Does fluoride in drinking water lower IQ? Question looms large in court battle

A long-simmering scientific battle took on new life this week, as experts clashed in a San Francisco courtroom over whether the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should ban fluoridation of drinking water to protect fetuses and children from the risk of neurodevelopmental problems. The case , being heard in a federal district court, “is precedent setting,” says Lynn Bergeson, a managing partner of Bergeson & Campbell who focuses on chemical toxicity. Rarely have judges had to “manage the enormity of this record of scientific evidence. … That’s why there’s a lot of attention focused on this right now.” Adding fluoride, a common mineral, to drinking water lessens tooth decay in children and adults by 25%. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls fluoridation, which began in 1946 in the United States and is decided by local water districts, one of 10 “great public health achievements” of the 20th century. But from the get-go, some activist groups worried about potential harm. And over the past few decades, studies of laboratory animals and of communities where drinking water naturally contains fluoride have hinted that high levels might affect brain development. The current case has put the spotlight on an unpublished assessment by the federal government’s National Toxicology Program (NTP). It reported “moderate confidence” that drinking water containing fluoride at levels at least tw...
Source: Science of Aging Knowledge Environment - Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research