Buffalo committed to keeping fluoride in water despite impending RFK recommendations

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The City of Buffalo has said it is committed to keeping fluoride in the city’s water supply despite impending recommendations from incoming Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that the chemical be taken out.

RFK — the former independent presidential candidate who has a history of spreading conspiracy theories — was officially tapped by President-Elect Donald Trump last week to lead the Department of Health and Human Services as part of his cabinet.

Kennedy said one of his first acts for the administration would be to advise municipalities to remove fluoride from their water supply, claiming it’s an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone cancer and other conditions.

Dr. Marcelo Araujo, the Dean of the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine, said data going back three-quarters of a century shows the levels used in the city’s water, equal to three drops in a 55-gallon barrel, is safe.

Fluoride in water has been a point of contention in Buffalo in recent years. In 2023, a report found that fluoride was taken out of the water without anyone’s knowledge. The chemical was returned to the city’s water supply in September following delays.

Local dentists were shocked to hear about the request for fluoride to be removed from America’s next leaders.

“Water fluoride is the most equitable thing we can do for our population because everybody has access to it,” Araujo said. “Fluoride will help make teeth stronger, will prevent cavities, and will help people to have a better oral health.”

The governance of fluoride in water is not handled by the Department of Health and Human Services. It is a combination of state and local decisions, along with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

“They could certainly put guidelines to make it harder, but not eliminate a healthy amount of fluoride in water,” Buffalo Common Council member Mitch Nowakowski said.

Buffalo Water Board Chairman OJ McFoy said the city is committed to keeping fluoride in the water, which follows New York State health guidelines. Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon is also in support of keeping fluoride in the water.

If changes do come at the federal level, they will be recommendations only.

“Local level makes the decision. You can have areas that are not going to have water fluoridation, but at the end of the day, the federal mandate can tell us what fluoride can do to prevent cavities and that’s what we know the FDA does,” Araujo said. “However, it will be a local authority, a local regulatory body, that will decide if their water will be fluoridated.”

Community water fluoridation began in the United States in 1945 and is responsible for reducing cavities and tooth decay in both children and adults. According to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, water fluoridation projects currently benefit over 200 million Americans.

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