Several states and municipalities have banned fluoridation of public water, or are considering such bans, and the federal Environmental Protection Agency also recently launched an expedited review process to examine safe levels of fluoride in drinking water. Fluoride has been added to municipal water supplies across the country to prevent tooth decay for almost a century, but more recently, concerns have emerged about potential impacts of fluoride on children’s cognitive development. On April 28, 2026, SciLine interviewed Dr. Rob Warren, a professor of sociology at the University of Minnesota, where he studies the long-term effects of the conditions of early life.
TV bundle includes:
Soundbite (SOT)
VOSOT script (can be used as-is or modified)
Raw, full-length interview video & log with timecodes (upon request via form below)
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Click for VOSOT script (can be used as-is or modified)
ANCHOR AS STATES MOVE TO BAN FLUORIDE IN DRINKING WATER…EXPERTS SAY WE DO NOT NEED TO WORRY ABOUT WHAT’S COMING FROM THE TAP.
VO DOCTOR ROB WARREN IS A PROFESSOR OF SOCIOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA. HE STUDIES HOW EARLY-LIFE EXPOSURES AFFECT US LONG TERM. HE SAYS CONCERNS THAT DRINKING FLUORIDATED WATER WILL RESULT IN LOWER I-Q COME FROM STUDIES IN PLACES WITH NATURALLY HIGH LEVELS OF FLUORIDE IN GROUND WATER.
SOT Duration: 0:46 Super: Dr. Rob Warren, professor of sociology at the University of Minnesota “If I was the mayor of a small town in China that had astronomically high amounts of fluoride in the water for geological reasons, I would pay attention to those studies and I would really think about how to fix it. But if I am a federal or state or local official in the United States with some say over community water fluoridation, I would want results and scientific evidence from the United States and from representative samples from the United States. And when we use those kinds of data, we do not see a connection between community water fluoridation and IQ at the levels, in the ballpark of the levels recommended by the CDC.”
VO DOCTOR WARREN ALSO SAYS DRINKING WATER WITH FLUORIDE AT C-D-C RECOMMENDED LEVELS KEEPS KIDS’ TEETH STRONG… AND REDUCES CAVITIES . AND WHEN KIDS HAVE FEWER DENTAL PROBLEMS…THEY HAVE LESS PAIN…AND SPEND MORE TIME IN SCHOOL.
Raw, full-length interview covers:
Research on fluoride and IQ, including his recent study examining exposure to fluoridated water during childhood in the U.S., and any potential impacts on cognition, up to age 80;
His interpretation of small studies from other countries that suggest a possible connection between water fluoridation and lower IQ;
How much fluoride is in the water in U.S. communities, how those numbers compare to the EPA’s recommended limit, and to fluoride levels linked with possible effects on IQ;
If anyone—such as pregnant people or parents of young children—should take precautions to limit exposure to fluoride;
The benefits of community water fluoridation for oral health;
The relationships between poor oral health and educational outcomes for children; and,
What might happen to public health in communities that stop adding fluoride to their water.
