(NaturalHealth365) Fluoridated water and the ingestion of fluoride have now been identified as factors in the development of ADHD, according to researchers. A report on this topic was published in Environmental Health, and the study is the first of its kind to closely examine the relationship between ADHD and exposure to fluoridated water.

A fluoride-like chemical called hydrofluosilicic acid has been added to public water supplies for decades in an attempt to help prevent tooth decay in the populations that drink it. The objective was to mimic the effects of natural calcium fluoride. However, the teeth actually require calcium (along with other minerals) for optimal health – NOT fluoride.

ADHD affecting a growing number of children

ADHD, which stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, has become an all too common diagnosis. Over 6 percent of American children are currently being treated for ADHD, with numbers trending upward. The symptoms of ADHD include difficulty in focusing and paying attention, hyperactivity, and problems with impulse control.

The researchers took participants’ socio-economic-status into consideration for the study, and still found fluoridated water to be an environmental risk factor in cases of ADHD. Up until this time, the potential effects of fluoride and fluoridated water had received little to no attention in ADHD research. This was despite an abundance of anecdotal evidence that it could be contributing to the onset of this disorder.

The link revealed: Fluoridated water, ADHD and hypothyroidism

Another recent study out of the UK found a correlation between fluoride and thyroid disease. Malin and Till, the researchers behind the ADHD study, strongly believe ADHD manifests via suppression of the thyroid gland caused by fluoridated water.

The researchers estimate that both adults and children in communities that practice drinking water fluoridation ingest between 0.9 and 3.6 mg/L of fluoride per day from drinking water alone. In pregnant women, fluoride can cross the placenta and accumulate in the infant brain. From there, it can exert neurotoxic effects that negatively impact attention, learning and memory.

The researchers also found that children exposed to water with levels of fluoride at 1.2 – 3 mg/L (higher than the U.S. recommended level) had increased urinary fluoride concentration. This marker is associated with poorer visual-spatial organization, slowed reaction times, and an impairment of the ability to read and write.

And, as if that wasn’t enough, the ingestion of fluoride is also linked with lower IQ numbers.

Crazy city water treatment policy: Fluoridated water is far from safe

Some people believe that the science and research on fluoridation has been ‘settled’ and that fluoridated water is safe to drink. This is clearly not the case. If it took this long to expose the link between fluoride and ADHD, what else hasn’t been thoroughly studied?

The trend of government agencies toward dismissing research that finds fluoridation unsafe instead of protecting citizens is appalling. With fluoridated water and fluoride ingestion now linked with ADHD, hypothyroidism and lowered IQ, continuing the fluoridation of public drinking water is clearly a reckless act. (some might even suggest, criminal!)

References:

https://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12940-015-0003-1

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/840873

https://www.healthline.com/health/adhd/facts-statistics-infographic

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20150303/Study-finds-link-between-fluoridated-water-and-ADHD-prevalence.aspx