Atlanta: A US official report has stated that the presence of twice the amount of fluoride in drinking water is associated with lack of intelligence in children.
The report, based on an analysis of previously published research, is the first time a federal agency has determined a link between high fluoride levels and lower IQ in children.
Although this report was not designed to evaluate the health effects of fluoride in drinking water alone, it is a striking acknowledgment of the potential neurological problems from high fluoride intake.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal decay. The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water has long been considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the past century.
Ashley Mullen, a researcher at the University of Florida who has studied the effects of high levels of fluoride in pregnant women on their babies, said she thinks the report is “new to our understanding of the risk.” is important.
He called it the most rigorous report of its kind.
