Fluoride-Cancer Link Discounted

A long-awaited government study has found no links between fluoridated drinking water and cancer, according to a report in the American Dental Assn. News.

“Optimal fluoridation of drinking water does not pose a detectable cancer risk to humans,” as evidenced by a new analysis from the National Cancer Institute and “extensive” data from previous studies, according to a draft of the Public Health Service report obtained by the publication.

The report said that the study, expected to be released this week, found that available research on animals fails to “establish an association between fluoride and cancer.”

Assistant Health Secretary James Mason requested the comprehensive survey of scientific data on fluoride last year after a study by the National Toxicology Program found “equivocal” evidence of a link between fluoride and bone cancer in some male rats.