A letter to the editor challenges the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit's assertion that fluoride consumption is safe for pregnant women and young children, citing a growing body of scientific evidence raising concerns about early fluoride exposure.
Contrasting Advice on Alcohol and Fluoride
The letter points out that the health unit advises complete abstinence from alcohol during pregnancy because alcohol is harmful to developing brains and no safe level of consumption has been established. The author argues that the same precautionary principle should apply to fluoride, as no safe level has been determined for pregnant women or infants.
Recent Studies Link Fluoride to Neurodevelopmental Harm
Since the City of Windsor decided in 2018 to reintroduce fluoride to the municipal water supply, at least 18 new North American peer-reviewed studies, reviews, and academic papers have linked fluoride exposure during pregnancy or through formula prepared with fluoridated water—at the same concentrations as in Windsor's water—with adverse effects on children's neurodevelopment. Health Canada acknowledges this emerging science but is still determining a margin of safety before changing its advice on water fluoridation.
Recommendations for Pregnant Women and Parents
The letter recommends that pregnant women and parents or caregivers preparing infant formula should avoid fluoride exposure altogether until a safe level is established. Specialized water filtration systems can remove fluoride from tap water, and pregnant women should also avoid black tea, which hyper-accumulates fluoride. The good news is that breast milk contains very little fluoride.
The letter is written by Philippa von Ziegenweidt of Windsor.
Editor's note: The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit's statement on water fluoridation says, "The best available science-based evidence does not establish a causal relationship between drinking water fluoridated at recommended levels and lowered intelligence (IQ) or behavioural disorders in children."
