During the March 31 council work session, city water director Chris Harder noted Fort Worth follows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended fluoride dosage \u2014 .7 milligrams per liter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Harder was hesitant on changing any dosage rates without new federal guidance.<\/p>\n \u201cBefore I would be recommending to you all about changing our fluoridation practices, there would be something that has to come out of EPA and Health and Human Services related to the dosage rate,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The EPA\u2019s toxicity assessment was spurred by a report<\/a> released in August 2024 from the National Toxicology Program, according to a press release<\/a> from the EPA. The report concluded high levels of fluoride exposure \u2014 1.5 milligrams per liter, or more than double the CDC recommendation \u2014 is associated with lower IQ in children.<\/p>\n The report did not make any conclusive statements about the current dosage recommended by the CDC. Nevertheless, federal leadership determined the report incurred enough concern to examine fluoride further.<\/p>\n \u201cScience is always evolving, and our policies should too,\u201d Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a January press release<\/a>. \u201cA growing body of evidence indicates that ingesting fluoride can cause neurological harm and other adverse effects.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Kennedy long has pushed against the fluoridation of water. In 2024<\/a>, he called the substance \u201can industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders and thyroid disease.\u201d<\/p>\n None of the conditions or diseases mentioned by Kennedy have been linked to the current CDC recommended dosage of fluoride in water.<\/p>\n EPA does not have a timeline on when its assessment on fluoride will be completed.\u00a0<\/p>\n Harder said the results will be implemented fully by the federal government, meaning it will change recommendations from other departments.<\/p>\n \u201cAs part of this assessment, they will not be looking at the health benefits of fluoride,\u201d Harder added. \u201cThey will be just looking at its toxicity.\u201d<\/p>\n Any changes made to drinking water dosages would affect 1.5 million people, encompassing Fort Worth and 33 wholesale customers<\/a>, which include cities and organizations in Tarrant County, Harder noted.<\/p>\n Water services staff will give a briefing when the EPA assessment is published, water department spokesperson Mary Gugliuzza said in an email to the Fort Worth Report.<\/p>\n If changes are recommended, Gugliuzza said a City Council briefing would include a potential implementation schedule.<\/p>\n \u201cThe implementation schedule would allow time for the peer review and public comments to be incorporated into the final report, as well as time for wholesale customers to brief their respective elected officials,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hill did not respond to a request for comment prior to publication about her concerns about fluoride in water.<\/p>\n Fluoride \u2014 in context<\/p>\n The federal government has recommended community water fluoridation since 1962 to prevent dental cavities.\u00a0<\/p>\n The American Dental Association continues supporting the act as \u201cnecessary in preventing tooth decay.\u201d A 2018 study<\/a> from the National Institutes of Health found that water fluoridation reduced tooth decay 40% to 49% for people ages 3 to 44.<\/p>\n Fort Worth has followed the federal recommendation since 1965.<\/p>\n That recommendation, however, is not binding. Hundreds of communities nationwide have stopped the practice, according to the Fluoride Action Network.\u00a0<\/p>\n The largest city in Texas to ban fluoride is College Station. The central Texas town of over 130,000 residents stopped adding fluoride<\/a> in its water system in 2011.<\/p>\n Utah<\/a> and Florida<\/a> banned the practice outright last year.<\/p>\n In February 2025, Texas Department of Agriculture commissioner Sid Miller<\/a> urged Gov. Greg Abbott to stop allowing the fluoridation of water.\u00a0<\/p>\n A bill<\/a> was introduced in Texas\u2019 previously legislative session to prohibit the fluoridation of water. The proposal was left pending in committee.<\/p>\n Ismael M. Belkoura is the health reporter for the Fort Worth Report. His position is supported by a grant from Texas Health Resources. Contact him at ismael.belkoura@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"(Maria](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0131-CityCouncilWorksessionFlouride-MC-03-1024x683.jpg\")
Water director Chris Harder speaks on fluoride in drinking water during a City Council work session on March 31, 2026. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)<\/p>\n