The federal judge has ordered the United States Environmental Protection Agency to review its fluoride regulation due to studies that indicate concerns about fluoride in drinking water and its possible effects on children’s intellectual development.
Fluoride helps keep teeth healthy, but new research now concludes that it may also have effects on the brain, so much more action needs to be made.
U.S. District Judge Edward Chen has made a landmark ruling compelling the Environmental Protection Agency to reassess its policy regarding the modification of use of fluoride in drinking water.
This came after an alleged rising scientific evidence suggesting possible harm inflicted on the development of children’s brains after the exposure to fluoride.
The environmental activist organization Food & Water Watch sparked the lawsuit, which claims that fluoride levels in many American water systems could impair children’s intellectual development.
Fluoride has been hailed for decades as a public health wonder for its role in reducing tooth decay, but recent research suggests that excess exposure might have a link to lower IQ in children.
A federal toxicology assessment last month, based on studies looking at fluoride exposures above current U.S. limits, supported that link with “moderate confidence.”
The EPA must act to regulate, Judge Chen’s decision made clear when it pointed out that the country’s drinking water may hold enough fluoride to merit further regulation.
The bench asked the EPA to take immediate action to redress the situation, but he did not specify what changes the agency should make.
The decision shows a change in track that fluoride regulation may be directed towards, wherein both neurosafety and oral health weigh equally. There have been no declarations so far by the EPA as to how it will behave in the future.
