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Why put fluoride in the water? Scientists weigh in

Adding fluoride to the U.S. drinking water has long been considered one of greatest public health achievements of the 20th century. Still, debate continues about its worth.
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Adding fluoride to the U.S. drinking water has long been considered one of greatest public health achievements of the 20th century. Still, debate continues about its worth.

Fluoridating the public water supply has been common practice for nearly 80 years in the U.S. It's an acclaimed public health intervention that helps prevent cavities. For just as long, some have raised concerns about the practice that can veer from evidence-based to unsubstantiated conspiracy. An analysis by government researchers, published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics, is adding to the debate. The research found that exposing babies and kids to high levels of fluoride might be associated with neurodevelopmental harm. Frankly, it's a lot to digest — so we invited health correspondent Pien Huang onto the show to wade through the debate.

Questions, story ideas or want us to dig into another public health debate? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear from you!

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This episode was produced by Hannah Chinn and edited by our showrunner, Rebecca Ramirez. Rebecca, Pien and Tyler Jones checked the facts. Kwesi Lee was the audio engineer.

Copyright 2025 NPR

Pien Huang is a health reporter on the Science desk. She was NPR's first Reflect America Fellow, working with shows, desks and podcasts to bring more diverse voices to air and online.
Rebecca Ramirez (she/her) is the founding producer of NPR's daily science podcast, Short Wave. It's a meditation in how to be a Swiss Army Knife, in that it involves a little of everything — background research, finding and booking sources, interviewing guests, writing, cutting the tape, editing, scoring ... you get the idea.
Emily Kwong (she/her) is the reporter for NPR's daily science podcast, Short Wave. The podcast explores new discoveries, everyday mysteries and the science behind the headlines — all in about 10 minutes, Monday through Friday.
Hannah Chinn