A federal judge on Friday sided with anti-fluoride activists and excluded evidence about fluoride’s dental benefits in a coming trial about the chemical’s potential to harm people when added to drinking water.
Judge Edward M. Chen of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California said the nation’s primary chemicals law doesn’t allow the benefits of a chemical to be considered while the Environmental Protection Agency, or in this case the court, decides whether that chemical poses an unreasonable health risk.
“If you look at the language of the statute, it’s not clear to me why we would ...