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Oral Health
Exposure To Fluoride Lowers Intelligence
Let the children play or pay?
A number of studies have shown that exposure to fluoride can cause behavioural changes. At a 1998 conference on fluoride in Washington, Professor Roger Masters reported a significant link between the blood lead levels of 280 000 children in Massachusetts and the use of silicofluorides (the fluoride added to our water supply – waste products of the fertiliser and glass industries).
Fluoride increases the toxic effects and absorption of lead. Both in the UK and in the American state of Georgia, behavioural changes associated with lead toxicity, such as violent crimes, are more frequently reported in communities using silicofluorides than in areas not using it.
At the same conference in 1998, neurotoxicologist Dr. Phyllis Mullinix, from the Boston Children’s Hospital in Massachusetts reported on the results of a study using two steroids to treat childhood leukaemia. One of the steroids had a fluoride atom in its structure, and the use of this steroid caused behavioural patterns typical of hyperactivity.
A follow-up study also showed a significant drop in the average IQ scores of the children given the steroid with fluoride, compared with those taking the non-fluoride steroid.
Detrimental or just mental?
New studies from China shows that an excessive intake of fluoride can build-up in the brain and permanently reduce the IQ of children.
Two very similar suburban villages in the Shanxi province in China have only one major difference: the level of calcium fluoride in their water supply.
Xinghau’s water contains 0.91 part per million (ppm) of fluoride and 14 per cent of the population has dental fluorosis – mottling, softening, porosity and brittleness of the tooth. They have no cases of skeletal fluorosis.
In contrast, the neighbouring village, Sima, has 4.12 ppm fluoride in its water. 86 per cent of the population shows clear evidence of dental fluorosis and 9 per cent has clinically diagnosed skeletal fluorosis.
In each village, 160 randomly selected children (excluding those with congenital or acquired disease not related to fluoride) took a standard IQ test lasting 40 minutes. Each child’s mother lived in one of the villages during pregnancy. The two studies came to extraordinary and identical conclusions: exposure to high fluoride lowers intelligence, as measured by IQ scores.
The general IQ level score in Sima (high fluoridated water) was 97.7, whereas in Xingua (lower fluoridated water) the general IQ level score was 105.2. That is a 7.5 point or 7.7 per cent difference, which is a significant difference on a statistical level.
Among the 160 children selected for the study, the number of those from Sima with IQs of 69 and lower was sic times that of the children from Xinghua and 26 per cent fewer children in Sima had IQ scores of 120 or above.
These are just two studies in a long list of studies that have been conducted world wide, which all shows time and time again that fluoride holds very little (if any) health benefits.
What not to do
Of course we realise that many people may now go on a wild goose chase trying to purify their drinking water with all kinds of filters and methods. Before you do any of that here’s a short list of things that won’t remove fluoride from your drinking water.
- Brita, Pur, and most other commercial water filters.
Some websites about fluoride removal state otherwise, but if you check the product descriptions on the companies' websites and the product descriptions on most home water filters you will find that fluoride remains in the water after purifying. These filter systems are fine for improving taste and smell but they can't remove all of the impurities found in our water.
- Boiling Water
This will concentrate the fluoride rather than reduce it.
- Freezing Water
Freezing water does not affect the concentration of fluoride.
What to do
This is the tricky part (as always...)
- Reverse Osmosis Filtration
This is used to purify several types of bottled water (not all), so some bottled waters are unfluoridated. Reverse osmosis systems are expensive but can be installed at home. Prices vary depending on size and brands. For domestic use prices start at £150.00. The advanced performance of the reverse osmosis process has a semi-permeable membrane that allows only the pure water molecules to pass through leaving the impurities to be washed down the drain, and leaving you the purest water on tap with up to 98 per cent of contamination removed.
- Distillation Filtration
There are commercially available distillation filters that can be purchased to remove fluoride from water, these are also relatively expensive and vary from £70- £200. On a related note: When looking at bottled water, keep in mind that 'distilled water' does not imply that a product is suitable for drinking water and other undesirable impurities may be present.
Sources:
‘Fluoride in drinking water should be banned’ published
online 11/03/09, thehealthierlife.co.uk
‘Fluoride’ 1996;29:187-8, 1996;29:190-2, 1998;31:175
‘Neurotoxicol Teratol’ 1995; 17: 169-77
Chin J Control Endem Dis Suppl, 1991
‘How to Remove Fluoride from Drinking Water’ by Dr Anne
Marie Helmenstine , published online, chemistry.about.com
‘An Investigation into Groundwater Defluoridation Techniques
and Management in Andhra Pradesh, India’ by Alison
Hutchison, published 2005-06, Cranfield University, Silsoe,
Institute of Water and Environment
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