Fluoride: Fact vs. Fiction

Short Wave

NPR

Daily News, Nature, Life Sciences, Astronomy, Science, News

4.7 • 6K Ratings

🗓️ 8 January 2025

⏱️ 13 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Fluoridating the public water supply has been common practice for nearly 80 years in the U.S. It's an acclaimed public health intervention that helps prevent cavities. For just as long, some have raised concerns about the practice that can veer from evidence-based to unsubstantiated conspiracy. An analysis by government researchers, published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics, is adding to the debate. The research found that exposing babies and kids to high levels of fluoride might be associated with neurodevelopmental harm. Frankly, it's a lot to digest — so we invited health correspondent Pien Huang onto the show to wade through the debate.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	The Indicator is a podcast where Daily Economic News is about what matters to you.
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0:20.4	Listen to The Indicator, the Daily Economics podcast from NPR.
0:24.4	You're listening to Shortwave from NPR.
0:29.7	Hey, shortwavers, Emily Kwong here.
0:32.0	I'm back again with Ping Huang.
0:34.2	Hello, hello.
0:34.9	To look at what is in our drinking water.
0:37.5	This time, fluoride.
0:38.7	Yep, we're talking fluoride, which is a topic that NPR has covered in drinking water around the U.S. for literally decades.
0:46.3	Fluoride is a very common mineral that occurs naturally in almost all soil, in water, even in many rocks.
0:52.8	I didn't know that.
0:53.6	Flores hanging out in the rocks. Okay.
0:55.7	And most people in the U.S. get fluoridated drinking water. It's added to the water to prevent
1:00.6	tooth decay and cavities. The current U.S. Public Health Service recommendation is 0.7 parts per million
1:06.6	optimally, which is three drops in a 55 gallon barrel. Okay, not higher, not lower, just 0.7 parts per million.
1:14.0	Right, Emily.
1:14.7	And it used to be a range, but in 2015, it was revised down to the standard minimum, 0.7
1:19.9	parts per million, because there were concerns that it levels higher than that.
	...

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