外刊阅读20240304 | 这么喝水脑子会出问题的

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Adding fluoride , a common mineral, to drinking water lessens tooth decay in children and adults by 25%. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls fluoridation , which began in 1946 in the United States and is decided by local water districts, one of 10 “great public health achievements” of the 20th century. But from the getgo , some activist groups worried about potential harm. And over the past few decades, studies of laboratory animals and of communities where drinking water naturally contains fluoride have hinted that high levels might affect brain development.

The current case has put the spotlight on an unpublished assessment by the federal government’s National Toxicology Program (NTP). It reported “ moderate confidence” that drinking water containing fluoride at levels at least twice as high as those recommended by the federal government is associated with lower IQ in children. The Fluoride Action Network (FAN) and other groups argue that such data indicate EPA should be regulating fluoride under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).

During opening arguments on 31 January, the attorney for the plaintiffs, Michael Connett, highlighted babies fed formula made with tap water as a “critical vulnerable group being exposed to the highest dose of fluoride of any age group in the population. That is a major cause for concern.” He argued that if EPA was aware of a different compound that posed a similar potential threat to newborns, the agency wouldn’t hesitate to regulate it. “I don’t think we need to speculate about what EPA would do with that scenario,” he said.

EPA and others argue there is little strong evidence that the current recommended concentration of fluoride in drinking water— 0.7 milligrams per liter—poses a threat. (That level is set to avoid discoloration of teeth in children.) “The dose makes the poison,” said Paul Caintic, a Department of Justice attorney. “Given the current state of science, the court cannot conclude that community water fluoridation presents an unreasonable risk.”