Recommendations of the Editorial team
In the 1950s, conspiracy theorists claimed that the introduction of fluoride into public water supply was actually a communist chemical monkey of the Soviets. One that should make American children stupid. Seven decades later there is an extensive evidence that shows that small amounts of fluoride have made a significant contribution to public health in water supply. And especially provided healthy teeth. The current US Health Minister is a conspiracy theorist who believes that vaccines caused autism and fluoride reduce the intelligence quotient to the accident for the actual health of the republic.
On Thursday, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told “Fox News” that he ultimately didn’t care, Whether his plan to remove fluoride from the US water supply leads to the fact that children and low-income Americans get more caries or other dental problems.
“It’s a topic. It is a consideration. You will probably see a little more caries,” Kennedy admitted. And claimed: “In Europe, where fluoride was banned, there was no increase in caries.”
Fluoride in Europe and possible risks
Fluoride is not prohibited in Europe. Even if the fluoridation there is not a common practice. A report from 2018 showed that countries with formerly active fluoride programs did not hire them for reasons of public security. But because of course fluoride already occurred in drinking water or other products such as bottle water or milk was added. Many countries also offer free tooth examinations and fluoride treatments in the context of child pension programs. A proposal that would immediately dismiss in the United States as a communist spinning mill.
Some studies have found that fluoride can have negative effects on body and brain with excessive and long -term consumption. As a rule, however, the limit values for such effects are far above the limit of 0.7 mg per liter of drinking water recommended in the USA.
What does science really say?
On Thursday, Kennedy referred to a meta study by the National Toxicology Program. Which according to him is intended to prove that “there is a direct connection between the amount of fluoride in the water and the loss of IQ. Even small amounts of fluoride lead to IQ loss.”
However, the actual meta -analysis contains a fat printed note. “It is important to note that there is not enough data to assess whether the currently recommended fluoride concentration of 0.7 mg/l has a negative impact on the IQ of children in the US public water supply.”
“The determination of a lower IQ in children was mainly based on epidemiological studies in countries outside the USA. Like Canada, China, India, Iran, Pakistan and Mexico. Where pregnant women, infants and children were exposed to fluoride quantities of more than 1.5 mg/l in drinking water,” says the report. “The US public health service currently recommends 0.7 mg/l, while the World Health Organization has set a safe limit of 1.5 mg/l.”
Consequences for public dental health
Other members of the Scientific Community criticized the report that it “contains” not justified methodological and statistical errors that invalidate the conclusions. And show that the data cannot be analyzed as claimed as claimed “. They recommended to withdraw the report.
As previously reported by Rolling Stone, removing fluoride from the public water supply could increase the health gap in the USA. Almost 70 million adults in the United States have no dental insurance. As Melissa Burroughs, director of public politics at the Carequest Institute for Oral Health, expressed it: “The lack of fluoride in drinking water can lead to higher installments of untreated tooth decay, which can also lead to severe oral infections beyond physical symptoms.”
If Kennedy actually – as he claims – is determined to “make America healthy again”, a ban on fluoride in water supply would be a huge step in the wrong direction.