HHS, EPA officials say agencies will reexamine fluoride after Utah bans supplemental fluoride

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who identified himself during remarks as "Secretary of HHS," said in Salt Lake City that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will reassemble a task force to review fluoride policy following a recent Utah law.

"We came out to Utah today because Utah just became the first state in the country to ban supplemental fluoride," Kennedy said. "It makes no sense to have a water supply."

Lee Zeldin, introduced at the event as from the Environmental Protection Agency, said the EPA would revisit the scientific literature. "So EPA announced today that we're gonna go back and and look at the studies, and that is an important update," Zeldin said.

Kennedy said the CDC would reassemble a task force "to look at fluoride again to see what our recommendation will be." He also said Utah has "taken the lead on many, many other issues," citing bans on certain chemical additives in school lunches and a state application for a SNAP waiver to restrict soda purchases with food stamps.

The remarks tied the state actions to federal review: Kennedy said the administration and state leaders "rallying together and demanding action," and Zeldin described renewed agency study reviews as an "important update." The event recording identifies the presentation as produced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The speakers did not provide a timeline for the CDC task force’s work or for the EPA review, nor did they specify what kind of studies would be reexamined or what policy changes, if any, might follow. The transcript does not include a formal announcement of new regulations or a vote; it records the speakers' statements that agency reviews would take place.

Statements quoted here are from the event transcript; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is listed as the producer of the recording.