Kennedy said on Monday he’s assembling a task force of health experts to study the issue and make new recommendations.
Also on Monday, the US Environmental Protection Agency announced it is reviewing “new scientific information” on potential health risks of fluoride in drinking water. The EPA sets the maximum level allowed in public water systems.
Kennedy was speaking after a news conference with EPA administrator Lee Zeldin in Salt Lake City.
Kennedy cannot order communities to stop fluoridation, but he can direct the CDC to stop recommending it and work with the EPA to change the allowed amount.
Utah last month became the first state to ban fluoride in public drinking water, pushing past opposition from dentists and national health organizations who warned the move would lead to medical problems that disproportionately affect low-income communities.
Republican governor Spencer Cox signed legislation barring cities and communities from deciding whether to add the cavity-preventing mineral to their drinking water. Water systems across the state must stop fluoridation by May 7.
Opponents say the law will hurt residents who can’t afford regular dentist visits and may rely on public drinking water containing fluoride as their only source of preventative dental care.
Kennedy oversees the CDC, whose recommendations are widely followed but not mandatory.
State and local governments decide whether to add fluoride to water and, if so, how much – as long as it doesn’t exceed a maximum set by the EPA, which is currently four milligrams per liter.
Fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear, according to the CDC. In 1950, federal officials endorsed water fluoridation to prevent tooth decay, and in 1962 they set guidelines for how much should be added to water.
Kennedy, a former environmental lawyer, has called fluoride a “dangerous neurotoxin” and said it has been associated with arthritis, bone breaks and thyroid disease.
Some studies have suggested such links might exist, usually at higher-than-recommended fluoride levels, though some reviewers have questioned the quality of available evidence and said no definitive conclusions can be drawn. (AP)
