Scientists Issue Serious Warning About Drinking Tap Water When Pregnant: ‘Our Results Showed...’

The advice becomes especially important during pregnancy when the fetus's brain is extremely sensitive.

PUBLISHED 6 HOURS AGO

Pregnant woman drinking a glass of water in the kitchen at home (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Doughal Waters)

Fluoride, the most reactive chemical element in the Earth’s crust, is of no significance to human growth, except that it is sometimes recommended by dentists for teeth problems. But the dilemma is that it is everywhere. A drinking water entirely free from fluoride is still a daydream, so scientists are urging pregnant women to avoid drinking unfiltered tap water, which contains the greatest quantities of fluoride. In a study published in the journal JAMA Network Open, researchers from the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine analyzed 229 pregnant women to find the link between fluoride and a baby’s brain development.

Expecting mother drinking water during pregnancy (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Prostock Studio)

High fluoride exposure

Scientists conducting tests in a laboratory (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Edward Jenner)

Urinary fluoride is one of the best and most reliable measures of total fluoride intake, which reason why researchers used this factor to conduct the study. Maternal urine is also the most widely employed measure of individual fluoride exposure in epidemiological studies, including those assessing neurodevelopment, researchers mentioned in the study. They discovered a 0.68 mg/L increase in specific gravity–adjusted maternal urinary fluoride during pregnancy, which indicated that prenatal exposure to fluoride disrupted fetal health.

Pregnant woman drinking a baverage from a glass standing before a window (Representative Image Source: Freepik) — Pregnant woman drinking water from a glass standing before a window (Representative Image Source: Freepik)

"Our results showed that higher fluoride levels in mothers' urine were associated with significantly increased neurodevelopmental problems in their three-year-old children, especially for internalizing problems like depression and anxiety," Tracy Bastain, an associate professor of clinical population and public health science and study author, told Newsweek. "These results are very concerning from a public health perspective, given that the majority of U.S. communities have fluoridated water."

Conducting the study

Silhouette of pregnant woman drinking water from bottle at sunset (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Westend61)

To conduct the study, the team obtained urine samples from 2017 to 2020, as well as neurobehavioural data reviewed from 2020 to 2024 from the Maternal and Developmental Risks from Environmental and Social Stressors (MADRES) pregnancy cohort. The eligibility criteria for women participants included being 18 years of age or older, with less than 30 weeks’ gestation. Women who reported prenatal smoking were excluded from the list. All the data was sent for a comprehensive analysis.

Cheerful young pregnant woman listens to unrecognizable female counselor (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | SDI Productions)

"This is all critically important for pregnant persons, because studies have shown that fluoride can cross the placenta and the blood-brain barrier, which can harm the developing brain of the fetus," Bastain explained.

Effects of fluoride exposure

Doctor shows ultrasound of fetus to a pregnant woman (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | SDI Productions)

Fluoride contamination mainly depends on the geology of the area. When volcanoes explode, they spew fluoride along with magma, per Intechopen. When the lava cools down, these gases fall and dissolve in the groundwater springs that feed the drinking water supplies of the country. Experts at News Medical explain that excessive exposure to fluoride in drinking water can trigger severe neurological damage and imbalance in the baby’s developing brain by disrupting certain neurotransmitters, including the shrinking levels of norepinephrine. These changes can lead to disordered intellectual growth in the child.

What’s the alternative?

Beautiful dark haired pregnant woman wearing grey drink glass of water at kitchen (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Olga Rolenko)

According to Bastain, the best option for pregnant individuals would be to drink filtered water, from table-top pitcher filters if possible. "There are other chemical toxicants in some plastic water bottles that are also harmful to the developing fetus," the researcher added.