NYT continues its irresponsible normalizing of dangerous fringe ideas by mischaracterizing an analysis of fluoridation in other countries very different from the US (more on that in a sec) to suggest that fluoride harms people's brains. www.nytimes.com/2025/01/08/h... - ThreadSky

ericacbarnett.bsky.social • 44 days ago

NYT continues its irresponsible normalizing of dangerous fringe ideas by mischaracterizing an analysis of fluoridation in other countries very different from the US (more on that in a sec) to suggest that fluoride harms people's brains. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/08/health/fluoride-children-iq.html

Comments

fireflyathon.bsky.social•43 days ago

Heard this b.s. credulously repeated on a local radio station the other day. Just so irresponsible.

averagerando.bsky.social•43 days ago

I’m assuming that it was also NATURAL fluoride in the water and not added? Like most of the other studies anti-fluoride people quote? In NA many jurisdictions REMOVE fluoride (and then add a bit back).

ericacbarnett.bsky.social•44 days ago

20 PARAGRAPHS IN, we learn that typical US fluoride levels are less than half of those considered in the study, which are all from other countries. Also deep in the story, we learn that what they mean by "lower cognitive function" is a 1.6-point drop in IQ, a long-debunked measure of "intelligence."

timjburrows.bsky.social•44 days ago

This sounds like p value hacking to me. A 1.6 point fall (out of average ~100 pts) would be barely distinguishable in any kind of social science regression analysis, let alone an analysis with data as noisy as IQ scores. I’d love to see the raw data and line of “best fit”

ericacbarnett.bsky.social•44 days ago

One thing they don't mention: The overwhelming majority of the 74 studies were in China (45) and India (12), which seems like relevant information to mention when we're talking about US policy. And, again, it ONLY looked at IQ test scores, not other measures of cognitive function.

ericacbarnett.bsky.social•44 days ago

We're going to end up reversing the most successful public health intervention in US history (our teeth used to just fall out! When I was growing up, all my older relatives were toothless!), and the NYT will share the blame for normalizing the idea that fluoridized water is dangerous.

thegrumpyoldtroll.bsky.social•44 days ago

MAGA: But it's draining us of our precious bodily fluids.

anniebkay.bsky.social•44 days ago

Nor overall nutritional status, and so many other factors. It’s the ol correlation is not causation phenom. Seeing the NYT, who should so know better, fall for this baloney reflects poorly on them.

wiplashed.bsky.social•44 days ago

Can we please stop "measuring" kids' IQs now? Isn't growing up hard enough without expectations and shame?

chrismommsen.bsky.social•44 days ago

The implication that you can restore the trust of conspiracy theorists with scientific study is just a category error

laureltaylor.bsky.social•44 days ago

I thought exactly the same thing! NPR has a headline about “triggering new debate” which is also bad. The debate is manufactured because of misinformation about what is happening in the US vs other countries who use more fluoride. It’s so frustrating