U.S. Gov't: Highly Fluoridated Drinking Water Bad For Pregnant Women

That fluoridated drinking water posed a health risk was a long standing conspiracy theory poo-pooed by NPCs everywhere. But then, as I wrote about in May of this year, a study was released that linked consumption of fluoridated water by pregnant women to increased odds of having a child with a neurobehavioral issue--including anxiety, emotional control, and headaches--by the time their infant turned three. 

    News outlets are now reporting on another study that showed deleterious neurological effects from pregnant women consuming fluoridated water. The New York Post reports that "Fluoride in drinking water at twice the recommended limit is linked to lower IQ in kids: US government report." From the article:

    The long-awaited report released Wednesday comes from the National Toxicology Program, part of the Department of Health and Human Services. It summarizes a review of studies, conducted in Canada, China, India, Iran, Pakistan and Mexico, that concludes that drinking water containing more than 1.5 milligrams of fluoride per liter is consistently associated with lower IQs in kids.

    The report did not try to quantify exactly how many IQ points might be lost at different levels of fluoride exposure. But some of the studies reviewed in the report suggested IQ was 2 to 5 points lower in children who’d had higher exposures.

So readers won't be alarmed, the article notes that "[s]ince 2015, federal health officials have recommended a fluoridation level of 0.7 milligrams per liter of water, and for five decades before the recommended upper range was 1.2. The World Health Organization has set a safe limit for fluoride in drinking water of 1.5." But it nevertheless points out that a relative small number of people live in areas where naturally occurring fluoride in the water raises the level above the 1.5 mg/l level. 

    In addition, "[t]he 324-page report did not reach a conclusion about the risks of lower levels of fluoride, saying more study is needed. It also did not answer what high levels of fluoride might do to adults."

• See also, "Bombshell government report says high levels of fluoride in water is linked to low IQ in children - as map reveals counties at risk"--Daily Mail.