Can Fluoride in Our Water Cause Problems in Brain Development?

There is a growing controversy throughout the United States and Canada that fluoride in our water supplies can cause brain development and lowering of our intelligence. Quite a few studies have indicated that higher levels of fluoride exposure can cause problems in brain development, but there currently are no definitive indications that the levels in the American water supply are causing any memory or mental development problems.

Over the last fifty years, over 66% of United States cities have added fluoride to their drinking water supply and it has made significant strides in the prevention of tooth decay. According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the addition of fluoride is “one of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century.”

If this is so, then why are people beginning to take a second look at the mineral and are trying to ban it? 

As a recognized leader in the movement to ban fluoride, Dr. Paul Connett, travels the world giving lectures on the negative aspects of adding fluoride to the drinking water. According to him, with the advances in science more knowledge has been obtainable on the effects of ingesting fluoride into our bodies, especially through our water supply.

Dr. Connett says fluoride is a drug, and if you choose to ingest it you should get a prescription. “We don’t use the public water supply to deliver medicine because it’s a stupid thing to do. You can’t control the dose. You can’t control who gets it. [There’s] no individual supervision. Of course it violates the individual’s right to informed consent to medicine,” he says.

He went on to add, “Why would we lower a kid’s IQ by even a small few number of IQ points? Why would we run the risk of making our bone more brittle when we get old? Why would we run the risk of arthritis? Why would we run the risk of lowering thyroid function?”

Connett and his followers have been trying to educate people around the world for the past 11 years on the perils of fluoridated drinking water. They have managed to persuade at least 31 communities in Canada, New Zealand and the U.S. to stop adding fluoride to their water supplies. Their biggest argument – that 25 studies have found fluoride to be associated with IQ reduction and brain development problems, even in the lower levels that are used in most American community water supplies.

According to the American Dental Hygienist Association, “Community water fluoridation is an effective, safe, and inexpensive way to prevent tooth decay. Fluoridation benefits Americans of all ages and socioeconomic status.”

One study conducted in China found that those whose well water contained high fluoride levels scored lower on intelligence tests when compared to those who had lower exposures. The Chinese researchers said, “Lower overall IQ scores, a greater number of lower scores and fewer higher scores were found in the group of children drinking high fluoride well water when compared with children who drank well water with lower amounts of fluoride. The observed differences in testing could affect a child’s ability to perform in school.” It must be told that the levels in the Chinese studies were significantly higher than those found in our local water systems.

 “Exposure to high levels of fluoride may also alter brain development,” according to recent studies of Chinese populations. Rural China studies suggest the developing brain and young children are the most vulnerable from too much fluoride. In all fairness, the studies were not done with appropriate controls, and the levels of fluoride in Chinese wells contained up to 8.3 milligrams per liter, while most U.S. cities use 1.0 parts per million – an extreme difference.

In a more realistic and informed opinion, the popular website for medical and scientific information and updates, “Fluoride is safe for most people in the amounts added to public water supplies and used in toothpastes and mouthwashes, and applied by dentists. Low doses (up to 20 mg per day of elemental fluoride) of supplemental fluoride taken by mouth appear to be safe for most people. Higher doses are UNSAFE and can weaken bones and ligaments, and cause muscle weakness and nervous system problems. High doses of fluoride in children before their permanent teeth come through the gums can cause tooth discoloration.”

 

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Sources:

Mercola.com – 25 Stories Proves This Reduces Your IQ http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/12/03/paul-connett-fluoride.aspx?e_cid=20111203_DNL_art_1

Wikipedia – Fluoride: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluoride

American Dental Hygienist Association – Fluoride Facts: http://www.adha.org/oralhealth/fluoride_facts.htm

Environmental Health News – Arsenic and Fluoride Exposure in Drinking Water: http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/newscience/2007/2007-0705wangetal.html