Meryl Horn (Senior Producer, PhD)

So, yeah, they're, like, casting a wide net here to see if people who had more fluoride in their bodies when they were pregnant went on to have kids with more of any kind of, like, neural behavioral issue when they were 3.

So, yeah, they're, like, casting a wide net here to see if people who had more fluoride in their bodies when they were pregnant went on to have kids with more of any kind of, like, neural behavioral issue when they were 3.

So Ashley was working from home looking at her data on her laptop when she saw the results.

So Ashley was working from home looking at her data on her laptop when she saw the results.

They did have more temper tantrums. They had more anxiety and symptoms linked to autism.

They did have more temper tantrums. They had more anxiety and symptoms linked to autism.

Well, it wasn't like every kid who had some fluoride in the water got anxiety. Right. But what she did is she kind of took the kids who were kind of near the bottom end of getting exposed to fluoride and compared them to the kids who are more towards the higher end of fluoride exposure. And here's what she saw.

Well, it wasn't like every kid who had some fluoride in the water got anxiety. Right. But what she did is she kind of took the kids who were kind of near the bottom end of getting exposed to fluoride and compared them to the kids who are more towards the higher end of fluoride exposure. And here's what she saw.

Yeah, it's funny. I thought that you would be way more like surprised and alarmed at this study. Like that's how I felt when I saw this. There was like a turning point for me where I was like, what? Like fluoride might actually be doing something bad here? Yeah.

Yeah, it's funny. I thought that you would be way more like surprised and alarmed at this study. Like that's how I felt when I saw this. There was like a turning point for me where I was like, what? Like fluoride might actually be doing something bad here? Yeah.

Okay, so I found eight studies altogether that basically did what Ashley did. So they looked at prenatal fluoride exposure.

Okay, so I found eight studies altogether that basically did what Ashley did. So they looked at prenatal fluoride exposure.

Yeah, yeah. And then they followed their kids and looked for behavioral issues or sometimes lower IQ. So, okay, so out of those eight studies, six of them found bad stuff. And two of them didn't find anything bad. So six out of eight studies did find some sort of, like, negative effect on the brain from prenatal exposure to fluoride.

Yeah, yeah. And then they followed their kids and looked for behavioral issues or sometimes lower IQ. So, okay, so out of those eight studies, six of them found bad stuff. And two of them didn't find anything bad. So six out of eight studies did find some sort of, like, negative effect on the brain from prenatal exposure to fluoride.

But the thing is, that's all just one group of studies. So other scientists tackle this in a completely different way. And they'll zoom in on water fluoridation specifically and ask, if you grew up with fluoridated water, do you have a lower IQ later in life? Right. And a lot of those studies don't find any differences.

But the thing is, that's all just one group of studies. So other scientists tackle this in a completely different way. And they'll zoom in on water fluoridation specifically and ask, if you grew up with fluoridated water, do you have a lower IQ later in life? Right. And a lot of those studies don't find any differences.

I mean, it could be these other sources, yeah. It could be, like... that maybe it's not the fluoride in the water. It could be they're all drinking a lot of black tea or something.

I mean, it could be these other sources, yeah. It could be, like... that maybe it's not the fluoride in the water. It could be they're all drinking a lot of black tea or something.

It could also be the difference in when the kids are getting exposed because a lot of the studies finding effects, they're looking at kids who are exposed in utero and their fetuses, and a lot of the ones that aren't are looking after they were born. Another thing that we haven't talked about yet here is that we don't really know what the mechanism would be yet. There are some ideas, but...

It could also be the difference in when the kids are getting exposed because a lot of the studies finding effects, they're looking at kids who are exposed in utero and their fetuses, and a lot of the ones that aren't are looking after they were born. Another thing that we haven't talked about yet here is that we don't really know what the mechanism would be yet. There are some ideas, but...