Too much fluoride leads to lower IQ in children
The truth about fluoride
Fluoride is found in dental care products such as toothpaste and protects teeth from cavities and bacteria in the mouth. It is also added to public drinking water.
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A federal report released this week linked high fluoride levels in other countries to lower IQs in children, providing new insight into the long-simmering debate over fluoridation of public drinking water.
The report, from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Toxicity Program, concluded with “moderate certainty” that a number of studies outside the United States show a link between higher fluoride levels and lower IQ in children. The report evaluated a number of previous studies conducted on populations in Canada, China, India, Iran, Pakistan and Mexico.
The study looked at total fluoride exposure from all sources and therefore did not just measure the health effects of drinking fluoridated water. But experts say the study is likely to spark debate among fluoride opponents who are pushing for votes and other measures to ban fluoridation of public water in communities.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has named the fluoridation of public drinking water one of the 10 greatest public health achievements of the 20th century. The practice of adding small amounts of fluoride to public drinking water to strengthen teeth is endorsed by the American Dental Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The organizations cite studies that show that fluoridated water reduces tooth decay in children and adults by 25 percent.
“Decades of research and practical experience show that fluoride is safe and beneficial for oral health,” said Linda Edgar, president of the American Dental Association.
How much fluoride is safe?
Drinking water with more than 1.5 milligrams of fluoride per liter is “consistently associated with lower IQ in children,” the report said. It did not say by how much IQ might drop in children who drink water with fluoride levels exceeding that level. The report also did not say whether adults might be affected by high fluoride levels.
The U.S. Health Service recommends a fluoride level of 0.7 milligrams per liter of water for public water systems. The World Health Organization’s recommended limit for fluoride in drinking water is 1.5 milligrams per liter.
What do the experts say?
ADA officials said the vast majority of Americans should not be alarmed by the report. Federal health officials recommend setting public water systems to less than half the fluoride levels that the research has linked to lower IQs in children.
“For the average citizen, there is no reason for concern based on the results of this study,” said Howard Pollick, a professor at the University of California, San Francisco.
But Pollick, an ADA fluoride expert, said he is concerned about a small percentage of Americans who live in communities whose water systems contain too much fluoride.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2020, about 1.9 million Americans received drinking water from a community water system with a fluoride level of at least 1.5 milligrams per liter. The report suggests that children in these communities may be at risk because of this measure.
The Environmental Protection Agency recommends that families with young children avoid drinking water from municipal systems that contain fluoride levels above 2 milligrams per liter. The EPA standard is designed to protect children from severe dental fluorosis, which can weaken or discolor teeth. Water suppliers are required to notify people in communities where fluoride levels exceed the limit.
“The question now is whether (the EPA limit) should perhaps be lowered to 1.5,” Pollick said.
Could this encourage more communities to stop using fluoridated water?
Groups that have long been critical of the potential impacts of public water fluoridation on development and cognitive abilities welcomed the report.
David Kennedy, a retired dentist and treasurer of the Preventative Dental Health Association, said the report shows that too much fluoride can harm children’s development.
“It doesn’t belong in our food, our water or our toothpaste,” Kennedy said.
The Fluoride Action Network, which wants to end water fluoridation, said the number of Americans served with fluoridated water by municipal water systems fell from 74.6% in 2012 to 72.7% in 2020. More than 1,400 communities stopped adding fluoridation chemicals to their water systems from 2010 to 2020, the network said.
Pollick expressed concern that city councillors and other elected officials could come under pressure from voters. He noted that the report does not prove that fluoride leads to lower IQ scores and that the report’s authors have “moderate confidence” in the evidence.
“When a report like this comes out, we understand that people are concerned,” Pollick said.
