According to a new study by researchers from the University of Otago in New Zealand, water fluoridation does not lower IQ. The addition of fluoride into drinking water remains one of the hottest topics in the water treatment industry with those for and against the process, equally passionate about their stand on the issue.
Some people claim that fluoridated water is associated with a range of adverse health outcomes. Routinely added to drinking water in the US and other countries as a supplement to safeguard against tooth decay, fluoride is added to public water supplies at an average concentration of about 1 part per million (1 ppm) or slightly below. Naturally occurring fluoride concentrations in surface waters depend on location but are generally low and usually do not exceed 0.3 pm. In 2012, researchers from Harvard University in Cambridge, MA, casted doubts on the health benefits of fluoride in water supplies.
Water Fluoridation and the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Study
Researchers from the University of Otago conducted a study, which involved 1,000 people born in Dunedin in New Zealand during 1972-1973, comparing the IQs of study participants who grew up in suburbs with and without fluoridated water. They also took into account to what extent the participants were exposed to fluoride toothpaste or tablets while growing up.
The IQ scores of 992 participants were examined between the ages of 7-13. Of these people, 942 were tested again at age 38. Lead author Dr. Jonathan Broadbent describes the team’s findings:
“Our analysis showed no significant differences in IQ by fluoride exposure, even before controlling for the other factors that might influence scores. In line with other studies, we found breastfeeding was associated with higher child IQ, and this was regardless of whether children grew up in fluoridated or non-fluoridated areas.”
The Dunedin Multidisciplinary Study, by comparison, is world-renowned for the quality of its data and rigor of its analysis. Current optimal fluoride ingestion from all sources for a healthy adult should be 3-4 mg/day. If you wish to reduce fluoride in your drinking water, you have some options:
- Bottled Water. Beware! Many bottled waters come from municipal supplies that may or may not be fluoridated and may only be filtered or passed through UV light, neither of which will remove fluoride.
- Reverse Osmosis. 75% to 95% reduction depending on system design, water pressure and water chemistry.
- Hydorxyl Apatite Media Filtration. 75% to 95% reduction depending on flow rates and equipment design.
- Activated Alumina Media Filtration. Reasonably effective but only in a narrow band of water pH values.
About Dime Water
A truly vertically integrated company, Dime Water is a water treatment manufacturer located north of San Diego and occupying 2 company-owned facilities with 10,000 square feet of space. The company enjoys OEM status with a vast number of component manufacturers, thus enabling competitive pricing and true value with the products. Contact us today at 760.734.5787 and get in touch with one of our water purification experts!
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