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Fluoridated Water is a Risk for Premature Birth and Long-Term Neurological Disabilities in Children A well-designed New York State public-health study found that: "Domestic water fluoridation was independently associated with an increased risk of PTB (preterm birth)." The fluoridated women's preterm birth rate (6.34%) averaged 15% higher than the unfluoridated women's rate (5.52%). After these results were presented to the American Public Health community, this study was never published – nor was any follow-up research done – despite that it recommended "additional studies that assess patient level ingestion of fluoride." And despite the fact that 2 years earlier, the Institute of Medicine said: "Those born preterm have an appreciable risk of long-term neurological impairment and developmental delay." And despite the fact that the CDC said, "Preterm birth is... the leading cause of long-term neurological disabilities in children": Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Understanding Premature Birth and Assuring Healthy Outcomes Preterm Birth: Causes, Consequences, and Prevention (2007) Appendix B: Prematurity at Birth: Determinants, Consequences, and Geographic Variation "Those born preterm have an appreciable risk of long-term neurological impairment and developmental delay..." Because of the continuing problem that premature birth poses in the United States, "Policy makers and the public need to be kept informed of the rapid developments in research and their implications for clinical practice and public programs and policies... that would increase knowledge and awareness of evolving strategies for the prevention of preterm birth." (This has not been done.) Chapter 11: Neurodevelopmental, Health, and Family Outcomes for Infants Born Preterm "Many studies have documented the prevalence of a broad range of neurodevelopmental impairments in preterm survivors. The spectrum of neurodevelopmental disabilities includes cerebral palsy, mental retardation, visual and hearing impairments, and more subtle disorders of central nervous system function. These dysfunctions include language disorders, learning disabilities, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, minor neuromotor dysfunction or developmental coordination disorders, behavioral problems, and social-emotional difficulties. Preterm infants are more likely to have lower intelligence quotients and academic achievement scores, experience greater difficulties at school, and require significantly more educational assistance than children who were born at term." Fluoridation and rates of mental retardation (intellectual disability) Obesity Increases Risk of Preterm Birth "Maternal overweight and obesity has, due to the high prevalence and associated risks, replaced smoking as the most important preventable risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes in many countries," said researchers at the Karolinska Institutet. Their study of 1.5 million deliveries in Sweden found that women with the highest Body Mass Index also had the highest statistical risk of giving preterm birth. [Cnattingius 2013; Karolinska Institutet 2013] In the US, where preterm delivery rates are twice as high as in Sweden, 53% of pregnant women are either overweight or obese – compared to 34% of pregnant women in Sweden. (Sweden has prohibited water fluoridation since 1971.) Fluoride Exposure Increases Obesity A large-scale cross-sectional study on school-age children found that low-to-moderate fluoride exposure is associated with overweight and obesity in children, especially girls. [Liu et al. 2019] In the 20 US states whose public water supplies are more than 80% fluoridated, the prevalence of obesity in adults averaged 7.4% higher than in the 30 states fluoridated below 80%. [CDC 2014; CDC 2018] In the 10 most fluoridated states, obesity prevalence averaged 12.2% higher than in the 10 least fluoridated states. New research: Fluoride, Obesity, and Brain Development In 2010-11, clinical research found that less fluoride consumption by pregnant women led to less preterm births "The major focus of the investigation of the sample group was to eliminate ingestion of fluoride as much as possible." Results: in the sample group, 32% of the women delivered before 37 weeks – compared to 50% in the control group. (Urinary fluoride levels were used.) Susheela AK, Mondal NK, Gupta R, et al. Effective interventional approach to control anaemia in pregnant women. Current Science. 25 May 2010;98(10). Susheela AK. Anemia in pregnancy: An easily rectifiable problem (Guest editorial). Fluoride April-June 2010 43(2)104-107. "With increased serum fluoride in the mother, there is an inclination towards preterm delivery..." Gurumurthy SM, Mohanty S, Bhongir AV, Mishra AK, Rao P. Association of higher maternal serum fluoride with adverse fetal outcomes. Int. J. Med. Public Health. April-June 2011: Vol 1; Issue 2. A.K. Susheela, PhD, is Executive director of the Fluorosis Research and Rural Development Foundation in India. She has over 80 scientific publications in Western and Indian journals. Her work is discussed in the book's first chapter: "Fluoride, Premature Birth and Impaired Neurodevelopment." Correlations Between Cognitive Scores and Gestational Age Journal of the American Medical Association (2002) "We report the first meta-analysis on the cognitive and behavioral outcomes of school-aged children who were born preterm by combining the results from case-control studies published between 1980 and November 2001... "Among 1556 cases and 1720 controls, controls had significantly higher cognitive scores compared with children who were born preterm." Conclusions: "Children who were born preterm are at risk for reduced cognitive test scores and their immaturity at birth is directly proportional to the mean cognitive scores at school age. Preterm-born children also show an increased incidence of ADHD and other behaviors." "Higher levels of urinary fluoride during pregnancy are associated with more ADHD-like symptoms in school-age children." (2018) "Developmental neurotoxicity causes brain damage that is too often untreatable and frequently permanent. The consequence of such brain damage is impaired CNS function that lasts a lifetime and might result in reduced intelligence, as expressed in terms of lost IQ points, or disruption in behaviour." – Neurobehavioural Effects of Developmental Toxicity, 2014: After the New York State public-health study, a logical next step would have been to look at available data for ecological associations elsewhere in the US. According to CDC data for 2010, in the 25 least fluoridated states (average fluoridation rate = 52%), the preterm birth rate averaged 116 per 1,000 births. In the 25 most fluoridated states (average fluoridation rate = 90%), the preterm birth rate averaged 5% higher: 122 per 1,000 births. If that difference of six births per 1,000 were extrapolated to the United States, where four million births occurred in 2010 (when 66% of the population was fluoridated), then higher levels of water fluoridation would be associated that year with about 16,000 more preterm births – each one with an annual societal economic burden of more than $50,000. From page 16 of Pregnancy and Fluoride Do Not Mix Willful Suppression of Data by the CDC By not providing this crucial information affecting fetuses – our most vulnerable subpopulation whose health has the most consequential lifelong repercussions – the CDC is guilty of "Scientific Misconduct," something the agency itself claims to prohibit: "Deceptive selective reporting of findings and omission of conflicting data, or willful suppression and/or distortion of data." The words fetus or fetal or prenatal or womb are not found in any of the pages linked from the CDC's main fluoridation page: Water Fluoridation Guidelines & Recommendations. The only mention of pregnancy: "Use of fluoride supplements by pregnant women does not benefit their offspring." [Recommendations for Using Fluoride to Prevent and Control Dental Caries] On April 14, 2021, the Fluoride Action Network (FAN) called for the resignation of Casey Hannan, Director of the Oral Health Division at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), for misleading the American people about the studies that have associated fluoride exposure with brain damage in children. An international problem: New Zealand's Chief Science Advisor demonstrates a blatant suppression of data about fluoridated amniotic fluid.