The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the next step in the agency’s accelerated review of public health risks from fluoride in drinking water: the agency’s release of the “Review of Science on Fluoride in Drinking Water: Preliminary Assessment Plan and Literature Survey.”
Fluoride is an element that may be found naturally in sources of
drinking water such as groundwater. Fluoride has been added to drinking
water by drinking water systems to improve dental health. Under the Safe
Drinking Water Act, the EPA sets standards that limit the amount of
potentially harmful substances in drinking water provided by public
water systems.
This fast-track effort marks a critical step in Administrator Zeldin’s April 2025 directive to expedite the EPA’s next fluoride health assessment under the Safe Drinking Water Act schedule.
The EPA’s new plan will be available for public comment for 30 days once it is published in the Federal Register.
The EPA will host a public webinar on January 28 to discuss the assessment plan as well as next steps. Registration for the webinar is available here. NGWA has a best suggested practice, Reducing Problematic Concentrations of Fluoride in Residential Water Well Systems, which is free to members. Click here to learn more.