Source: TheLastAmericanVagabond.com
The final version of the report confirms what previous draft versions have concluded — fluoride exposure is associated with lower IQ in children.
The long-delayed and censored final report from the U.S. National Toxicology Program has found “moderate confidence” that fluoride exposure is “consistently associated with lower IQ in children”.
The NTP report has been the source of controversy over the last couple years as it became clear that elements of the U.S. government were seeking to prevent its release.
The NTP’s final report, also known as a monograph, reported that 72 studies examined the “association between fluoride exposure and IQ in children,” and 64 of those studied found “an inverse relationship associated between estimated fluoride exposure and IQ in children.”
Of the total 72 studies, the NTP considered 19 of those studies to be “high quality”, and of those high quality studies, 18 “reported an inverse association between estimated fluoride exposure and IQ in children.”
Even among another 53 studies which were considered to be “low-quality” the NTP found that “46 of the 53 low-quality studies [88%] in children also found evidence of an inverse association between estimated fluoride exposure and IQ in children.”
The NTP is run by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to coordinate, evaluate, and report on toxicology within public agencies, and is headquartered at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).
While these conclusions are breaking news to the vast majority of the public, regular readers of The Last American Vagabond have been informed of these conclusions since at least 2020 due to our ongoing coverage of this important matter.
Although the conclusion of the final version of the NTP’s monograph is strongly worded, it is likely to continue to be debated due to certain caveats.
For example, the conclusion mentions “higher estimated fluoride exposures”, which the scientists note are at “drinking water fluoride concentrations that exceed the World Health Organization Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality of 1.5 mg/L of fluoride”. The NTP scientists call for “more studies” to “fully understand the potential for lower fluoride exposure to affect children’s IQ”.
These caveats are already being used by corporate media to downplay the seriousness of the NTP’s conclusions. One of the most widely distributed articles from the Associated Press is headlined, “US government report says fluoride at twice the recommended limit is linked to lower IQ in kids“. The mention of “twice the recommended limit” is designed to misinform the public by having them believe the conclusions do not apply to the U.S. government’s currently recommended levels of 0.7 mg/L of fluoride in the water.
However, buried deep within the NTP’s 324-page report, the scientists make it clear they believe their conclusions apply to the U.S. population. They write (emphasis added):
“However, because people receive fluoride from multiple sources (not just drinking water), individuals living in areas with optimally fluoridated water can have total fluoride exposures higher than the concentration of their drinking water. In addition, there are people living in the United States who live in areas with naturally occurring fluoride in drinking water that is higher than 1.5 mg/L”
The NTP scientists take it one step further and conclude:
“This indicates that the moderate confidence in the inverse association between fluoride exposure and children’s IQ is relevant to some children living in the United States.”
These additional statements are extremely important because people will likely consume more fluoride because of the multiple sources of exposure, including in processed foods or by cooking with fluoridated water. This especially applies for pregnant mothers and people with kidney problems who will consume more water than the average person.
NTP Scientist’s Long Battle to Preserve the Science
The release of the NTP report coincides with the ongoing legal battle between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Fluoride Action Network (FAN). The lawsuit began following the EPA’s 2016 decision to deny the plaintiff’s petition under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). FAN is attempting to prove that fluoride is a neurotoxin and should be regulated or banned under the TSCA.
The second phase of the fluoride lawsuit concluded in February, but Judge Edward Chen has yet to rule on the matter. Now that the final version of the NTP monograph has been released Chen may soon decide to issue his final ruling.
Michael Connett, the lead attorney representing the FAN, told TLAV the NTP’s finding confirm what previous data has shown relating to fluoride and IQ…..