A new report has sparked a heated debate: Is the fluoride in our tap water actually harming children’s brains? The National Toxicology Program (NTP), which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, just released some eye-opening findings that could change the way we think about fluoride—a mineral many people trust for protecting their teeth.

The Surprising Findings

The NTP started looking into this issue back in 2016, and on August 21, they published a detailed report on the connection between fluoride and children’s IQ. They reviewed 72 studies from around the world, and a huge majority of them—64 studies—showed the same thing: when kids are exposed to higher levels of fluoride, their IQ tends to be lower. This means that, according to the data, more fluoride could be linked to less brainpower.

The report doesn’t pull any punches: it confidently states that kids who are exposed to higher levels of fluoride in drinking water consistently have lower IQs. This kind of exposure is defined as water containing fluoride above 1.5 milligrams per liter (mg/L)—a limit set by the World Health Organization.

Fluoride Levels: What Do They Mean?

In the U.S., fluoride levels allowed in water are a little different. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that water contain no more than 0.7 mg/L of fluoride. Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) allows up to 2 mg/L of fluoride in drinking water. These numbers are important because even though fluoride is supposed to protect our teeth, these new studies suggest that too much of it could be hurting our brains.

The NTP report revealed that as of April 2020, about 1.9 million people in the U.S. were getting water from public systems that had 1.5 mg/L or more of fluoride. Shockingly, 1 million of those people were receiving water with levels as high as 2 mg/L of naturally occurring fluoride.

The Bigger Picture: Other Potential Brain Effects

Fluoride’s potential dangers don’t stop at IQ. The NTP report also mentioned that there’s some evidence fluoride exposure might cause other developmental and cognitive issues in kids. However, they don’t have as much confidence in this data because the results from different studies vary quite a bit. The bottom line: fluoride might be affecting children’s brains in more ways than we realize, but the proof isn’t as clear.

The studies that linked fluoride to IQ were carried out in 10 different countries, like Canada and Mexico, but interestingly, none of the research came from the United States.

A Controversial History: Fluoride’s Role in Our Water

Fluoride isn’t some random chemical—it’s a mineral known for keeping our teeth strong. Since 1945, the U.S. has added fluoride to community water systems to help prevent tooth decay. In fact, it’s often considered one of the biggest public health successes because it helps reduce cavities.

But with fluoride being found in so many products—from water and drinks to toothpaste and tea—there’s growing concern that kids and even pregnant women are getting too much of it. This concern is what prompted the NTP to investigate fluoride’s possible effects on developing brains.

The Fluoride Debate

This report isn’t the first time fluoride has been questioned. Back in May, another study looked at pregnant women in Los Angeles and found that the fluoride in their bodies might be linked to “neurobehavioral problems” in their kids. According to the study’s lead investigator, Ashley Malin, their research suggests that fluoride could be negatively impacting fetal brain development. She also pointed out that, while fluoride may protect teeth, it doesn’t seem to offer any benefits to a growing fetus.

The study found that every 0.68 mg/L increase in fluoride levels in the urine of pregnant women doubled the chances that their children would develop behavioral issues by age 3.

Despite these findings, groups like the American Dental Association (ADA) aren’t convinced. The ADA responded to the study by saying it wasn’t “nationally representative” and that it didn’t accurately measure how much fluoridated water people were actually consuming. The ADA still stands by its long-standing advice: use fluoride toothpaste and drink fluoridated water to help prevent tooth decay. In fact, they say water fluoridation reduces cavities by 25% in both kids and adults.

Parents Beware: Too Much Toothpaste?

Another study, from January, found that parents might be giving their kids too much fluoride in their toothpaste. Kids under 2 years old were being exposed to fluoride levels 5.9 to 7.2 times higher than recommended because of overuse of fluoride toothpaste.

What Does This All Mean?

With all this new information coming out, people are starting to question whether the fluoride in our water is doing more harm than good. For years, it was hailed as a safe and effective way to protect teeth. But now, it seems like the very thing meant to keep us healthy could have a downside for our brains—especially for children and unborn babies.

This debate is far from over. Researchers continue to dig into the effects of fluoride, and while it may still protect our teeth, the question remains: is it worth the risk to our kids’ brains? Only time and further research will tell.

fluoride_final_508