Despite a growing body of scientific evidence raising concerns about early fluoride exposure, the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit claims that fluoride consumption is safe for pregnant women and young children.
In contrast, the health unit advises complete abstinence from alcohol during pregnancy on the grounds that alcohol is harmful to developing brains and that there is no known safe level of consumption.
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After the City of Windsor decided in 2018 to reintroduce fluoride to the municipal water supply, at least 18 new North American peer-reviewed studies, reviews, and academic papers have linked fluoride exposure during pregnancy or through formula prepared with fluoridated water – at the same concentrations in Windsor’s water supply – with adverse effects on children’s neurodevelopment.
Health Canada acknowledges this emerging science but is still determining a margin of safety before changing its advice on water fluoridation.
The precautionary principle suggests that fluoride should be treated with the same caution applied to alcohol during pregnancy. As long as no safe level has been established, pregnant women and parents or caregivers preparing infant formula should be advised to avoid fluoride exposure altogether.
Specialized water filtration systems can be used to remove fluoride from tap water. Pregnant women can also avoid black tea, which hyper-accumulates fluoride. The good news is that there is little fluoride in breast milk.
Original article online at: https://windsorstar.com/opinion/letters/letter-no-safe-fluoride-level-determined-for-pregnant-women-or-infants