United States: Clearly a very bad step taken by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency to further regulate the fluoride in the drinking water because the high levels of this fluoridated water can actually stop the intellectual development in the kids and even cause many other mental care problems.
As reported by Associated press that U.S. District Judge Edward Chen cautioned that it’s not certain that the amount of the fluoride added to water which can cause the lower IQ in the kids but he also said that the research have revealed that there are unreasonable risk that can cause the damage to the mental health of the kids and also lowers their thinking abilities.
He also ordered the EPA to take the steps to lower the risk but didn’t say what those measures should be.
In the very first time of the history of the this, federal judge has made a determination about the neurodevelopment risk of the children of the recommended U.S. water fluoride level said the Ashley Malin who is a researcher in the University of Florida and also studied the effect of the higher fluoride levels in the pregnant women.
She also called it the “The judge’s ruling is another striking dissent to a practice that has been hailed as the one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century and fluoride strengthens teeth and also reduces the cavities by replacing minerals which are lost during the normal wear and tear according to the U.S. Centers for the Disease Control and Prevention.
Last month, a federal agency determined with the moderate confidence that there is a link between the higher levels of the fluoride exposure and the lower IQ in the kids.
The National Toxicology Program based its conclusion on the studies which involves the fluoride levels at about twice the recommended limit for the drinking water.
The EPA — a defendant in the lawsuit — stated that there is still uncertainty as to what the consequences of exposure to fluoride might be at a lower concentration. However the agency is expected to ensure that there is a gap between the hazard level and exposure level. And “if there is an insufficient margin, then the chemical poses a risk,” Chen wrote in his 80-page written verdict on Tuesday.
“In other words, the risk to health at exposure levels in United States drinking water is adequate to warrant EPAs regulatory action under federal law,” he pointed out.
An EPA spokesperson, Jeff Landis, said the agency has not released a statement regarding the ruling but is studying the decision made.
Federal officials approved water fluoridation at a macro level in 1950, to prevent teeth decay, and they supported it when different brands of fluoride containing toothpaste came into the market several years later.
While the compound can be ingested in other ways, drinking water is cited as the major source by researchers for people in America. CDC reports that at the moment about the two-third population of Americans consume fluoridated water.