A new study, led by researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and funded in part by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), analyzed more than 220 mother-child pairs, collecting data on fluoride levels during pregnancy and child behavior at age three. The researchers found that a 0.68 milligram per liter increase in fluoride exposure was associated with nearly double the chance of a child showing neurobehavioral problems in a range considered close to or at a level to meet the criteria for clinical diagnosis.
The findings were published on May 20 in the medical journal JAMA Network Open.
“Women with higher fluoride exposure levels in their bodies during pregnancy tended to rate their 3-year-old children higher on overall neurobehavioral problems and internalizing symptoms, including emotional reactivity, anxiety, and somatic complaints,” said Tracy Bastain, PhD, an associate professor of clinical population and public health sciences and senior author of the study.
These population-level findings add to existing evidence from animal studies showing that fluoride can harm neurodevelopment, as well as data from studies conducted in Canada, Mexico, and other countries showing that prenatal exposure to fluoride is linked with a lower IQ in early childhood. The researchers hope the new findings help convey the risks of fluoride consumption during pregnancy to policymakers, healthcare providers, and the public.
Millions Are at Risk — Fluoride Consumption During Pregnancy May Harm Fetal Brain Development
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