“Given the ubiquity of fluoride exposure, the population impact of adverse effects from fluoride may be even greater than for other toxic elements like lead, mercury, and arsenic… and the benchmark results should inspire a revision of water fluoride recommendations aimed at protecting pregnant women and young children.” (Grandjean, 2021)
Please read the quote above once more. This is one of the reasons the Fluoride Action Network is fighting everyday to stop water fluoridation. People are actively being harmed by this practice, and in a significant way. Fluoride is the new lead, and the U.S. Centers For Disease Control (CDC) aren’t taking action, nor are the World Health Organization, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), American Academy of Pediatrics, American Dental Association, or their state level peers. This is why–among many other reasons–this issue requires our attention and dedication. Our collective effort is a worthy one, and our success will have a significant and long-lasting impact on generations of people.
The quote above is from the only published benchmark dose analysis (Grandjean et al.) conducted on maternal fluoride exposure and fetal brain development, which was in the journal Risk Analysis in the summer of 2021. The paper’s authors ultimately concluded that a maternal urine fluoride concentration of 0.2mg/L was enough to lower IQ by 1 point, and that even this impact is likely underestimated.
A newer study from Canada published this past summer in the journal Nutrients, found that pregnant women who had low iodine levels and elevated fluoride had boys who suffered an average IQ loss that was 58% greater than the already significant IQ loss from elevated fluoride alone [Goodman 2022]. Artificially fluoridated drinking water was the main source of the fluoride. The boys of women with low iodine levels lost, on average, 9.3 IQ points, while those of mothers with adequate iodine lost 5.9 IQ points, for every 1 mg/g increase in mother’s urine fluoride concentration. To put this huge 9-point IQ loss from fluoride into perspective, studies show that a pregnant woman smoking 20+ cigarettes each and every day during their pregnancy can cause less of an IQ loss for the child than fluoride, averaging about 6.2-points lost.
High-quality studies of fluoride neurotoxicity–many funded by the U.S. Government–have been remarkably consistent in finding statistically significant adverse effects. This latest Canadian study is in addition to at least nine other fluoride mother-offspring studies linking fluoride exposure to harm, and 23 studies published on the association between fluoride exposure and reduced IQ since just 2017.
Clearly, millions of developing babies and infants are being overexposed to fluoride from their fluoridated tap water at this very moment. The research has shown that there is no safe amount of fluoride for the fetus or infant. All will be impacted, some significantly more than others.
Why 2023 Will Be Incredibly Important For All Of Us
- Lawsuit In Federal Court: the Court recently granted our motion to end the stay on the trial, and in agreement with FAN’s position, the Court also reiterated its preference for a phase-two of the bench trial. This means additional discovery, depositions, and expert testimony in the coming months. In short, 2023 is likely the year we’ll have our verdict. Not only do we need to prepare for this second phase of trial, but also for making sure decision-makers around the world follow-through with ending fluoridation.
- National Toxicology Program’s Review: 2023 will likely bring the publication of the NTP’s review of the science on fluoride and human neurotoxicity. Our attorneys discovered that the document was finalized this past May, despite it not being available to the public even today, and the Court has requested the finalized document by the next status hearing in January. The science in the NTP’s review is consistent in showing harm from low-levels of fluoride exposure, and our opponents have recently been putting out press releases exposing their fear of the final report being made public, and showing their desperation to stifle and discredit it.
- First RCT On Water Fluoridation: despite more than 75 years of proponents claiming fluoridation is safe and effective, only now is the first ever randomized controlled trial (RCT) on water fluoridation being conducted. This human experiment will expose 100 infants, starting at age 3-6 months and continuing until they’re 4 years old, to levels of fluoride that can cause harm. The study is targeting an impoverished community and offering financial and other incentives. It is intended to justify expansion of water fluoridation worldwide. FAN has been working with citizens and professionals in the study region to protect and defend the children being targeted.
- Fluoridation Chemical Shortages: due to the pandemic, communities around the world are facing fluoridation chemical shortages and substantial price increases. This is causing decision-makers to re-evaluate and question whether they ought to continue the practice. FAN is actively tracking these communities and educating officials to make the right decision. This presents an opportunity to help end fluoridation for many tens-of-thousands of citizens this year.
- Aggressive Expansion Efforts: in response the overwhelming number of recent studies linking fluoridation to harm, the practice’s promoters have decided to double down on their expansion efforts. Every citizen in the United Kingdom and New Zealand is currently being threatened by new nationwide fluoridation mandates. Fluoridation lobbyists in Canada are trying to expand the practice to large cities like Regina, and are currently trying to make the case in Ottawa for a nationwide mandate. In the U.S., the CDC hopes to expand fluoridation to millions of residents in smaller communities with their “New Wave” tablet system. FAN is pushing back against all of these efforts that will impact so many.
And much more…
Over the next four and a half weeks, we will be providing detailed updates about each of these topics in bulletins and on social media. I hope that you will find each bulletin informative and of value.
Our hope is that you will continue to help us defend our vulnerable children and give them the gift of normal brain development. Help us also protect other vulnerable subpopulations, including those with hypersensitivities, dental fluorosis, and kidney, liver, or thyroid impairment. Unlike our opposition, we don’t have corporate sponsors or government grants to fund our work. FAN depends on individual donors and small family foundations to ensure we have the resources necessary to lead the worldwide campaign against fluoridation. Your donation to FAN–your gift to the public–will go directly towards these efforts.
Because of the high likelihood that there will be a second phase of the bench trial for our lawsuit in 2023 and we’ll need resources for discovery, depositions, and expert testimony, we need to set our target for this fundraiser a little higher than last year, but definitely within the range of what we’ve raised in the past. Our goal this December will be $180,000 from 1000 donors by midnight Pacific Time on December 31st. All donations large and small are important to us and are tax-deductible. Your generosity will not just inspire action, it will facilitate it.
To help support FAN, please consider giving a tax-deductible donation today via our secure online payment system or by check, payable to: Fluoride Action Network
Checks can be mailed to:
Fluoride Action Network
PO Box 85
North Sutton, NH 03260
You Can also Text To Donate. When you text GIVE or DONATE to 603-704-4125 you will receive a link to complete your donation over your phone.
Recurring Donations: One way to make a fairly large donation manageable is to spread it over the year by pledging so much a month. A pledge of $10 a month gives us $120 a year and a pledge of $25 a month gives us a massive $300! These recurring donations also add a solid rock on which we can build each year.
I speak for everyone at FAN when I say we’re grateful for your help. Thank you.
Stuart Cooper
Executive Director
Fluoride Action Network
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