BOH Agenda 032520 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Expert Evaluation by Tim Wright DDS, MS A recent publication concluded that males born to mothers that consumed fluoridated water had an IQ reduction of 5 points.' This study had many deficiencies and has been the subject of numerous editorials and reviews stating its shortcomings.2-4 Overall, the study showed no change in the IQ level of the children exposed to higher levels of fluoride compared with low fluoride exposures. Girls in the high fluoride exposure group had IQ levels greater than girls in the low fluoride exposure group. In this study there was no accounting for the children's exposures or experiences from birth to IQ testing at age 3 years and there were numerous other issues. This paper states that fluoride is concentrated in the brain providing a possible mechanism for IQ reduction but they reference a rodent study where very high levels of fluoride exposure are used as there is no human data to support that fluoride is concentrated in any tissues other than mineralized tissues. There is no known or proposed mechanism by which fluoride would alter IQ or affect cognitive function in humans exposed to fluoride levels consistent with community water fluoridation. Evaluation and presentation of the data in the Greene study has been highly controversial and has drawn much concern and criticism from researchers across the globe. The IQ of the population in the United States has continued to increase since water fluoridation began in the late 1940s. References: 1. Till C, Green R, Lanphear B. Association Between Maternal Fluoride Exposure and Child IQ. JAMA Pediatr 2019. 2. Berezow AB. Association Between Maternal Fluoride Exposure and Child IQ. JAMA Pediatr 2019. 3. Bledsoe J, Breiger D, McKeever J. Association Between Maternal Fluoride Exposure and Child IQ. JAMA Pediatr 2019. 24