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Snapshot 5:Mon, Aug 26, 2024 9:01:41 PM GMT last edited by NickBurk

US Govt. Study Links High Fluoride Consumption to Lower Childhood IQ

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Image copyright: Tracey Nicholls, CSIRO via Wikimedia Commons

The Facts

  • A recent report from the US government has found, "with moderate confidence," a link between children consuming higher-than-recommended levels of fluoride and lower IQ. A recent report from the US government has found, "with moderate confidence," a link between children consuming higher-than-recommended levels of fluoride and lower intelligence quotient (IQ). 

  • The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water has long been recognized as a major public health accomplishment by the US Centers for Disease Control. The presence of fluoride helps to strengthen teeth and prevent cavities.The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water has long been recognized as a major public health accomplishment. The presence of fluoride helps to strengthen teeth and prevent cavities according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

  • The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended a safe fluoride level of 1.5 mg/L in drinking water, which is higher than the federal health officials' recommended fluoridation level of 0.7 mg per liter of water.


The Spin


The US Public Health Service recommends a fluoride concentration that is half the amount considered safe by the WHO. Several international epidemiological studies conducted in Canada, China, India, Iran, Pakistan, and Mexico on pregnant women, infants, and children exposed to fluoride levels over 1.5 mg per liter of drinking water revealed lower IQs. The authors propose additional research to better understand the potential risks linked to low levels of fluoride exposure, but some caution and concern are warranted which can help set the stage for better regulation.


The US has accumulated 50 years of data demonstrating the positive effects of fluoride. Often, the issue with these foreign research papers is that they exhibit significant bias. The sample sizes are yet another concern. The locations are different, as the foreign studies can't relate to the American circumstancescontext. TooThere much chlorine can represent a real problem, and it has in some cases. Nevertheless, there are numerous safeguards in the water systems to prevent excessive quantities of fluoride.


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