COGNITIVE RETARDNATION: Fluoride exposure during pregnancy increases risk of neurodevelopmental issues in children
Since 1945, cities across the United States have added fluoride (hexafluorosilicic acid) to community drinking water systems. Currently, about 73 percent of the U.S. population receives fluoridated water at a targeted concentration of 0.7 mg/L. According to the American Dental Association, this fluoride level is considered optimal for dental health and for the prevention of dental caries. This mass fluoridation of human populations is conducted without the consent of the individual. Established and emerging research shows that fluoride exposure negatively affects the neurodevelopment of children. Now, a
new study published in the JAMA Network Open medical journal has found that fluoride exposure during pregnancy increases risk of neurodevelopment issues in children.
Fluoride exposure during pregnancy causes low IQ, ADHD and poor cognition in children
In Canada, higher prenatal fluoride exposure was linked to lower IQ in children aged 3-4 years. In Mexico, prenatal fluoride exposure was associated with lower IQ in children aged 6-12 years. These studies have also found increases in ADHD for children ages 6-12 years and poorer executive function in children ages 3-5 years. Notwithstanding, a systematic review by the National Toxicology Program reported a consistent association between higher fluoride exposure and lower IQ in children.
The latest study is the first in the U.S. to investigate the association between prenatal fluoride exposure and child neurobehavioral outcomes. The study looked at 229 mother-child pairs from Los Angeles, California with an average maternal age of 29.45 years. The median maternal urinary fluoride (MUFSG) levels for the mothers were 0.76 mg/L., and these levels stayed the same regardless of fasting status and maternal smoking exposures.
After the pregnancy, several child neurobehavioral outcomes were measured in the following areas: total problems, internalizing problems and externalizing problems. A 1-IQR increase in MUFSG was associated with:
- Nearly double the odds of Total Problems T scores being in the borderline clinical or clinical range
- A 2.29-point increase in Internalizing Problems T scores
- A 2.14-point increase in Total Problems T scores
- Due to higher fluoride exposures, some participants had scores in the borderline clinical or clinical range for total problems (14%), internalizing problems (15.3%) and externalizing problems (10%)
Fluoride contributes to anxiety and autism in children
Children’s neurodevelopment was measured using the Preschool Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), a widely validated parent-reported measure for assessing neurobehavior in young children. The CBCL consists of 99 items and was administered when children in the study were approximately 36 months old. The CBCL looks at areas such as emotionally reactive, anxious-depressed, somatic complaints, withdrawn, sleep problems, attention problems and aggressive behavior. A noteworthy finding was that the average MUFSG across the first and third trimesters showed larger negative effects on CBCL scores than third trimester MUFSG alone.
When it came to clinical diagnoses, a 1-IQR increase in MUFSG was linked to:
- A 13.54% increase in emotionally reactive scores
- A 19.60% increase in somatic complaints scores
- An 11.29% increase in anxiety problem scores
- An 18.53% increase in autism spectrum problem scores
The study indicates that prenatal fluoride exposure, even at levels common in the U.S., is associated with an increased risk of neurobehavioral problems in children. This suggests a potential need for guidelines to limit fluoride exposure during pregnancy to protect child neurodevelopment. Several countries including Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland have stopped fluoridating their water supplies due to concerns about safety and effectiveness. There are approximately 350 million people around the world
who are fluoridated without their consent on a daily basis. Most of these people (200 million) live in the United States.
Generations of children are growing up poisoned and forcibly
brain-damaged by water fluoridation policies. Thankfully, there are certain types of filters that can take fluoride and its byproducts out of drinking water. These filters are especially important for protecting pregnant women and children who live in communities that forcibly poison the people.
Source include:
TheLastAmericanVagabond.com
JAMANetwork.com
NCBI.NLM.NIH.gov