Why put fluoride in the water? Scientists weigh in

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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. Catherine Falls Commercial/Getty Images hide caption

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Catherine Falls Commercial/Getty Images

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.

Catherine Falls Commercial/Getty Images

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.