Lower IQ?

 

New study finds fluoride lowers IQ at exposures similar to artificially fluoridated water and genetics  can cause heightened vulnerability The latest epidemiological study finding an association between fluoride exposures and reduced IQ in  children was at exposures in the same range as occur in areas with artificial water fluoridation.  T he study by Zhao et al (2021), conducted in China in a large group of 567 children, found substantially  lower IQ scores amongst those with greater fluoride exposure.  Child urine fluoride levels of 1.5 mg/L  were estimated to have a -6.5 IQ points* loss compared to children with urine fluoride levels of 0.5 mg/L.   The average urine fluoride concentration in the study was 1.0 mg/L, which is only slightly higher than the  average 0.7 mg/L urine fluoride levels found in studies of people residing in artificially fluoridated parts of  Canada and the US, and substantially less than the maximum levels [Green 2019, Uyghurturk 2020].  In t he Canadian study fluoridated water averaged 0.6 mg/L and in the US study it averaged 0.7 mg/L   The new Zhao et al study clearly supports FAN’s own recent dose-response assessment of over a dozen  higher quality studies of fluoride and IQ, which found a consistent statistically significant loss of IQ even at  exposures of 0.7 mg/L and below. This new study is also important because it confirms findings from two previous studies which found that  people with some specific genetic variations affecting neurodevelopment are especially susceptible to loss  of IQ from fluoride exposure.  Those previous papers were by Zhang et al (2015) and Cui et al (2018), and  they found 5-fold and 4-fold greater loss of IQ for people with specific variants in two genes.  The new  paper extends the findings by looking at four different genes simultaneously, and evaluating the interactions  between the genes and between fluoride and IQ.  All four genes are known to affect neurodevelopment,  acting through the neurotransmitter and hormone dopamine, according to Zhao et al.  The study found that  certain combinations of variants in the four genes produced much greater susceptibility to loss of IQ from  fluoride exposure, similar to what had been found in the single gene studies of Zhang and Cui, but  revealing a more complicated relationship that depends on interactions between several genes. Children with susceptible gene variants harmed most The genetic variations are naturally occurring and each variant typically exists in a sizable proportion of the  population, so these are not rare genetic conditions associated only with certain rare diseases.  The technical term for these variants are Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms or SNPs.

 

Outages Morph Into Outrage As Texans Slapped With "Mind-Blowing" Power Bills  

by Tyler Durden

Friday, Feb 19, 2021 - 8:35

The rolling blackouts that plunged up to 15 million Texans into darkness amid a historic cold snap are diminishing by the end of the week. About 188k customers were without power in the state on Friday morning. Days after power prices jumped from $50 per Megawatt to more than $9,000, the horror stories pour in for those who had power this week during grid chaos as they are mind-boggled how their energy bills skyrocketed. 

None of these horrifying power bill stories below should be a shock as we described to readers in the piece titled "Power Bills To The Moon: Chaos, Shock As Electricity Prices Across US Explode," that this would happen. 

Texans who were on a variable or indexed plans with power companies are only now reporting their bills have jumped hundreds of dollars, if not thousands of dollars for the month. 

Royce Pierce told Newsweek he owes electric company, Griddy, $8,162.73 for his electricity usage this month. He said that's a massive increase from his usual $387 bill. 

"It's mind-blowing. I honestly didn't believe the price at first," Pierce said.

"It's not a great feeling knowing that there is a looming bill that we just can't afford."

Pierce was one of the lucky ones who maintained power through the entire grid crisis, but it came at a steep cost. 

"There is nothing we can do now. This is already an insane thing and I don't care about the money when it comes to people's health," Pierce said, adding that if the virus pandemic hadn't affected his work, "we could have taken care of this."

Other horror stories of soaring power bills flood local television stations across the Lone Star State. When food and housing insecurities are incredibly high due to pandemic job loss, many folks in Texas who were on variable power plans could be financially devastated. 

WFAA Dallas spoke with one person who said: 

"Mine is over $1,000…not sure how…700 square foot apt I have been keeping at 60 degrees."

One couple said:

"When your electric company tells you to switch but there has been a hold on switching for over a week now. Using as little as possible 1300 sq ft house and this is my bill. . How is this fair. I only paid $1200 for the whole 2020 year. "

A tweet was accompanied by a screenshot of their bill that now stands at $3,800 for the month. 

 

 

Ty Williams told WFAA that his average electric bill is around $660 per month. He said it now stands at $17,000.

Williams wondered: "How in the world can anyone pay that? I mean you go from a couple of hundred dollars a month... there's absolutely no way...it makes no sense." 

Fluoride Friday!

 

The NAS Strengthens Findings On Fluoride's Neurotoxicity

The Fluoride Action Network (FAN), a non-profit group dedicated to education on fluoride's toxicity, finds that the National Academies of Sciences' (NAS) recent peer-review of the National Toxicology Program's (NTP) revised report, strengthens the NTP's conclusion that "fluoride is presumed to be a cognitive neurodevelopmental hazard to humans" lowering the IQ of children. 

FAN agrees with the NAS that the NTP should place "more emphasis" on the "marked consistency" of the evidence: 

"... 44 of the 46 studies ... indicate an association between higher fluoride exposures and lower IQ. Those results highlight the marked consistency in the current epidemiologic literature on fluoride and childhood IQ." 

FAN adds that its own analysis indicates 15 of the 17 highest quality lower-dose studies most relevant to water fluoridation demonstrated the same "marked consistency" as did higher-exposure studies.  

FAN agrees with the NAS that NTP should not make definitive statements about fluoride's effects at low doses until a "dose-response" analysis has been performed. This has been falsely interpreted by fluoridation defenders to imply that that lower doses are not neurotoxic! 

In reality, the best human studies (Bashash 2017, 2018; Green 2019; Till 2020) have found neurotoxic harm to occur at current exposure levels for people living in fluoridated communities. When FAN and others have used the methods advocated by the NAS they predict asafe reference dose (RfD) which is extremely low. A pre-print study by Grandjean et al. report a very low safe reference dose needed to protect the fetus. FAN's analysis confirms their conclusion. 

As far as exposure to the fetus or the bottle-fed infant is concerned, we believe, as with lead, there is "no safe level" for exposure to fluoride. 

The GOAT on Fluoride:

 

Sorry Chiefs fans, but the Buccaneer’s quarterback knows what it takes to win.  And fluoride-free water is  one of his advantages; so instead of getting mad, campaign to remove fluoride from Kansas City’s drinking water. Tom Brady, the star veteran quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (formerly of the New England  Patriots) and now 7-time Super Bowl winner, authored a book in 2019 on staying healthy in which he  mentions fluoride in water.  At age 43, his athletic achievements are considered unprecedented.  In  Brady’s book about how he stays healthy and in peak physical and mental form long after most younger  athletes have faded, a key factor is keeping well hydrated while avoiding fluoridated water. In chapter seven of his NYT Bestselling book (The TB12 Method: How to Achieve A Lifetime of Sustained  Peak Performance), while discussing the importance of hydration, Brady acknowledges the risks of  ingesting fluoride, advising readers to remove it from tap water by filtration. He writes: “Tap water is water that comes from a municipal source. Depending on where you live, most sources of tap water contain fluoride, chlorine, and, in some cases, lead. Excessive amounts of both fluoride and chlorine have now been linked to a number of health risks. Drink tap water only if you filter it first, which gets rid of many impurities. Even when you use tap water for steaming vegetables, it’s better to filter it first.” [page 208]  The advice to avoid fluoridated water has a sound scientific backing, for those who are trying keep their  bodies from the aches and stiffness that often accompanies aging.  A 2006 report from the prestigious  National Academies of Sciences NRC committee on fluoride found that there is evidence that excessive  fluoride intake may cause the pre-clinical stages of skeletal fluorosis.   Fluoride builds up in the bones over a lifetime of intake, and may lead to the early symptoms of skeletal f luorosis, which are stiffness and pain in muscles, joints, and bones.  These symptoms mimic arthritis, but  no adequate studies have been done to determine how much a lifetime of drinking fluoridated water may  be contributing to this widespread disease in many older people. The NRC 2006 report did conclude,  however, that there was sufficient scientific evidence for there to be a concern for increased risk of bone  fractures from the weakening effect of fluoride on bone.  The NRC even recommended that EPA reduce its  allowable standard for fluoride in drinking water because of this risk, yet even 14 years later the EPA has  failed to even consider that recommendation.   In the years since the NRC 2006 report, the adverse health effect of developmental neurotoxicity from  prenatal and early infancy exposure to fluoride has overshadowed the risks of harm to the musculoskeletal  system.  Recent rapidly emerging science has provided strong evidence that fluoride harms the developing  brain leading to effects like reduced IQ.  The National Toxicology Program (NTP) is wrapping up a 5-year  long systematic review of fluoride’s developmental neurotoxicity and has concluded the evidence is clear  that fluoride reduces IQ in children.  FAN has addressed the lingering debate about whether doses from  drinking fluoridated water cause neurotoxic harm.  FAN has shown the scientific evidence for  developmental neurotoxicity is as strong at lower doses as it is at higher doses.   Few people have the athlete genes and astounding discipline to come close to Tom Brady’s  accomplishments, but everyone, at all ages, can benefit from his practice of avoiding fluoridated water.   Pregnant mothers should avoid it.  Infants should never have formula made up with fluoridated water.   Older people should avoid it because it probably puts them at higher risk of weakened bones and  arthritis-like symptoms.  All ages should avoid it because it builds up over a lifetime in the bones.   Brady does not mention that many types of filters will not remove fluoride, but for those avoiding fluoride it  is important to use filters demonstrated to remove fluoride. Additional quotes from Brady on health: -"Our bodies become toxic when we ingest toxic chemicals." [page 224] -"I chose to eat organic foods." [page 218] -"Whenever the media claims any of the dietary methods that I pursue are new age or even quackery, I tell them that some of the biggest advertisers on television and in the stadiums I played in are marketing all the wrong things." [page 224] -"Let food be thy medicine." [page 219] Sincerely, Stuart Cooper & Chris Neurath Fluoride Action Network