Unethical human experiment in Lenoir County, NC

A human experiment on an estimated 200 infants, starting at age 3-6 months and continuing until they are 4 years old, has raised ethical concerns. The parents of the children are not being informed that fluoride can damage children’s developing brains, resulting in reduced IQ at doses planned for the study. The study, led by dentist Dr. Gary Slade of the University of North Carolina, is intended to help justify expansion of water fluoridation in the US.

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Important Resources on the Experiment

The study website for “waterBEST”:
https://waterbeststudy.com/

Clinical Trials site:
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04893681

NIH project number: 4UH3DE029169-02
https://reporter.nih.gov/search/lrwKQDUHGUKLBQDy_kJS-A/project-details/10458235

Parental Consent Form:
http://fluoridealert.org/wp-content/uploads/waterBEST.parental-permission-adult-consent-form.12-17.21.pdf

The funding agency is the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR:
https://fluoridealert.org/content/the-nidcr-a-little-background/

Funding given to Dr. Slade from the NIDCR:
https://reporter.nih.gov/search/MTUdb_vwI0qXMKypn4Jqmw/projects?sort_field=FiscalYear&sort_order=desc

Guiding Principles for Ethical Research:
https://www.nih.gov/health-information/nih-clinical-research-trials-you/guiding-principles-ethical-research

Patient Recruitment, Ethics in Clinical Research, Ethical Guidelines:
https://www.cc.nih.gov/recruit/ethics.html

Ethical concerns expressed about this human experiment:

July 7, 2022, letter by Paul Connett, PhD, director of the Fluoride Action Network to Kevin M. Guskiewicz, PhD, Chancellor, University of NC at Chapel Hill. https://fluoridealert.org/researchers/unethical-human-experiment-in-lenoir-county-nc/july-2022-letter-to-the-chancellor-u-of-north-carolina-at-chapel-hill/

March 14, 2022, letter by Paul Connett, PhD, director of the Fluoride Action Network to members of the Institutional Review Board and officials at the University of North Carolina: http://fluoridealert.org/wp-content/uploads/waterBEST.letter-of-concern-on-slade-experiment.3-14-22.pdf

Three follow-up emails to Institutional Review Board and officias at the University of North Carolina, https://fluoridealert.org/researchers/unethical-human-experiment-in-lenoir-county-nc/overview/