Despite considerable debate over the potential side effects that fluoride in drinking water can lead to, there’s a common misconception that fluoride is safe. Well, a new study published in the journal Environmental Health breaks down this misconception as it reveals significant evidence that increasing levels of fluoride in drinking water is harmful to health.
The study is titled Exposure to fluoridated water and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder prevalence among children and adolescents in the United States: an ecological association, and it discovers that a “1% increase in artificial fluoridation prevalence in 1992 was associated with approximately 67,000 to 131,000 additional ADHD diagnoses from 2003 to 2011.”
Neurological issues in children are linked to fluoride in drinking water – EVIDENCE
The study gathered and examined data related to children between 4- 17 years old, which was collected over several years by the National Survey of Children’s Health. In addition, data on the prevalence of state water fluoridation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was also collected and analyzed.
The study found that “Parents reported higher rates of medically-diagnosed ADHD in their children in states in which a greater proportion of people receive fluoridated water from public water supplies.” Its intention was to investigate deeper into the “epidemiological and animal-based studies [which] have suggested that prenatal and postnatal fluoride exposure has adverse effects on neurodevelopment.”
In the end, the researchers concluded that a rise in the fluoride levels of drinking water by just 1% can lead to a substantial increase in the cases of ADHD. The study also looked back at fluoridation in 1992, showing that its negative effects continue even 20 years later. This is just another piece of evidence that continuing usage of a chemical, even for a year’s time, can cause it to remain in the body for years. That’s why it’s vital to consider the possible future health hazards linked to this chemical.
Health experts suggest lowering amount of fluoride in drinking water, but it’s not for the reason it should be
Two months after this study was published, the Department of Health and Human Services stated that the amount of fluoride in drinking water will be reduced to almost half of its current recommended range of 0.7-1.2 milligrams, which is the first time that the federal health officials have suggested such a change since the 1960s. Now, they say that exactly 0.7 milligrams should be used for fluoridation instead of the broader range.
Although this change sounds great, new evidence occurs suggesting that this step was taken for completely different reasons. In fact, fluoride levels in drinking water were lowered because increased access to fluorides (toothpastes, mouthwashes, etc.) allegedly results in fluorosis, a condition where small, white streaks appear on people’s teeth.
In the words of Barbara Gooch, a dentist with the CDC, “The only documented risk of water fluoridation is fluorosis, and it is primarily a cosmetic risk.” She also added that fluorosis, at least in the milder form, “is not a health risk.”
In the meantime, the same organization, the CDC, announced that “The percentage of children with an ADHD diagnosis continues to increase, from 7.8% in 2003 to 9.5% in 2007 and to 11.0% in 2011.”
In fact, today there’s mounting evidence of the harmful effects of fluoride in drinking water, from neurological problems like ADHD to hypothyroidism, especially when a study after study confirms this theory.
Source: CompleteHealthandHappiness
