Children in households with water treated with fluoride appear to be at a much higher risk of autism, according to a shock study.
Researchers discovered a staggering six-fold increase in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnoses among children who grew up fully exposed to fluoride versus those who did not consume the treated water.
The team from the nonprofit medical research group Institute of Chronic Illnesses Inc in Maryland looked at health records from 1990 to 2012, studying over 73,000 children in Florida during the first 10 years of their lives.
The results revealed a stunning 526 percent jump in the risk of ASD among children with full access to fluoridated water versus those who had none.
An increase in the risk for intellectual disabilities (102 percent) and developmental delays (24 percent) was also discovered in Florida counties receiving fluoride in their tap water.
Some studies suggest that fluoride might be linked to autism and other brain-related problems because it can stress brain cells and affect how they grow and function.
US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been an outspoken critic of the nation’s fluoride policy and revealed this week he plans to officially request that the CDC stop recommending the addition of fluoride to water systems nationwide.
DailyMail.com’s request for comment from the Department for Health and Human Services (HHS) and RFK Jr. was not answered Thursday, but one medical expert did express her skepticism with the new study’s validity.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has stood by his opinion that fluoride should be banned from being added to public drinking water due to potential health risks
A new study in BMC Pediatrics has revealed a potential link between fluoridated water and autism, showing a 526% increase in diagnoses among children in counties with full access to treated water
Fluoride was added to public water in the US since 1940s. It has been hailed as one of the greatest medical achievements of the 20th century, drastically cutting rates of tooth decay – especially among children.
Roughly two-thirds of the total U.S. population has access to fluoridated water, served by community water systems.
The mineral found in soil, rocks, and water makes teeth more resistant to acids. It also prevents bacterial erosion and replaces minerals in tooth enamel that can be lost over time.
Despite its widespread and accepted use for 80 years, Kennedy and others have joined the growing opposition to using fluoride due to a small but growing body of evidence linking it to poor brain development in children.
A government review last year found drinking water with higher levels was associated with a drop in IQ of up to five points.
That study made no connection to autism.
The new research, published in BMC Pediatrics, specifically looked at how fluoride in drinking water affects children’s teeth and brain development.
Dr Mark Geier, a researcher at the National Institutes of Health for 10 years, focused on 73,254 children who were tracked from birth to age 10.
These kids lived in one of Florida’s 67 counties throughout the study and visited a doctor at least 10 times.
The team checked which counties had fluoride added to their water and how much of the population drank it each year.
Those findings helped the team create two distinct groups of children within the study: those who always drank fluoridated water (25,662) and those who never did (2,509).
Among the children who never lived in areas with fluoridated water, there were only five diagnosed cases of autism.
However, those with ‘full exposure’ to fluoride, meaning they lived in areas where over 95 percent of residents had fluoridated water for those 10 years, 320 kids were diagnosed with autism.
Dr Geier and his son, study co-author David Geier, have previously published scientific papers claiming vaccines increase the risk of autism – some which were cited by RFK Jr.
According to the Washington Post, Geier’s son was recently hired by HHS as a data analyst, conducting research on the link between autism and vaccinations.
More than a decade ago, the younger Geier was disciplined by health regulators in Maryland for practicing medicine without a license.
The above map shows estimated fluoride concentrations in community water systems between 2006 and 2011. It was published in 2023. Counties that are colored red have more than double the recommended level of fluoride in their water
Although the group who always drank fluoridated water saw their risk of tooth decay drop by over 70 percent, the Geiers also found the unnerving connection to ASD and other disabilities.
In addition to a much higher risk for autism, the team found a concerning increase in the risk for intellectual disabilities (102 percent) and developmental delays (24 percent) among the children with full access to fluoride in their water throughout childhood.
Although the new study in BMC Pediatrics does not directly blame the addition of fluoride for the increase in the chances of developing autism, the results show a clear correlation between the numbers.
Some medical experts remain skeptical of the new findings, as well as RFK Jr’s leadership of HHS.
Dr Faith A. Coleman, a family physician and independent medical journalist, spoke with DailyMail.com on Thursday and said that the new report has several limitations.
Those include not knowing exactly how much fluoride each child drank during the study and not knowing if there were any underlying genetic causes for the development of ASD.
‘I would be skeptical of its validity,’ Dr Coleman told DailyMail.com. ‘It’s essential to know the drinking habits of the subjects.’
Coleman added that doctors sometimes prescribe fluoride tablets to children who drink well water, which would further skew the results.
The doctor also took issue with the timetable for diagnosing each child with autism. Although Coleman said that ASD begins and is typically diagnosed between the ages of one and two, the average age of diagnosis in this study was 6.13 years of age.
‘Fluoride should be added to tap water for its dental benefits, which have been demonstrated in many studies,’ the doctor maintained.
This map, from 2020, shows fluoride levels in untreated groundwater supplies. Fluoride is a naturally-occurring mineral and is often already present in many water supplies. Areas marked with a yellow or red dot have more than twice the level of fluoride in groundwater than recommended
Far more counties in the US fluorinate their water than in any other country in the world, data from the National Population Review for the year 2024 reveals
‘Good dental health is essential to overall health and has a great deal to do with a child’s nutritional status,’ Dr Coleman continued.
Poor dental hygiene in children can lead to broader health problems, including infections in other parts of the body, heart disease, diabetes, and even respiratory issues.
As for RFK Jr’s opposition to fluoride, Coleman strongly disagreed with the former environmental lawyer and activist’s fitness to run HHS.
‘RFK is not qualified to argue medical issues,’ the doctor declared.
Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental condition that affects how a person communicates, interacts, and experiences the world, typically appearing in early childhood.
It’s called a ‘spectrum’ disorder because the symptoms can vary widely in type and severity.
Common signs include having difficulty interacting with others socially, struggling with speech, and developing various sensory sensitivities, like being overwhelmed by loud noises or textures.
ASD has become a much more prevalent issue in the US than it has in other nations in recent decades.
According to the CDC, approximately one in 36 children received an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis in 2020.
That rate has been increasing at an alarming rate over the last 25 years, according to health officials.
In 2000, the CDC said that only one in 150 US children received an autism diagnosis, and only one in 68 developed ASD in 2010.
In comparison to other nations, America’s current diagnosis rate for autism is far higher, with the UK (1 in 100 children), Sweden (1 in 110), Germany (1 in 139), France (1 in 144), Canada (1 in 66), and Australia (1 in 70) all having far lower rates.
Notably, most European nations do not add fluoride to their drinking. Germany has even banned the practice.
Only around 10 percent of the population in the UK has access to fluoridated water. However, access to fluoride is much higher in Canada and Australia, where the rates for autism are also less than one in 100 children.
Fluoride in tap water is actually a byproduct of the phosphate fertilizer industry. It’s called hydrofluorosilicic acid before it is diluted and added to drinking water.
It’s so hazardous in its pure form that workers actually have to wear protective suits when handling it at water treatment plants.
‘Fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease,’ RFK Jr. wrote on X in November.
‘Secretary Kennedy has long been at the forefront of this issue. His advocacy was instrumental in our decision to review fluoride exposure risks, and we are committed to working alongside him, utilizing sound science as we advance our mission of protecting human health and the environment,’ Zeldin said Monday.
Dr Greier echoed those calls for more research into the potential risk of fluoride, saying in his study that ‘new risk/benefit analyses of water fluoridation should be undertaken.’
A leading pediatric dentist, Dr Staci Whitman, noted in March that she had discovered fluoride levels in many US communities were well above the safe recommended limit of 0.7 milligrams per liter (mg/L).
The CDC’s Water Fluoridation Reporting System tracks monthly averages and has found that the average level of fluoride in America’s drinking water sits between 0.6 mg/L and 1.2 mg/L, depending on state regulations and local conditions.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set their recommended fluoride levels much higher, at 4.0 mg/L, while the World Health Organization set their safe limit at 1.5 mg/L.
In January, an analysis of 74 studies found higher fluoride exposure was consistently linked to lower IQ scores among children.
The report in JAMA Pediatrics revealed that for every 1 mg/L increase in the amount of fluoride in a child’s urine, they suffered a 1.63-point decrease in IQ.
The study also found cognitive issues among kids at levels below 2 mg/L, raising even more concern about the current US health guidelines for fluoride.
Florida and Utah have already passed legislation banning the addition of fluoride to state water supplies.
