EPA’s Chemical Regulation Authority at Stake With Fluoride Case

A legal battle over fluoride in drinking water could forge a new path for advocacy groups to challenge the EPA’s conclusions about a range of chemicals’ health risks, attorneys say.

Health advocacy groups, including Food and Water Watch Inc., the Fluoride Action Network, and Moms Against Fluoridation, argue fluoride is a neurotoxin. They unsuccessfully petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency in 2016 to stop the decadeslong practice of adding it to drinking water.

The groups and EPA will virtually present their arguments in the resulting trial starting Monday in federal district court in San Francisco.

The U.S. District Court ...