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Notes -
So, what's the deal with Fluoride in the water anyway?
According to this tweet by Marc Andreesen, a U.S. government review has concluded that Fluoride in the drinking water lowers IQ's in kids. The literature reviewed suggests that high levels of exposure reduce IQ's by 2 to 5 points.
If so, this would absolutely dominate any conceivable benefit from putting the stuff in the drinking water.
And it also seems largely unnecessary given that fluoridated toothpastes and mouthwash exist. Drinking the stuff is an incredibly poor intervention compared to, you know, actually applying it directly to our teeth.
Assuming Anddreesen's tweet is true (which I assume by default given his status as a top venture fund leader), this is absolutely scandalous.
I did a deep dive a few weeks ago and thought about making an effort post of “Everything you wanted to know about Flouride”
But alas, I didn’t. Instead I’ll just drop this low effort summary:
Reasonable (according to me) responses:
Don’t panic about your current consumption. It’s probably fine.
IF YOU ARE PREGNANT, current evidence suggests it would be VERY WORTHWHILE TO TRY TO ELIMINATE FLUORIDE from your diet. Buy an appropriate water filter/purifier (not all remove it). Maybe even consider removing it from your toothpaste. 2a. If you have small children consider limiting their exposure.
The magnitude of the effect is insanely large if true. National healthcare systems should be urgently prioritizing studies on it. This should be the number one priority study. ( the most compelling reason is that this would be an easy intervention. It’s not like we would have to tear out our entire infrastructure like with lead pipes. It’s about as close to flipping a switch as any intervention could ever be)
Since your post didn’t mention it: even more concerning than the IQ drop is the effect on rates of severe emotional/mental illness. That LA (?) study had some insane rates (if true).
*posting from phone so probably lots of typos. Sorry.
Edited summary #3 to add "Even at relatively normal levels." The interesting question is not: "can extreme levels of fluoride cause issues?" The interesting question is "Are current levels extreme?"
Thanks for this.
Since you seem to know things, what's the mechanism for fluoride's prevention of dental decay? Can using fluoride toothpaste or mouthwash give us the positive benefits without causing the negative ones?
I wouldn't say I know things, or at least not these ones ;). It's not my area of expertise nor am I particularly interested in the question of "How does fluoride work?" (That being said... I think the current consensus on mechanism (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_fluoridation#Mechanism) is pretty well supported - even the (smart) anti-fluoride folks agree. My, barely informed, take on the evidence is that topical applications can have the benefits with harms.)
My curiosity relates to the following three questions:
*Dangerous is shorthand for the belief that "Water flouridation has a significant negative impact on a significant number of people". Note: this does not mean net negative. Even IF the evidence emerges that it is "dangerous", there is a good chance the benefits could still outweigh the costs
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