(today, Mon. Aug. 19. 2019) JAMA: Fluoridated water causing IQ deficits

[eastriver]

Almost no other country, developed or otherwise, fluoridates its drinking water. It's also a prevailing recent policy by most U.S municipalities that adopt it, i.e., after the mid 1980s. Most didn't do it before then.

If you think you drank fluoridated water at one time, you may be surprised after looking at the history of your city or town's water fluoridation starting year.

[eastriver]

Originally Posted by silibran

I drank fluoridated water in all three of my pregnancies. My kids are smart adults.

I don't know. There is naturally fluoridated drinking water and I would wonder if an IQ study has been done on those populations which have drunk it for decades.

In fact yes. From Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and China Medical University in Shenyang:
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/fe...randjean-choi/

[ocnjgirl]

Originally Posted by silibran

This is one study. Fluoridated water occurs naturally and I would like to see a study of people who have drunk naturally occurring fluoridated water in their communities for generations. Frankly I don’t believe this. If it shows up in other studies in other locales, then I’ll believe it.

How could you even measure “lower IQ” if it were only a few points lower? Makes no sense.

I’m quite sure the details of how they measured that are in the research study itself if you read it.

Again, I don’t understand what people are arguing. They’re not telling everyone that fluoride is poison. They are simply publishing the results of a study that in the end recommends pregnant women try to limit how much fluoride is in their system. Is that really such a big controversy? They also recommend pregnant women don’t eat more than two or three cans of tuna week, because of the mercury. Is that a fear mongering conspiracy too? Or simply a recommendation for women who for the most part want to do everything they can to have as healthy and happy baby as possible and don’t mind drinking bottled or filtered water for nine months. Which most of us do anyway, pregnant or not.

It really wasn’t even aimed at consumers, it was published in a medical journal for other doctors.

Again, I really don’t understand what people are upset about with this study.

[mascoma]

Originally Posted by eastriver

Almost no other country, developed or otherwise, fluoridates its drinking water. It's also a prevailing recent policy by most U.S municipalities that adopt it, i.e., after the mid 1980s. Most didn't do it before then.

If you think you drank fluoridated water at one time, you may be surprised after looking at the history of your city or town's water fluoridation starting year.

Many countries don't need to fluoridate water because it is naturally occurring in their water. Other countries like Germany fluoridate the salt.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16156167

I believe 25 countries have water fluoridation programs. Some have discontinued like South Korea since fluoride is in toothpaste now. You can't escape fluoride no matter how hard you try. Virtually all foodstuffs contain at least traces of fluoride. It is a very common mineral. Fluorine is estimated to be the 13th-most abundant element in the earth's crust.

https://www.who.int/water_sanitation...s/fluoride.pdf

[eastriver]

Originally Posted by mascoma

Many countries don't need to fluoridate water because it is naturally occurring in their water. Other countries like Germany fluoridate the salt.

Infinitesimal trace amounts of anything can occur in water. Noticeable naturally occurring amounts in water in China are implicated in lowered IQs in a study conducted by HSPH.

Japan does not fluoridate.

Here is a list of Western European countries that do and do not fluoridate:
Fluoride Action Network | Water Fluoridation Status in Western Europe

Originally Posted by mascoma

Fluorine is estimated to be the 13th-most abundant element in the earth's crust

Not the synthetic ion sodium fluoride. And not the caustic fluorosalicylic acid. Both are used in municipal fluoridation.