EPA Attempt to Curb Fluoride Use Fuels Opposition

WASHINGTON — U.S. EPA’s bid to phase out a fluoride-based pesticide is sparking the first stirrings of a political battle, as Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) warned the agency yesterday that its move “could create unintended consequences for public health, food safety, and the economy.”

EPA this week proposed a gradual ban on food with traces of sulfuryl fluoride — a fumigant used on cocoa, grains, nuts and other edibles — to complement the rollout of new curbs on fluoride in drinking water aimed at protecting children’s health.

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