Fluoride

Fluoride is an element that occurs naturally in the environment, however it is also produced synthetically for use in toothpaste and mouthwashes. Due to a long history of corporate incentives and cherry-picked studies that dates back to the 50s, fluoride was approved to become an additive in American drinking water “to promote strong teeth.” Approximately 300 studies, as evidenced below, demonstrate fluoride is a neurotoxin, linking fluoride exposures to reduced intelligence. Studies have also found associations with arthritis, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, endocrine disruption, gastrointestinal effects, and infertility. More recent studies have found a toxic synergy between fluoride and aluminum. From 2000 to 2004, 125 communities in 36 states adopted fluoridation of their municipal water supplies, however other cities, such as College Station, Texas and Watsonville, California, have overturned fluoridation mandates. Only about 2% of people receive artificially fluoridated water in Europe, with countries like the Netherlands and Italy rejecting the additive. Fluoridation is banned in China, due to cases of increased dental fluorosis from naturally occurring fluoride in their water supply.

Fluoride Action Network

The Fluoride Action Network (FAN) provides an excellent summary of the extensive research documenting that fluoride is a neurotoxin—over 300 studies to date, including 53 human studies linking fluoride exposures with reduced intelligence.

Prenatal Fluoride Exposure and Cognitive Outcomes in Children at 4 and 6–12 Years of Age in Mexico

This landmark U.S.-government-funded study found that “higher prenatal fluoride exposure, in the general range of exposures reported for other general population samples of pregnant women and nonpregnant adults, was associated with lower scores on tests of cognitive function in the offspring at age 4 and 6–12 y.” According to Paul Connett, Director of the Fluoride Action Network (FAN), “There is no longer any doubt that fluoride gets into the brain and causes damage.” Connett also has stated, “We are shocked and dismayed that public health officials and the media aren’t informing pregnant women to limit their fluoride intake.”