RFK Jr. says he plans to tell CDC to stop recommending fluoride in drinking water
Apr 7, 2025, 3:04 PM | Updated: 8:10 pm
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to appear in Salt Lake City with the EPA administrator and state lawmakers to talk about Utah's new fluoride ban and food additives legislation, Monday, April 7, 2025, in Salt Lake City, Utah. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
(AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) 鈥� U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday said he plans to tell the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention soon to stop recommending fluoridation in communities nationwide. Kennedy also said he鈥檚 assembling a task force to focus on the issue.
Also on Monday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it is reviewing 鈥渘ew scientific information” on potential health risks of fluoride in drinking water.
Kennedy told The Associated Press of his plans after a news conference in Salt Lake City.
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 Gov. Spencer Cox signed legislation barring cities and communities from deciding whether to add the cavity-preventing mineral to their water systems. Water systems across the state must shut down their fluoridation systems by May 7.
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Stobbe reported from New York.
