NTP Report — 52 of 55 Studies Link Fluoride to Lower IQ
So, what did the NTP report11 reveal about fluoride's neurotoxicity? Out of 55 studies included in the review, 52 found that increased fluoride exposure was associated with decreases in child IQ.
"Our meta-analysis confirms results of previous meta-analyses and extends them by including newer, more precise studies … The data support a consistent inverse association between fluoride exposure and children's IQ," the report found.12 While some have stated that the data only apply to water fluoride concentrations above those commonly found in U.S. drinking water, NTP didn't agree, stating:13
"We do not agree with this comment … our assessment considers fluoride exposures from all sources, not just water … because fluoride is also found in certain foods, dental products, some pharmaceuticals, and other sources … Even in the optimally fluoridated cities … individual exposure levels … suggest widely varying total exposures from water combined with fluoride from other sources.
… We have no basis on which to state that our findings are not relevant to some children or pregnant people in the United States … Several of the highest quality studies showing lower IQs in children were done in optimally fluoridated (0.7 mg/L) areas…many urinary fluoride measurements exceed those that would be expected from consuming water that contains fluoride at 1.5 mg/L."
No Safe Level of Fluoride in Water
The report also identified a drop of about seven IQ points over a fluoride range of 0.2 to 1.5 mg/L, which a peer reviewer described as "substantial … That's a big deal."14 The meta-analysis noted that no safe exposure level could be confirmed, including exposure to fluoride levels found in artificially fluoridated water.15 The next hearing for FAN's lawsuit against the EPA is set for April 11, 2023.16
FAN obtained documents via the Freedom of Information Act that further showed dental groups' attempts to "water down the report." FAN explained:17
"When the NTP held firm, these agencies got HHS Assistant Administrator Rachel Levine to block its release. Only one historical example exists of an NTP report being blocked from release, a report on the carcinogenicity of asbestos-contaminated talc.
Talc industry groups conducted an aggressive lobbying campaign, enlisting friendly congresspeople to intervene. FAN was able to force today's release of the NTP report by using leverage from the ongoing lawsuit against the EPA.
Fluoridation defenders have falsely claimed draft versions of the report had been 'rejected' by a National Academies committee. In fact, the committee recommended that NTP clarify their methods and reasoning for reaching their conclusions because the issue was considered so contentious. The NTP has done that in the report …
There is now little question that a large body of scientific evidence supports a conclusion that fluoride can lower child's IQ, including at exposure levels from fluoridated water … With the release of this report, dental interests may have to rethink their denial of the evidence that fluoridation can reduce children's IQ."
97% of Western Europe Has Rejected Water Fluoridation
If the U.S. got it wrong about water fluoridation after declaring it a top public health achievement, it makes you wonder what else they're wrong about. And it's important to understand that water fluoridation is not the norm worldwide. In fact, 97% of people living in western Europe drink nonfluoridated water, including those in:18
Austria | Belgium | Denmark |
Finland | France | Germany |
Greece | Iceland | Italy |
Luxembourg | Netherlands | Northern Ireland |
Norway | Portugal | Scotland |
Sweden | Switzerland |
Fluoride in drinking water is an industrial waste product from the phosphate fertilizer industry.19 More than 300 studies have shown fluoride's toxic effects on the brain,20 including 2006 National Research Council review that suggested fluoride exposure may be associated with brain damage, endocrine system disruption and bone cancer.21
In 2012, Harvard researchers also revealed that children living in high-fluoride areas had significantly lower IQ scores than those who lived in low-fluoride areas22 and suggested high fluoride exposure may have an adverse effect on children's neurodevelopment.
A study of Mexican women and children also raised concern, showing that higher exposure to fluoride while in utero is associated with lower scores on tests of cognitive function in childhood, both at the age of 4 and 6 to 12 years.23
Each 0.5 milligram per liter increase in pregnant women's fluoride levels was associated with a reduction of 3.15 and 2.5 points on the children's scores on the General Cognitive Index (GCI) of the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities and the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI), respectively.
Fluorosilicic acid, which is the fluoride chemical added to drinking water, may also be contaminated with additional harmful compounds, including lead and arsenic. Children, in particular, are at risk from ingesting fluoride, but they are exposed to the same levels in drinking water as adults. According to Steven Gilbert, Ph.D., founder and director of the Institute of Neurotoxicology and Neurological Disorders:24
"From the 1950s the PHS [Public Health Service] recommendation for the concentration of fluoridated water has been 1.0 mg/L (milligrams per liter or ppm) for most of the U.S., with a range of 0.7 to 1.2 mg/L. In 2015, this recommendation was lowered to 0.7 mg/L to reduce the toxic side effects of fluoride ingestion while attempting to maintain its beneficial effects.
For toxicological assessment, ingested doses are typically adjusted by body weight. Kids eat more, breathe more, and drink more than adults on a body weight basis so they will have higher fluoride doses than adults. Moreover, child organ systems such as the brain and bones are still developing, making them more vulnerable to the toxic effects of fluoride."
Hopefully, now that the NTP review has been released, the truth about water fluoridation's toxicity will come out, and the archaic practice can be ended in the U.S. and worldwide.
- 1 U.S. CDC April 23, 2015
- 2 Slate February 11, 2013
- 3, 12, 13, 14 Pr Newswire March 16, 2023
- 4 Fluoride Action Network, Trial Fact Sheet
- 5 Fluoride Action Network, TSCA Trial
- 6 FluorideAlert.org June 8, 2021
- 7 FluorideAlert.org, The TSCA Fluoride Trial, 2016-Present, Up to December 2021
- 8 FluorideAlert.org, The National Toxicology Program, Updated March 2023
- 9 FluorideAlert.org February 23, 2023
- 10 Capital & Main March 14, 2023
- 11 NTP Monograph on the State of the Science Concerning Fluoride Exposure and Neurodevelopmental and Cognitive Health Effects [...] September 2022
- 15, 17 PR Newswire March 15, 2023
- 16 FluorideAlert.org, The TSCA Fluoride Trial, 2016-Present
- 18 FluorideAlert.org May 2019
- 19 Origins, Toxic Treatment: Fluoride’s Transformation From Industrial Waste to Public Health Miracle
- 20 FAN, Studies on Fluoride
- 21 NRC 2006
- 22 Environmental Health Perspectives October 2012, Volume 120, Issue 10
- 23 Environmental Health Perspectives September 2017, Volume 125, Issue 9
- 24 Toxipedia, Connecting the Dots, Fluoride Ingestion, Page 3