Fluoridation causes more premature births, one of the top causes of infant death in the USA. It poses the greatest risk to poor non-white mothers and babies. This is the finding State University of New York researchers from data spanning 1993 to 2002. Research in Chile in the 1970s also showed fluoridation caused an increase in infant death rates. Chile stopped fluoridation as a result.
A baby born at least 3 weeks early is classified as premature - accounting for about 12 percent of US births.
To ensure fluoridation was the culprit, and not some other factor, the researchers recorded fluoridation residence status (under or over 1 ppm) and adjusted for age, race/ethnicity, neighborhood poverty level, hypertension and diabetes.
The data came from the NY Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System, which collects comprehensive information on patient characteristics and treatment history. The research was conducted within the university's Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health.
"For the Ministry of Health to continue promoting fluoridation when there is this kind of evidence that it is real health risk is inexcusable" says Mark Atkin, Fluoride Action Network (NZ)'s co-representative on the Fluoridation-free NZ Coalition, adding "Only a few months ago we had further confirmation that fluoridation increases teenage male bone cancer rates. As has been said before, those who continue to promote fluoridation do so at the risk of future legal action against them."