skeletal fluorosis.

CDC says health experts “didn’t find compelling scientific evidence linking community water fluoridation to any potential adverse health effects or systemic disorders such as increased risk of cancer, Down syndrome, heart disease, osteoporosis, and bone fracture , immune disorders, low intelligence, kidney disorders, Alzheimer’s disease or allergic reactions”.

Surgeon General Ladapo shared other recommendations to support dental health in his advice, including expanding community access to dental services and promoting healthy habits such as reducing sugar intake.

Copyright 2024 WUSF 89.7