A report released last year by the National Toxicology Program concluded that drinking water with fluoride levels above 1.5 mg per liter is associated with lower IQs in children. This scientific finding is being used to advocate for a reexamination of water fluoridation practices, especially as communities affected by these policies are often low‐income and marginalized.

Former NTP scientific director Brian Berridge testified that the NTP draft report linking fluoride exposure to lowered IQ in children was delayed for political purposes, and during a trial he was muzzled by a judge to prevent discussion of the politically motivated delay.

Former NTP Scientific Director Brian Berridge testified during a landmark fluoride trial that political pressures from public health agencies and regulatory bodies delayed the publication of the NTP’s draft report linking fluoride exposure to lower IQ. Berridge detailed how agencies such as the CDC and NIH’s NIDCR intervened to preserve existing practices, raising serious concerns about regulatory capture and the undermining of scientific integrity in favor of entrenched institutional interests.

On February 9, 2021, the National Toxicology Program announced that it would not complete its systematic review on fluoride’s neurotoxicity, opting instead to produce a 'state of the science' document without definitive conclusions. This decision has raised concerns about potential regulatory capture and a lack of clear, transparent communication on public health risks.