The Decision is IN!

Unpacking Truth

It’s been 7 years in the making and 7 months since the close of the California trial that brought the neurotoxicity of fluoride to the courtroom. I have written about this previously and those of us in the space of concern are thrilled to announce that Judge Chen has finally made his ruling.

From the introduction of the ruling:

“The issue before this Court is whether the Plaintiffs have established by a preponderance of the evidence that the fluoridation of drinking water at levels typical in the United States poses an unreasonable risk of injury to health of the public within the meaning of Amended TSCA. For the reasons set forth below, the Court so finds. Specifically, the Court finds that fluoridation of water at 0.7 milligrams per liter (“mg/L”) – the level presently considered “optimal” in the United States – poses an unreasonable risk of reduced IQ in children..the Court finds there is an unreasonable risk of such injury, a risk sufficient to require the EPA to engage with a regulatory response...One thing the EPA cannot do, however, in the face of this Court’s finding, is to ignore that risk.”

The Fluoride Action Network (one of the plaintiffs in the suit) had this to say:

In this moment, I want to recognize attorney Michael Connett for pursuing this case and leading the effort every step of the way. He's a true superhero to all of us here at FAN. Many other amazing team members were also involved in making this a reality and deserve great appreciation and thanks, including our co-plaintiffs and all of you who donated and spread the word about our case. Take a moment to celebrate this momentous occasion tonight, wherever you are. After 7 years, we all deserve it.

I had the great fortune to attend a biological dental conference in Washington DC recently and had the opportunity to meet Michael Connett. He is the lead attorney in the California lawsuit and he provided an informative presentation on the history of water fluoridation and the resultant obfuscation of research pointing to harms from exposure both acutely and chronically.

My hope is that the American Dental Association will practice scientific humility and admit that as a profession, we may have been a bit too enthusiastic before having a complete grasp of the totality of exposure to this known toxin. But, I am not holding my breath! The ADA, the CDC and other alphabet agencies that have promoted water fluoridation as one of the top 10 public health intervention of the last century unfortunately have doubled down on their position since the publication of the NTP report a couple of weeks ago.