A U.S. government report expected to stir debate concluded that fluoride in drinking water at twice the recommended limit is linked with lower IQ in children.

The report, based on an analysis of previously published research, marks the first time a federal agency has determined — “with moderate confidence” — that there is a link between higher levels of fluoride exposure and lower IQ in kids. While the report was not designed to evaluate the health effects of fluoride in drinking water alone, it is a striking acknowledgment of a potential neurological risk from high levels of fluoride.

Fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water has long been considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century.

“I think this (report) is crucial in our understanding” of this risk, said Ashley Malin, a University of Florida researcher who has studied the affect of higher fluoride levels in pregnant women on their children. She called it the most rigorously conducted report of its kind.

  • solsangraal@lemmy.zip
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    2 months ago

    it’s not even about science, it’s about principle. if tax dollars are already paying for the fluoride, then they can give it away as a supplement, instead of “welcome to the land of the free, except you’re drinking fluoride whether you want it or not. oh by the way here’s a study showing your kids’ brain damage from us dumping too much fluoride in the water. oops”

    how many of these instances of “oops” is too many for you?

    for me it’s >0

      • solsangraal@lemmy.zip
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        2 months ago

        there are plenty of no-iodide salts available

        edit: as it turns out, i happen to have both

        • Irremarkable@fedia.io
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          2 months ago

          Like how you could choose to go buy distilled water or other fluoride free water if you really cared enough? So we agree it’s not actually a problem? Cool.

          • solsangraal@lemmy.zip
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            2 months ago

            i already do that. i’m not agreeing with shit. read the post article again. it IS a problem

                • Olgratin_Magmatoe@lemmy.world
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                  2 months ago

                  It isn’t. Regularly drinking distilled water will cause you problems. Because the water has no mineral content, it collects minerals from you, which over time will leave you mineral deficient.

                  It isn’t healthy.

            • m0darn@lemmy.ca
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              2 months ago

              The water in my community has poison added to it by my local government. It’s a poison so heinous its usage is banned in war. It affects the clarity and taste of the water. No matter how many letters I write they are totally unwilling to stop chlorinating the water. It’s outrageous!

              • general_kitten@sopuli.xyz
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                2 months ago

                The water in my community also has a dangerous chemical added to it. it is found in all of our food, accumulating in our bodies. In world war one it was a large risk for soldiers as it could cause a disease that makes your limbs start to rot away. Many buildings have to be dismantled because of exposure to it. In humans it has been shown to cause swelling of cells possibly even killing them and also asphyxiation. It has not only directly caused countless deaths but research has found it in bodies of every single dead human.

                They are adding water to our water.

              • solsangraal@lemmy.zip
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                2 months ago

                thanks for the thanks! gotta love the old conventional “wisdom” of the crowd

    • The amount of fluoride in water is significantly below the safe limits. To get fluoride poisoning like the article describes you’d have to drink so much water that you’ll die of drinking too much water first.

      An accident can happen with everything. It’s very, very rare in most developed countries for something to go wrong with the water fluoridisation.

        • One happening every X years is not too terrible. Prolonged exposure is the issue. And the severity of the accident is also important.

          If an accident means accidentally doubling the amount of fluoride, that’s not too bad. Bit wasteful perhaps but not really harmful either. So it’s not really possible to attach a number to it. In my country at least the number has been zero for years now.

          • Olgratin_Magmatoe@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            That, and as long as it’s made publicly and widely known that there is an issue, it’s not that big of a deal.

            We have water boiling alerts for a reason, this is no different. Water distribution will always be a risk no matter what. Public health will always be a risk no matter what. But the benefits outweigh the risk.

    • Count042@lemmy.ml
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      2 months ago

      it’s not even about science, it’s about principle.

      How to say “I’ve never heard of public health” without saying “I’ve never heard of public health”

      Also a case of “the accusation is the confession.” The literal next sentence is “but what about my FREEEEEEDOM!?!?”

      The science behind this is literally highschool chemistry and highschool statistics.