County panel hears scientific and community concerns about water fluoridation

Surgeon General Joseph A. Ladapo and three researchers told a Miami-Dade County committee that recent scientific reviews and studies raise concerns about potential neurodevelopmental effects from community water fluoridation.

The experts — Florida Surgeon General Joseph A. Ladapo, University of Florida epidemiologist Ashley J. Mallon, dentist Claire Stagg and dentist Maya Azzi — told the infrastructure committee that a federal review and multiple recent studies suggest a dose–response relationship between fluoride exposure and reduced child IQ and other neurodevelopmental outcomes. Surgeon General Ladapo said the National Toxicology Program "found substantial evidence for neurotoxic effects and other harms associated with fluoride," adding that he was "floored by what I found" when he reviewed the literature.

Why it matters: Commissioners said they convened the meeting to hear from experts and the public rather than to take immediate action. Commissioners and speakers emphasized possible impacts on pregnant people, infants who consume formula and other vulnerable groups, and asked county staff to follow up with more…