CHAMPIONSGATE, Fla., March 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The International Academy of Oral Medicine & Toxicology (IAOMT) is alerting the public that a subpoena has forced the National Toxicology Program (NTP) to release a long overdue systematic review of fluoride's neurotoxicity. Internal CDC emails revealed the analysis was blocked by Assistant Health Secretary Rachel Levine and concealed from the public since May 2022. This latest report confirmed and strengthened the findings from two earlier drafts released in 2019 and 2020. External peer-reviewers all agreed with the conclusion that prenatal and early life fluoride exposures can reduce IQ.
The NTP reported 52 of 55 studies found decreases in child IQ with increased fluoride.
"Our meta-analysis confirms results of previous meta-analyses and extends them by including newer, more precise studies…The data support a consistent inverse association between fluoride exposure and children's IQ."
NTP's meta-analysis puts the harm into perspective:
"[R]esearch on other neurotoxicants has shown that subtle shifts in IQ at the population level can have a profound impact…a 5-point decrease in a population's IQ would nearly double the number of people classified as intellectually disabled."
Comments by an unnamed government employee claimed that the documents’ findings do not apply to water fluoridation:
"The data do not support the assertion of an effect below 1.5 mg/L…all conclusory statements in this document should be explicit that any findings from the included studies only apply to water fluoride concentrations above 1.5 mg/L."
The NTP responded:
"We do not agree with this comment…our assessment considers fluoride exposures from all sources, not just water…because fluoride is also found in certain foods, dental products, some pharmaceuticals, and other sources… Even in the optimally fluoridated cities…individual exposure levels…suggest widely varying total exposures from water combined with fluoride from other sources."
NTP also said:
"We have no basis on which to state that our findings are not relevant to some children or pregnant people in the United States."
"Several of the highest quality studies showing lower IQs in children were done in optimally fluoridated (0.7 mg/L) areas…many urinary fluoride measurements exceed those that would be expected from consuming water that contains fluoride at 1.5 mg/L."
Asked whether its meta-analysis had identified any safe dose of fluoride, NTP responded that they found "no obvious threshold" for total fluoride exposure or water fluoride exposure. NTP cited their report's graph showing a steep drop in IQ of about 7 points over a fluoride range from 0.2 to 1.5 mg/L. There is now a large body of scientific evidence supporting the conclusion that fluoride can lower a child's IQ, including at exposure levels from fluoridated water.
A peer-reviewer commented on the size of the effect: "…that's substantial…That's a big deal."
The IAOMT is a non-profit organization dedicated to developing and disseminating scientific findings related to the biocompatibility of dental materials in order to protect public health.
Contact: David Kennedy, DDS, IAOMT Public Information Officer, info@iaomt.org
International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology
Phone: (863) 420-6373; Website: www.iaomt.org
A video accompanying this release is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b3d3e715-b157-4a13-b36e-1e690a27fd90
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2ec41b82-57a3-453f-bb73-eb20598be3ad
