THE MAGICAL THINKING ABOUT A MIRACLE MINERAL

I remember when railing against the supposed evils of fluoride in drinking water was the work of a few voices clustered on the fringes of political discourse.

- Zeynep Tufekci

The map shifted after Robert F Kennedy Jr took office as the secretary of health and human services. This month he announced that as part of his plan to “make America healthy again”, he would call for an end to fluoridation. Utah has already banned it. Florida is now proposing to do so.

If these bills pass, what will occur is no mystery. More children’s teeth will rot, which will cause pain, social stigma, impaired development and lifelong health problems, and raise the costs of their medical care. The worst effects will fall on disadvantaged children, the kids who don’t have access to frequent dentist visits and special treatments like varnishes to make up for the loss. Adults with bad oral health also suffer more from cardiovascular complications and even Alzheimer’s. At their worst, tooth decay and resulting infections can be deadly. The effects of all this will emerge slowly but surely, over many years, and persist long after this administration.