Fluoridation Spokesperson Says IQ Loss Acceptable “Trade Off”

by Stuart Cooper, Executive Director | Dec 3, 2024

As we spend the next year working hard to put the final nails in the coffin for water fluoridation, I wanted to make clear what we’re still up against and the mindset of those individuals who continue to advocate for expansion of the practice despite the overwhelming evidence of harm.

After the federal court ruled that “optimally” fluoridated drinking water poses an unreasonable risk to the health of children, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) put out a statement reaffirming their support for fluoridation chemicals. It’s riddled with misinformation, which we will be tackling in a future bulletin separating the science from the fiction found in pro-fluoridation talking points, but today I want to focus on one of AAP’s messengers.

The primary spokesperson quoted by AAP in their statement was Dr. Charlotte W. Lewis, a member of the AAP Section on Oral Health. She says:

“There is nothing about the current [court] decision that changes my confidence in the safety of optimally fluoridated water in the U.S.”

As part of our lawsuit in federal court, our attorneys deposed Dr. Lewis. Once you watch this short video of her under oath, I think you’ll see why the court decision, the National Toxicology Program’s systematic review on fluoride neurotoxicity, and the 10 consecutive National Institutes of Health funded studies linking developmental neurotoxicity to fluoride at exposure levels found in fluoridated communities haven’t changed her “confidence in the safety” of the practice.

In her own words, Dr. Lewis testified that she would not withdraw her support of fluoridation even if the evidence convinced her that it’s reducing IQ by five points in 5 to 10 percent of the population and that it would be an “appropriate trade-off” for fluoridation.

For the fetus and for bottle-fed infants, who don’t have teeth, there isn’t even a claim of benefit by the promoters of fluoridation. There’s no trade-off; there’s ONLY a significant risk of harm to their developing brains. Harm that is irreversible and has lifelong consequences. It appears that the AAP and others are willing to “trade-off” harm to millions of children and other populations that are vulnerable to fluoride to maintain their reputation and influence.

Even AAP’s own fluoride supplement guidelines for their members dictate that no amount of fluoride should be prescribed for ingestion by children under 6 months of age, even if they receive zero fluoride from other sources. Water fluoridation directly contradicts their own clinical guidelines.

fluoridation

Keep in mind that because of advocates like Dr. Lewis, over 2 million pregnant women and over 300,000 exclusively bottle-fed infants are still being exposed to high levels of fluoride in their tap water, added voluntarily by municipalities based on erroneous statements like hers in the AAP press release affirming safety.

Dr. Lewis isn’t alone. Her statements seem to be representative of the mindsets of those at the American Dental Association, the American Fluoridation Society, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, the three industry lobbying groups still defending fluoridation.

Please Help Us Defend Our Children

Today is Giving Tuesday. This is the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday, which is the internationally recognized day of charitable giving and generosity, aimed at empowering people and nonprofits that make positive change for our communities and the world.

The staff and volunteers at FAN work tirelessly throughout the year to give each and every person around the world the gift of cleaner and safer water, untainted by fluoridation chemicals. Our work has become more urgent with each passing year as a large and growing body of research, much of it government-funded, has exposed the dangers posed to our children, especially with respect to fluoride’s impact on the development of their brains.

Please help us push back against the advocates of fluoridation. We need your help to bring the truth to light.

This December, we’re working to raise the necessary funds for our 2025 operating budget. Our current goal is $140,000 from 700 donors by midnight Pacific Time on December 31st. All donations, large and small, are crucial to us and are tax-deductible. Let’s finish this together!

How to Make a Tax-Deductible Donation:

You can make your donation online using our new secure fundraising page: https://fluoridealert.networkforgood.com/projects/176427-everyday-giving
Or, if the above link is not working properly in your browser, you can use our original secure fundraising page: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/1415005
If you should experience difficulty donating online, please email us for assistance: donate@fluoridealert.org

You can also mail checks to:

Fluoride Action Network
PO Box 85
North Sutton, NH 03260

**Please note that some corporations match tax deductible donations made by their employees to some non-profits. FAN qualifies for this program. Here is the information to provide your corporate finance staff: the parent body for FAN is the American Environmental Health Studies Project, Inc. (EIN#: 62-1599535)