By Valerie Volcovici and Leah Douglas
WASHINGTON, Jan 28 (Reuters) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency launched the first step of its expedited review to determine safe levels of fluoride in drinking water, according to a notice posted in the Federal Register on Wednesday, advancing a priority of the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda.
The agency’s final toxicity assessment will inform potential revisions to fluoride drinking water standards under the Safe Drinking Water Act and will also support the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendations on fluoride in drinking water, according to the notice.
Removing the natural mineral fluoride from drinking water is a priority of the MAHA movement that backs Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
The movement has gained influence in the administration of President Donald Trump, and longtime anti-vaccine activist Kennedy has implemented MAHA priorities such as curbing recommendations for childhood inoculations, drawing rebukes from major medical groups.
Kennedy opposes the addition of fluoride to public drinking water to improve dental health, and has claimed without scientific evidence that water fluoridation at U.S. levels is associated with numerous health issues, including cancer.
Kennedy said last year that he would reconvene an independent panel of health experts to make a new recommendation on fluoride, and that he planned to direct the CDC to stop recommending fluoride in drinking water.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in May said it would remove fluoride supplements for children from the market.
The American Dental Association has maintained support for community water fluoridation, which studies have shown reduces tooth decay by more than 25% in children and adults.
The EPA’s review will focus on fluoride’s effects on brain and tooth development, and “only focus on potential harmful effects and will not consider beneficial effects,” Jess Kramer, EPA assistant administrator for the Office of Water, said in a webinar hosted by the group MAHA Action.
The agency will also launch an online tool with the scientific literature considered in its review, Kramer said.
The EPA was ordered in 2024 by a federal judge to strengthen fluoride regulation and address the risk of drinking water fluoridation to children’s IQs. Last April, the agency said it would expedite the next fluoride health assessment under the Safe Drinking Water Act schedule, which requires a review of drinking water regulations every six years.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has come under pressure from MAHA leaders to align his agency’s agenda more closely with its priorities to curb pesticide application and reduce chemical exposure.
The EPA will take public comments for 30 days and the draft assessment will undergo external peer review, the notice said.
(Reporting by Valerie Volcovici and Leah Douglas in Washington; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
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