Saturday, April 25, 2020
Fluoride/Brain Studies Ignited June 8 Federal Fluoridation Trial
Twice-delayed, a lawsuit seeking to prohibit the addition of fluoridation chemicals into public water systems in the US because of the threat fluoride poses to the developing brain will begin June 8, 2020, in Federal District Court in San Francisco
Federal Case No. 17-CV-02162-EMC against the EPA, challenging water fluoridation safety, was brought by several environmental groups led by Food & Water Watch and the Fluoride Action Network (FAN) under provisions in the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA).
Plaintiffs argue that fluoride's neurotoxic harm to children presents an unreasonable risk and far outweighs any possible benefit to teeth. Over 400 studies link fluoride to neurological effects.
This groundbreaking case challenges a practice endorsed by the U.S. Public Health Service 70 years ago, without safety evidence, that today affects more than 200 million Americans through water systems in thousands of communities.
Paul Connett, FAN Executive Director says, "Several well-conducted and government funded Mother-Offspring studies indicate that fluoride has the potential to lower the children's IQ. These studies have changed the ball-game on the argument over fluoride's neurotoxicity."
Further, as of 2020, there have been 72 fluoride-IQ studies - 64 found a lower IQ among children with higher fluoride exposure. Many of the earlier studies were in places with elevated natural fluoride levels. There is now very strong evidence that fluoride damages both the fetal and infant brain at the levels used to artificially fluoridate areas.
"You only have to read four studies (below) to realize that deliberately adding fluoride to drinking water unnecessarily endangers children’s brains. Three* of these four studies were funded by the National Institutes of Health,” says Connett.
The first * published in Sept 2017 is a groundbreaking study from Mexico City. This study found a strong association between the amount of fluoride women were exposed to during pregnancy and lowered IQ in their offspring.
The second * published in 2019 in JAMA Pediatrics essentially replicated the Mexico City finding in Canadian communities.
The third published in 2019 found a staggering 284% increase in the prevalence of ADHD among children in fluoridated communities in Canada compared to non-fluoridated ones.
The fourth * published in 2020 reported that children who were bottle-fed in fluoridated communities in Canada lost up to 9 IQ points compared to those in non-fluoridated communities.
“The level of evidence that fluoride is neurotoxic now far exceeds the evidence that was in place when lead was banned from gasoline,” says Connett.
Plaintiffs are represented by Michael Connett and C. Andrew Waters of Waters Kraus and Paul of El Segundo, California. The defendant is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), represented by the Environmental Defense Section of the U.S. Department of Justice.
EPA plans to call on hired experts from the consulting firm Exponent Inc., known for servicing large corporations.
A Fact Sheet providing further information on the case is at http://fluoridealert.org/
