US Government says ingestible fluoride NOT safe for most children

The US Food and Drug Administration has announced it is restricting the sale of ingestible fluoride, such as tablets and drops, for children under three, and older children not at high risk of dental decay.  The FDA’s press release states that there is growing research pointing to fluoride’s neurotoxicity even at levels thought of as low. and it is now known that fluoride interferes with the gut microbiome. “The microbiome is increasingly recognized to be central to a child’s health and development,” according to FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, M.D., M.P.H.

The question has to be asked – if ingesting fluoride is not safe for young children, then why is it added to the drinking water? It is now plain for everyone to see that fluoridation should only be part of a Monty Python skit. Obviously, if fluoride is not safe to ingest, then it is not safe to add it to the drinking water.

Fluoride tablets used to be prescribed in doses designed to replicate the dosage a child would receive from 1 litre of fluoridated water, but they are no longer considered effective, even by those promoting fluoridation.

Last year the US Government’s National Toxicology Program (NTP) published its seven-year systematic review of all fluoride and IQ studies. This review confirmed that fluoride was a neurotoxin that lowered children’s IQ (with an impact comparable to that caused by lead in petrol) – at levels experienced in communities with water fluoridation at 0.7mg/L. The NTP said the best studies were from Canada and Mexico. Another study published last  year found that children in fluoridated parts of Los Angeles had greater rates of ADHD and other behavioural problems than children living in the non-fluoridated parts.

A US federal court judge also ruled last year that fluoridation “posed an unreasonable risk to health”, as defined by the US Toxic Substances and Control Act, and ordered the EPA to take regulatory action to reduce the risk.

Canada and the US fluoridate at a lower rate than New Zealand – 0.7 mg/L compared to 0.85 mg/L. 

Pregnancy and early childhood were shown to be the times of greatest exposure and risk, given body weight and dose, the exact times when brain development is most vulnerable.

The FDA also noted that the world’s leading independent health science body, the Cochrane Collaboration, found that fluoride does not reduce dental decay in baby teeth. Therefore, giving any fluoride to young children is all risk without even any potential for benefit.

Fluoridation absolutely needs to stop. Until that happens, the public need to know to avoid fluoride during pregnancy and early childhood. Most crucially, fluoridated water should never be used to make up baby formula.