When I was a child, my family opposed the government-mandated fluoridation of the water supply of South Bend, Indiana, my hometown. We were not anti-science. We believed fluoride was a poison and that individual citizens had a right to make their own judgement whether to consume it. I still believe we were right.
(p. D6) A small study published Monday [May 20, 2024] suggested that higher levels of fluoride consumed during the third trimester of pregnancy were associated with a greater risk of behavioral problems in the mothers’ children at 3 years old. The authors of the study, which was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency and published in the journal JAMA Network Open, believe it is the first to examine links between prenatal fluoride exposure and child development among families living in the United States, where fluoride is often added to community water supplies to prevent dental cavities.
The study’s authors and some outside researchers said that the findings should prompt policymakers to evaluate the safety of fluoride consumption during pregnancy.
“I think it’s a warning sign,” said Dr. Beate Ritz, an environmental epidemiologist at the U.C.L.A. Fielding School of Public Health.
For the full story, see:
(Note: bracketed date added.)
(Note: the online version of the story has the date May 22, 2024, and has the title “Is Fluoridated Drinking Water Safe for Pregnant Women?”)
The small published study mentioned above is: