Federal Judge wants stricter fluoride regulations due to potential risk to child development

SPOKANE, Wash. -- Fluoride has been hailed as one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century, but a federal judge in California has ordered the EPA to strengthen its regulations on the compound.

Fluoride is said to help strengthen teeth and reduce the risk of cavities.

In a major ruling, U.S. District Judge Edward Chen cautioned that it's not certain whether the amount of fluoride in drinking water is causing low IQ in kids, but concluded that mounting research points to an unreasonable risk that it could be.

The EPA currently mandates waters systems cannot have more than four milligrams of fluoride per liter of water. That restriction varies greatly from the Washington State Board of Health, which recommends .7 millilleters of flouride per liter.

Judge Chen did not say what the new recommendations should be.

Spokane does not have fluoride in its drinking water and the state of Washington does not require it.

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