World
U.S. government report says fluoride at twice the recommended limit is linked to lower IQ in kids
NEW YORK (AP) — A U.S. government report expected to stir debate concluded that fluoride in drinking water at twice the recommended limit is linked with lower IQ in children.
The report, based on an analysis of previously published research, marks the first time a federal agency has determined — “with moderate confidence” — that there is a link between higher levels of fluoride exposure and lower IQ in kids. While the report was not designed to evaluate the health effects of fluoride in drinking water alone, it is a striking acknowledgment of a potential neurological risk from high levels of fluoride.
Fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water has long been considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century.
“I think this (report) is crucial in our understanding” of this risk, said Ashley Malin, a University of Florida researcher who has studied the affect of higher fluoride levels in pregnant women on their children. She called it the most rigorously conducted report of its kind.
The long-awaited report released Wednesday comes from the National Toxicology Program, part of the Department of Health and Human Services. It summarizes a review of studies, conducted in Canada, China, India, Iran, Pakistan, and Mexico, that concludes that drinking water containing more than 1.5 milligrams of fluoride per liter is consistently associated with lower IQs in kids.
The report did not try to quantify exactly how many IQ points might be lost at different levels of fluoride exposure. But some of the studies reviewed in the report suggested IQ was 2 to 5 points lower in children who’d had higher exposures.
Since 2015, federal health officials have recommended a fluoridation level of 0.7 milligrams per liter of water, and for five decades before the recommended upper range was 1.2. The World Health Organization has set a safe limit for fluoride in drinking water of 1.5.
The report said that about 0.6% of the U.S. population — about 1.9 million people — are on water systems with naturally occurring fluoride levels of 1.5 milligrams or higher.
“The findings from this report raise the questions about how these people can be protected and what makes the most sense,” Malin said.
The 324-page report did not reach a conclusion about the risks of lower levels of fluoride, saying more study is needed. It also did not answer what high levels of fluoride might do to adults.
The American Dental Association, which champions water fluoridation, had been critical of earlier versions of the new analysis and Malin’s research. Asked for comment, a spokeswoman late Wednesday afternoon emailed that the organization’s experts were still reviewing the report.
Fluoride is a mineral that exists naturally in water and soil. About 80 years ago, scientists discovered that people whose supplies naturally had more fluoride also had fewer cavities, triggering a push to get more Americans to use fluoride for better dental health.
In 1945, Grand Rapids, Michigan became the first U.S. city to start adding fluoride to tap water. In 1950, federal officials endorsed water fluoridation to prevent tooth decay, and continued to promote it even after fluoride toothpaste brands hit the market several years later. Though fluoride can come from a number of sources, drinking water is the main source for Americans, researchers say.
Officials lowered their recommendation for drinking water fluoride levels in 2015 to address a tooth condition called fluorosis, that can cause splotches on teeth and was becoming more common in U.S. kids.
Separately, the Environmental Protection Agency has maintained a longstanding requirement that water systems cannot have more than 4 milligrams of fluoride per liter. That standard is designed to prevent skeletal fluorosis, a potentially crippling disorder which causes weaker bones, stiffness and pain.
But more and more studies have increasingly pointed to a different problem, suggesting a link between higher levels of fluoride and brain development. Researchers wondered about the impact on developing fetuses and very young children who might ingest water with baby formula. Studies in animals showed fluoride could impact neurochemistry cell function in brain regions responsible for learning, memory, executive function and behavior.
In 2006, the National Research Council, a private nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C., said limited evidence from China pointed to neurological effects in people exposed to high levels of fluoride. It called for more research into the effect of fluoride on intelligence.
After more research continued to raise questions, the National Toxicology Program in 2016 started working on a review of the available studies that could provide guidance on whether new fluoride-limiting measures were needed.
There were earlier drafts but the final document has repeatedly been held up. At one point, a committee of experts said available research did not support an earlier draft’s conclusions.
“Since fluoride is such an important topic to the public and to public health officials, it was imperative that we made every effort to get the science right,” said Rick Woychik, director of the National Toxicology Program, in a statement.
Malin said it makes sense for pregnant women to lower their fluoride intake, not only from water but also from certain types of tea. It might also make sense to have policy discussions about whether to require fluoride-content on beverage labels, she said.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
The French government is cracking down on cigarettes in public, announcing a sweeping outdoor smoking ban that aims to clear the air for the next generation of Parisians (and everyone else).
Beginning July 1, France will ban smoking in a wide range of outdoor public areas, including beaches, public parks, gardens, bus stops, sports venues and anywhere near schools, according to reporting from the BBC and Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“Tobacco must disappear where there are children,” Health and Family Minister Catherine Vautrin told Ouest-France, a regional French newspaper, in an interview published Thursday.
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A protester lights a cigarette during a demonstration organized by unions and youth organizations calling for the repeal of a pension law and the increase in salaries in Toulouse, France, on Oct. 1, 2024. (PAT BATARD/Hans Lucas via AFP/AFP via Getty Images)
“The freedom to smoke must end where the freedom of children to breathe fresh air begins.”
Under the new rules, lighting up in these designated areas could earn violators a fine of up to $153, as reported by AFP. Enforcement will primarily be handled by regular police, though Vautrin said she’s counting on a dose of “self-regulation” from the public.
There’s a carve-out for culture, though. France’s iconic “terrasses,” the bustling outdoor café seating areas, are exempt from the ban.
Smokers can still enjoy a cigarette with their espresso and croissant, provided they’re seated at a café. The BBC confirmed that these social spaces, which are practically a national institution, won’t be affected.
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A cigarette and tobacco shop in the 4th arrondissement of Paris is seen on Sept. 13, 2024. (ANTOINE BOUREAU/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images)
E-cigarettes are also currently excluded from the restrictions, but Vautrin told Ouest-France that her office is working on future limits to the nicotine levels allowed in vapes.
The move marks a significant expansion of France’s existing anti-smoking laws.
Smoking has already been banned in restaurants, nightclubs and indoor public places since 2008. Local efforts to restrict smoking in public spaces have been growing steadily. According to AFP, more than 1,500 French municipalities have already enacted their own outdoor smoking bans and hundreds of beaches have been smoke-free for years.
A chef rolls a cigarette during a break outside a restaurant in Paris on April 8, 2025. (XAVIER GALIANA/AFP via Getty Images)
According to data from the French Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction cited by the BBC, just 23.1% of French adults smoke daily, the lowest level ever recorded and a drop of over five percentage points since 2014.
Still, tobacco-related illnesses remain a leading cause of death. France’s National Committee Against Smoking reports that more than 75,000 people die each year from smoking, around 13% of all annual deaths in the country.
Support for the new restrictions appears strong. A report from La Ligue Contre le Cancer, a prominent French cancer association, found that nearly 80% of French citizens favor smoke-free public areas like parks, beaches and woodlands.
But while many in France welcome the move, some have raised concerns over the balance between public health and personal liberty. Conservatives may see the ban as another example of top-down government overreach.
Be careful lighting up on your summer vacations in France this year as it may just get you a fine.
French President Emmanuel Macron has warned that his country could “apply sanctions” against Israelis unless the government in Tel Aviv responds to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Speaking during a visit to Singapore on Friday, Macron said the international community could not remain passive while Palestinians in Gaza face a deepening hunger crisis. The comments raise further the international pressure building on Israel, which has blockaded the Palestinian enclave for close to three months, with aid agencies warning of famine.
“The humanitarian blockade is creating a situation that is untenable on the ground,” Macron said at a joint news conference alongside Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
“If there is no response in the coming hours and days in line with the humanitarian situation, we will have to harden our collective position,” he added, suggesting that France may consider applying sanctions against Israeli settlers.
Israel recently said it was bowing to international pressure and would allow “minimal” supplies of food and medicine into Gaza, on which it continues to wage an intense military assault.
However, the trickle of aid entering the strip under the control of a new NGO backed by Israel and the United States has been accompanied by looting and violence.
In his comments, Macron called for an end to assumptions that Israel is respecting human rights.
“But I still hope that the government of Israel will change its stance and that we will finally have a humanitarian response,” he added.
The French leader also stressed that recognition of a Palestinian state is “not only a moral duty, but a political necessity,” although he added that its establishment would need to come under specific conditions.
His remarks followed a joint statement earlier in the week with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto condemning any Israeli plans to seize control of Gaza or expel its population.
Paris is hoping to rally momentum for a conditional recognition of Palestinian statehood, which would require, among other things, the demilitarisation of Hamas.
French officials are weighing up the move ahead of a United Nations conference, which France and Saudi Arabia are co-hosting between June 17-20, to lay out the parameters for a roadmap to a Palestinian state, while ensuring Israel’s security.
However, some diplomats and experts suggest that such moves would infuriate Israel and deepen Western splits.
Imminent starvation
Despite some aid starting to trickle into Gaza after the Israeli blockade, the humanitarian crisis remains dire. Experts warn that one in five people faces imminent starvation.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a private initiative supported by the United States and Israel, expanded its relief operations on Thursday. But the group’s efforts have been widely condemned by the United Nations and other agencies as insufficient, poorly managed and not adhering to humanitarian principles.
GHF centres have become sites of chaos, violence, and desperation with scenes of disorder running through the week as huge numbers of hungry people have overwhelmed security forces at distribution points.
![Palestinians carry an injured man after he was shot at an aid distribution center run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation a US-backed organization approved by Israel in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Thursday, May 29, 2025. [Abdel Kareem Hana/AP]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/AP25149597968661-1748586516.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
An Al Jazeera correspondent in Gaza reported on Friday that several people were wounded by Israeli army gunfire in the centre of the enclave as they tried to reach an aid distribution point set up by GHF.
UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said on Friday that it was prepared to deliver supplies – including food parcels, hygiene kits and medical aid – from its warehouses in Amman, just a few hours’ drive from Gaza, if allowed access.
Meanwhile, talks over a ceasefire in Israel’s war with the Palestinian armed group Hamas continue, with the US having put forward a new proposal.
Hamas has said the proposal is “still under discussion”, but in its current form would only result in “the continuation of killing and famine” in Gaza.
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