A respected dentist is joining the growing call to remove fluoride from drinking water, saying it’s nothing more than ‘hazardous waste.’
Dr Staci Whitman explained that the fluoride in tap water is actually a byproduct of the phosphate fertilizer industry.
Fluoride has been added to public water in the US since 1940s. The mineral found in soil, rocks, and water makes teeth more resistant to acids.
It also prevents bacterial erosion and replaces minerals in tooth enamel that can be lost over time.
Despite its widespread and accepted use for 80 years, Dr Whitman said that fluoride’s poisonous origins and potential to cause serious neurological issues should push governments to reconsider treating water with it.
The dentist noted that this fertilizer byproduct, which provides fluoride for water fluoridation, is called hydrofluorosilicic acid before it is diluted and added to drinking water.
It’s so hazardous in its pure form that workers actually have to wear protective suits when handling it at water treatment plants.
Florida and Utah have already passed legislation banning the addition of fluoride to state water supplies.
Social media users on X replied to Dr. Whitman’s interview, confirming the hazard labels on bags containing the minerals for water fluoridation
Dr. Staci Whitman explained on a recent podcast that fluoride is a byproduct of the phosphate fertilizer industry
‘Everyone can go research this and look for themselves, but it does come in cement bags with skull and crossbones on the front and they do have to wear hazmat suits to put it into our water,’ Dr Whitman explained in an interview with Dr Andrew Huberman this. Dr Huberman is a professor of neurobiology & ophthalmology at Stanford Medicine.
Dr Whitman is a board-certified pediatric dentist and a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.
At her Oregon practice, she takes a ‘whole-body, holistic, and functional approach’ to dental care.
Often, that means looking at other factors that could be damaging children’s teeth beside their parents giving them too much junk food to eat.
‘Docs…stop blaming parents for their kids’ cavities when it’s: environmental toxin exposures, our broken food system, our lack of education and preventative strategies, chronic allergies and mouth breathing, epigenetics, depleted soil and nutrient-void food, gut dysbiosis and the inability to absorb nutrients,’ Whitman wrote in a January 24 tweet on X.
Now, the dentist is sounding the alarm on the inconsistent usage of fluoride in American drinking water from state to state.
Dr Whitman explained that the government’s safe target range for fluoride in water is 0.7 milligrams per liter (mg/L).
However, the dentist has discovered that many communities are putting much more fluoride in their water than is recommended – some as high as 2.2 mg/L.
Studies have found that higher than recommended levels of fluoride in a child’s body have a link to lower IQ scores
Dr. Whitman warned that many communities are inconsistent with the levels of fluoride they’re adding to their tap water, leading to health concerns
Based on previous studies, Dr Whitman said, this amount falls into the range of fluoride exposure that could lead to neurocognitive issues.
In recent months, new studies have added even more concerning evidence to the fear that adding fluoride to tap water is doing more harm than good.
In January, an analysis of 74 studies found higher fluoride exposure was consistently linked to lower IQ scores among children.
The report in JAMA Pediatrics revealed that for every 1 mg/L increase in the amount of fluoride in a child’s urine, they suffered a 1.63-point decrease in IQ.
The study also found cognitive issues among kids at levels below 2 mg/L, raising even more concern about the current US health guidelines for fluoride.
Critics of this report have already noted that the data did not include studies involving the US.
However, Dr. Whitman pointed out in her interview that she’s already found US communities around her Portland practice with fluoride levels in their tap water well above the safe limits.
Another study from October 2024 also questioned whether the eight-decade practice of adding fluoride to prevent tooth decay was even working anymore.
A team from the Cochrane Collaboration discovered that the cavity-fighting power of fluoridated water has significantly dropped off since the 1970s.
The scientists explained that many of the studies used to promote the use of fluoride in drinking water were over 50 years-old.
That’s before the widespread sale of fluoride toothpaste, which has since become widely accessible for most people.
The review found that among fluoride studies conducted after 1975, children using fluoridated water had, on average, just 0.24 fewer decayed baby teeth compared to those in non-fluoridated areas.
In pre-1975 studies, researchers found a reduction of 2.1 decayed teeth per child for those using fluoridated water versus kids using untreated water.
Simply put, recent studies are showing that too much fluoride could harm a child’s brain and there are now better ways of getting it to our teeth instead of blindly adding it to all tap water.
So, does this mean the federal government could soon ban fluoride from tap water?
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the new US Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), has publicly echoed the concerns of Dr. Whitman, saying that the Trump Administration will call for the removal of fluoride from public water systems.
‘Fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease,’ RFK Jr. wrote on X in November.
Despite having the support of the federal government, Whitman noted that the bans on fluoride would likely have to be passed in each state – saying the White House and Congress won’t have much control over this issue.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has said he expects federal health regulators to follow his state’s lead on removing fluoride from drinking water nationwide.
