And yet another study showing potential fluoride harm

A recently published study carried out in California has found that a mother’s exposure to fluoride while pregnant was associated with adverse effects on the gross motor skills of the child. This study compared the total fluoride exposure of the mother while pregnant, to the abilities of the baby when they were 6, 9, 12 and 18 months old. 

There are now over 85 human studies that show fluoride is neurotoxic and many of these studies were conducted where fluoride levels are the same, or less, than what we are exposed to in fluoridated areas of New Zealand.

The study found a statistically significant adverse effect on gross motor skills such as rolling, sitting, crawling, walking etc. The study also looked at fine motor skills, problem solving, personal social and communication but these effects were not statistically significant. The authors, however, pointed out that the scores “for fine motor and problem-solving were elevated and suggestive of a potential underlying pattern”.

The strengths of this study are that it is a prospective cohort study that measured total fluoride exposure of the child during the third trimester of pregnancy – a critical time for neurodevelopment. Its findings support earlier findings of similar high-quality studies. In contrast, ecological studies, like the New Zealand one that has recently been given $1,100,000 funding, are inherently poor quality and are unlikely to find any association as they miss the most crucial points such as total exposure and timing.

Studies carried out in Canada, the US and Mexico in recent years have sought to determine total fluoride intake of survey participants because using fluoride levels in public drinking water is a crude proxy that misses all the other sources of fluoride a person is exposed to. For example, black tea can represent a large source of fluoride, as can fish and medications.

In discussing the existing studies, which are supported by their own study, the authors state “These findings collectively suggest that fluoride exposure during gestation may interfere with neurodevelopmental processes across multiple domains, in addition to motor development, even at comparatively lower exposure levels.