New US Study finds fluoridated water is causing behavioral problems in children
Pre-natal
fluoride exposure has serious consequences for mental health, according
to another major study just published in the prestigious Journal of the
American Medical Association (JAMA).
According
to Tracy Bastain, senior author of the study and an associate professor
of clinical population and public health science “Our results showed
that higher fluoride levels in mother’s urine were associated
with significantly increased neurodevelopmental problems in their
three-year-old children, especially for internalizing problems like
depression and anxiety…These results are very concerning from a public
health perspective, given that the majority of U.S. communities have
fluoridated water.”
This
was reported in Newsweek, which went on to say “In their study, Bastain
and colleagues found that a 0.68 milligram per liter increase in
maternal fluoride exposure was associated with a near-doubling increase
in their child’s risk of developing neurobehavioral problems, including
emotional reactivity, headaches, anxiety and symptoms linked to autism.”
And
the Los Angeles Times reported on the study confirming fluoride
exposure was associated with “an increased risk of neurobehavioral
problems at age 3, including symptoms that characterize autism spectrum
disorder. The association was seen among women who consumed fluoride in
amounts that are considered typical in Los Angeles and across the
country.”
The
study was conducted on mother-child pairs in Los Angeles, and found
significant increases in psychological problem scores for both internal
(e.g. depression and anxiety) and external (e.g. autism) conditions.
This
latest US study is the first study of its kind carried out in the US
but is on top of a growing number of US Government-funded studies from
Canada and Mexico. It also comes after a major six year review carried
out by the US Government’s National Toxicology Program that reviewed all
fluoride IQ studies and found that fluoride “with moderate confidence,
that higher fluoride exposure … is consistently associated with lower IQ
in children.”
This
study suggests that fluoridation is likely to be one of the reasons New
Zealand children are suffering from record levels of anxiety and
depression.
The
fluoridation level recommended by the NZ Ministry of Health is 0.85ppm
(midrange between 0.7 and 1ppm). This is 21% higher than the maximum
target of 0.7ppm in the USA.
US
scientists are calling for a warning that pregnant women should avoid
fluoridated water. In 2018 the NZ Supreme Court held that once fluoride
was in the water it was almost impossible to avoid completely and is
“compulsory medical treatment”.
