In an 80-page ruling, Judge Edward Chen, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, concluded that fluoride poses a significant risk to public health. “There is substantial and scientifically credible evidence establishing that fluoride poses a risk to human health,” Chen wrote. “It is associated with a reduction in the IQ of children and is hazardous at dosages alarmingly close to the fluoride levels present in U.S. drinking water.” This landmark ruling, the first of its kind, follows a years-long legal battle led by advocacy groups such as Food & Water Watch and the Fluoride Action Network. The case was brought under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), a law amended in 2016 that allows citizens to petition the EPA to review chemicals that may pose health risks. The court determined that water fluoridation at the level of 0.7 milligrams per liter (mg/L) — the level currently considered optimal in the U.S. — is associated with reduced IQ in children. Today, more than 200 million Americans, or approximately 75 percent of the population, receive drinking water treated with fluoride at this recommended concentration. Plaintiffs argued that the EPA failed to account for mounting evidence linking fluoride exposure to neurotoxic effects, particularly in children. After the EPA initially denied the plaintiffs' petition, the case proceeded to court. Advocates for revised fluoridation standards welcomed Chen’s decision. “Today’s ruling represents an important acknowledgement of a large and growing body of science indicating serious human health risks associated with fluoridated drinking water,” said Food & Water Watch Executive Director Wenonah Hauter. “This court looked at the science and acted accordingly,” she continued. “Now the EPA must respond by implementing new regulations that adequately protect all Americans — especially our most vulnerable infants and children — from this known health threat.” Chen's ruling referenced an August report from the National Institutes of Health, which linked higher fluoride levels to lower IQs in children. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics has expressed reservations about the findings and continues to support fluoridation of the nation’s water supply.A federal judge in California has ordered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to strengthen regulations on fluoride in drinking water nationwide, citing credible scientific evidence of its health risks.
