WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — Florida should stop adding fluoride in its drinking water systems, according to recommended guidance from the state's surgeon general and health department.
Dr. Joseph Ladapo came to Winter Haven on Friday to make the announcement. Just last week, leaders voted to remove fluoride from the city's drinking water. Proponents of the removal cited a September court ruling calling on the EPA to strengthen its regulation of fluoride, as well as claims from Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
There's also a recent study suggesting fluoride could negatively impact children's brain development, according to Ladapo. But our VERIFY team found that information to be misleading. More on that later in this article.
According to a release from the Florida Department of Health, Ladapo has issued guidance recommending "against community water fluoridation due to the neuropsychiatric risk associated with fluoride exposure."
"Due to the neuropsychiatric risk associated with fluoride exposure, particularly in pregnant women and children, and the wide availability of alternative sources of fluoride for dental health, the State Surgeon General recommends against community water fluoridation," the release said in part.
It should be noted that not every community in Florida adds fluoride to its drinking water; however, the health department said more than 70% of Floridians live in places where the water is fluoridated.
For a complete list of communities that add fluoride to drinking water, click or tap here.
The release explains that many communities began adding fluoride, a naturally occurring chemical found in different types of water, soil, plants, and foods, to drinking water to prevent tooth decay.
Fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
RELATED: Claims suggesting NIH declared that fluoride in water 'reduces the IQ of children' are misleading
The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water has long been considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century, the CDC says. But some people believe adding fluoride to drinking water is “misguided, ineffective and risky,” Joe Schwarcz, Ph.D., explained in an article titled “The Fluoride Controversy” for McGill University’s Office for Science and Society.
The Florida health department added that fluoride is "widely available" through multiple sources, including toothpaste, mouthwashes and other topical fluorides. While it's known fluoride strengthens teeth and makes them more resistant to decay, the health department says more research is being done to look at the "impacts of overall fluoride exposure in the population."
Ladapo said a main concern for fluoride exposure is its potential effects on pregnant women and children.
“It is clear more research is necessary to address safety and efficacy concerns regarding community water fluoridation,” Ladapo said in a statement. “The previously considered benefit of community water fluoridation does not outweigh the current known risks, especially for special populations like pregnant women and children.”
For the full guidance from the Florida Department of Health, click or tap here.
Claims have been circulating online about alleged negative health effects of fluoride, such as "IQ loss" and "neurodevelopmental disorders."
Those claims have gained even more attention after Robert F. Kennedy Jr., tapped to be Trump's health secretary, claimed before the election that now-President-elect Donald Trump would push to remove fluoride from drinking water on his first day in office.
Another viral claim says the National Institutes of Health (NIH) "Finally admitted" that fluoride in drinking water "reduces the IQ of children" in a recent report.
THE QUESTION
Did NIH declare that fluoride in drinking water reduces the IQ of children?
THE ANSWER
Claims suggesting NIH declared that fluoride in drinking water reduces the IQ of children are misleading and take a recent report’s findings out of context.
WHAT WE FOUND
A recent report from the National Toxicology Program, a part of the National Institutes of Health, determined “with moderate confidence” that there is a link between higher levels of fluoride exposure and lower IQ in kids.
But the report does not say that the current recommended level of fluoride in drinking water in the United States, which is 0.7 milligrams per liter of water, “reduces the IQ of children,” like viral social media posts suggest.
In 1950, federal public health officials endorsed community water fluoridation to prevent tooth decay, and continued to promote it even after fluoride toothpaste brands hit the market several years later. Though fluoride can come from many sources, drinking water is the main source for Americans, researchers say.
Officials lowered their recommendation for drinking water fluoride levels in 2015 to 0.7 mg/L to address a tooth condition called fluorosis, which can cause splotches on teeth and was becoming more common in young children in the U.S.
“While dental fluorosis can be moderate or severe, causing extensive enamel changes, in the U.S., dental fluorosis is mostly mild and cosmetic meaning it does not affect tooth function and is not painful,” the CDC says.
The report evaluated 72 studies on the association between fluoride exposure and IQ in children. The determination about lower IQs in children was based primarily on studies conducted in 10 non-U.S. countries, such as Canada, China, India, Iran, Pakistan and Mexico, where some pregnant women, infants and children received total fluoride exposure amounts higher than 1.5 mg/L of drinking water. These fluoride exposures came from many sources, including drinking water, prepared beverages, foods and dental products.
The National Toxicology Program notes in its report that no studies evaluating IQ were conducted in the U.S. However, the report did find that about 0.6% of the U.S. population, or about 1.9 million people, are on water systems with naturally occurring fluoride levels of 1.5 mg/L or higher, according to the CDC.
The report also did not reach a conclusion about the risks of lower levels of fluoride, saying more research is needed to determine this, nor did it answer what high levels of fluoride might do to adults.
In late September, a federal judge cited the report’s findings in ordering the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to further regulate fluoride in drinking water.
For the complete findings from our VERIFY team, click or tap here.
TEGNA VERIFY and the Associated Press contributed to this report.