HARVARD STUDY CONFIRMS FLUORIDE REDUCES CHILDREN’S IQ
By Dr. Joseph Mercola, August 14, 2012 http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/08/14/fluoride-effects-in-children.aspx

Studies have Repeatedly Linked Fluoride to Reduced IQ and Brain Damage
There are so many scientific studies showing the direct, toxic effects of fluorideon your body, it’s truly remarkable that it’s NOT considered a scientific consensus by now. Despite the evidence against it, fluoride is still added to 70 percent of U.S. public drinking water supplies. It amazes me that the medical (and dental) communities are so stubbornly resistant to connect the dots when it comes to the skyrocketing increase of cognitive decline in adults, and behavioral issues in children (ADD, ADHD, depression and learning disabilities of all kinds). In fact, there have been over 23 human studies and 100 animal studies linking fluoride to brain damage.3Fluoride can also increase manganese absorption, compounding problems since manganese in drinking water has also been linked to lower IQ in children.Reported effects of fluoride on your brain include:
Reduction in nicotinic acetylcholine receptors | Damage to your hippocampus | Formation of beta-amyloid plaques (the classic brain abnormality in Alzheimer’s disease) |
Reduction in lipid content | Damage to purkinje cells | Exacerbation of lesions induced by iodine deficiency |
Impaired antioxidant defense systems | Increased uptake of aluminum | Accumulation of fluoride in your pineal gland |
Harmful Effects have Been Known for Half a Century…
What is perhaps most surprising is that the harmful effects of fluoride have been known by conventional medical organizations for over half a century. For example, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) stated in their September 18, 1943 issue that fluorides are general protoplasmic poisons that change the permeability of the cell membrane by certain enzymes. And, an editorial published in the Journal of the American Dental Association, October 1, 1944, stated: “Drinking water containing as little as 1.2 ppm fluoride will cause developmental disturbances. We cannot run the risk of producing such serious systemic disturbances. The potentialities for harm outweigh those for good.” Part of the problem is that it’s an accumulative toxin that, over time, can lead to significant health problems that are not immediately linked to fluoride over-exposure. In a 2005 paper entitled “Fluoride—A Modern Toxic Waste,” Lita Lee, Ph.D. writes:4 “Yiamouyiannis’ book, “Fluoride, The Aging Factor,” documents the cumulative effect of tissue damage by fluoride, commonly seen as aging (collagen damage), skin rashes and acne, gastrointestinal disorders, and many other conditions, including osteoporosis. The U.S. Center for Disease Control and the Safe Water Foundation reported that 30,000 to 50,000 excess deaths occur in the United States each year in areas in which the water contains only one ppm fluoride. … Fluoride suppresses the immune system: Fluoride inhibits the movement of white blood cells by 70%, thereby decreasing their ability to reach their target. Yiamouyiannis cites 15 references in his pamphlet, Lifesavers Guide to Fluoridation, that document immunosuppressive effects of as little as 10% of the amount of fluoride used in fluoridated water… Immunosuppressive effects run the gamut, from a cold that won’t go away to increased risk of cancer and other infectious diseases.”Studies have shown that fluoride toxicity can lead to a wide variety of health problems, including:
Increased lead absorption | Disrupts synthesis of collagen | Hyperactivity and/or lethargy | Muscle disorders |
Thyroid disease | Arthritis | Dementia | Bone fractures |
Lowered thyroid function | Bone cancer (osteosarcoma) | Inactivates 62 enzymes and inhibits more than 100 | Inhibited formation of antibodies |
Genetic damage and cell death | Increased tumor and cancer rate | Disrupted immune system | Damaged sperm and increased infertility |