Excerpts:

… Groups seeking to ban drinking-water fluoridation argued during the opening of a California federal bench trial Monday that fluoride poses significant neurological risks to newborns, while the EPA argued that they don’t have standing to sue and that their experts cite a “hodgepodge” of unreliable studies.

… the plaintiffs’ expert, University of Washington professor and physician Dr. Howard Hu, took the stand. He testified on an epidemiological study he conducted that looked at the impact of fluoride consumption on newborns and children by testing their mothers’ urine before they were born and then later testing the children’s IQ scores.

On direct examination, Hu testified that a cohort study in Mexico City showed a “significant” IQ reduction by about 2-3 points depending on the amount of fluoride in the mother’s urine. Hu added that a 3-point IQ shift could have repercussions for a population, because there would likely be more individuals who would become wards of the state.

Hu also testified that the study was done in Mexico, as opposed to the U.S., because the data had already been collected on the women and researchers didn’t need to wait 10 years and “spend millions of dollars” to conduct the analysis.

He added that there’s no basis to assume that Americans would have a different response to potential toxins like fluoride, noting that he conducted similar analyses of data from Mexico on the impact of lead, which he said was “critical” in informing the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s policy on lead.

… –Additional reporting by Bonnie Eslinger. Editing by Breda Lund.

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