News Archive

A meta-analysis of 74 epidemiological studies examining the link between children’s IQ and fluoride exposure found that the more fluoride pregnant women and young children are exposed to, the greater the decrease in a child’s IQ. The study, published today in JAMA Pediatrics, was conducted by scientists from the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Toxicology Program (NTP). The in-depth […]

Fluoride exposure is consistently linked with lowered IQ, according to a landmark analysis of more than 70 published studies on the subject. The paper, published January 6 in the journal JAMA Pediatrics and authored by scientists with the National Institutes of Health, found a significant inverse relationship between measures of fluoride exposure and IQ in […]

A new report linking fluoridated drinking water to lower IQ scores in children is sure to ratchet up the debate over a practice that’s considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the 20th century. The report published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics synthesizes the results of dozens of research studies that have been released […]

A rigorous nine-year research review looking at the relationship between fluoride and intelligence in children concludes that as fluoride levels rise, IQ drops. Every 1 part per million increase in fluoride in urine – a way of measuring all the sources of fluoride a person consumes – was associated with a roughly 1 point drop […]

A new report once again raises the question of whether there is a link between fluoride in drinking water and lower IQ levels in children. The research, published in JAMA Pediatrics on Monday, is a review of 74 other studies exploring how the mineral may affect children’s IQ levels. The analysis found a statistically significant […]

Institute leaders selected 30 Papers of the Year from nearly 3,200 publications by NIEHS researchers and grant recipients in 2024. Fluoride exposure during pregnancy may increase neurobehavioral problems in children Prenatal fluoride exposure may increase the risk of neurobehavioral problems among U.S. children, according to NIEHS-funded researchers. This is the first U.S.-based study to examine […]

The ongoing debate over fluoride in U.S. drinking water has reached a critical turning point as a federal court ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must take regulatory action in response to concerns about fluoride’s impact on public health. The case, initiated under the amended Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), has intensified scrutiny of […]

In the closing days of the Presidential campaign, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that “the Trump White House will advise all U.S?. water systems to remove fluoride from public water.” Multiple news reports pounced on the statement as another example of RFK Jr’s fringe and potentially dangerous views about public health. Often unmentioned in these […]

In a contentious age when public health debates often resemble cultural battlegrounds, the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services has reignited old controversies. Kennedy’s intractable opposition to vaccines, unconventional views on health interventions like hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and his advocacy for raw milk have earned him a well-deserved […]

Public health officials should tell the truth, even when it’s complicated. Even when some people might misunderstand. Otherwise, says economist Emily Oster of Brown University, the public will come to distrust the people we need to trust if we are to make good decisions both personally and publicly. Listen as Oster talks with EconTalk host […]