It Was Officially Classified A Neurotoxin By Best-Known, Peer-Reviewed Medical Journal Last Year

Thanks to the green movement, people are now learning the truth behind certain ingredients, foods, and medicines thought to be a-okay but were independently proven not to be. The biggest exposure accomplished by this movement are the dangers of genetically modified organisms. However, there are other truths the green movement exposed besides GMOs. This includes the dangers of artificial bovine growth hormone found in milk and the physical and mental effects of Roundup on the human body, which was entertainingly researched in a summarized article by Chuck Norris.

Now, there are continuous studies on another ingredient, technically a chemical, that’s been used for years under the promise of healthier teeth and fresh breath: fluoride. As a matter of fact, the Inquisitr previously reported that fluoride has been linked to achy muscles, depression, and weight gain. However, one must ask why the sudden studies on fluoride when for years it has been advertised as something good for dental hygiene. Apparently, the studies began after the best-known, peer-reviewed medical journal officially classified fluoride as a neurotoxin.

According to numerous articles, including those from Fluoride Alert and Collective Evolution, Lancet Neurology reclassified fluoride as a neurotoxin. Authored by Dr. Philippe Grandjean of Harvard School of Public Health and Dr. Phillip Landrigan of Icahn School of Medicine, fluoride now joins the ranks of lead and arsenic in becoming what is known specifically as a developmental neurotoxin.

The findings were published in the March 2014 issue of Lancet Neurology. In it, they describe exactly why fluoride is a developmental neurotoxin.

“A meta-analysis of 27 cross-sectional studies of children exposed to fluoride in drinking water, mainly from China, suggests an average IQ decrement of about seven points in children exposed to raised fluoride concentrations.

“The majority of these 27 studies had water fluoride levels of less than four milligrams per liter, which falls under the allowable level set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.”

Summarized, children who are exposed to fluoride are experiencing a form of brain drain, enough that they may lose up to seven points of their intelligence quotient. Fluoride advocates do cite that the effect is minute, but when talking about toxins of any nature, other factors, such as the combination of exposures and cumulative effect, are taken into consideration. Unless a person lives in a bubble, people are exposed to a variety of harmful chemicals. Reducing the levels of one exposure is important overall, which may lead to the reduction of exposure across the board.

Since the paper’s publication, the Harvard School of Public Health reports Phillipe Grandjean has teamed up with other colleagues, including Anna Choi who is a research scientist in the Department of Environmental Health, to publish a pilot study of cognitive functions in Chinese children exposed to different levels of fluoride in drinking water. The paper, titled “Association of Lifetime Exposure to Fluoride And Cognitive Functions in Chinese Children: A Pilot Study,” has since been published in the January/February 2015 issue of Neurotoxicology and Teratology.