氟化物如何影响儿童发育？

氟化物如何影响儿童发育？

Water fluoridation has been hailed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as one of the top great public health achievements of the 20th century, but a new study raises questions about its role as a potential neurotoxin in utero.

水氟化一直被美国疾病控制和预防中心誉为20世纪最伟大的公共卫生成就之一，但一项新的研究对其作为子宫内潜在神经毒素的作用提出了质疑。

The study, published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics on Monday, found that increased levels of fluoride exposure during pregnancy were associated with declines in IQ in children. Previous research has made similar findings.

周一发表在《美国医学会儿科学》杂志上的这项研究发现，怀孕期间增加对氟化物的接触与儿童智商下降有关。此前的研究也有类似的发现。

The authors of the new study assessed 601 Canadian mother and child pairs, tracking the fluoride exposure of 512 of the mothers by looking at the average concentration of fluoride in urine samples taken throughout their pregnancies . The authors also estimated the mothers' daily fluoride intake by surveying their beverage intake, including tap water.

这项新研究的作者评估了601对加拿大母子，追踪了512位母亲的氟化物暴露情况，方法是观察她们整个孕期尿液中氟化物的平均浓度，以此作为产前氟化物暴露的指标。研究人员还通过调查母亲们的饮料摄入量(包括自来水)来估算她们每天的氟化物摄入量。

Between the ages of 3 and 4, all children born from the studied mothers were tested for IQ.

在3到4岁之间，所有被研究母亲的孩子都接受了智商测试。

The authors found that for each additional 1 milligram per liter in concentration of fluoride in a mother's urine, there was a 4.5-point drop in IQ in males.

研究人员发现，母亲尿液中氟化物浓度每增加1毫克/升，男性的智商就会下降4.5个百分点。

The researchers say that further investigation into whether boys are more vulnerable to fluoride neurotoxicity is needed, especially considering that boys have a higher prevalence of neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and attention-deficit disorder.

研究人员说，需要进一步调查男孩是否更容易受到氟化物神经毒性的影响，尤其是考虑到男孩更容易患自闭症和注意力缺陷障碍等神经发育障碍。

The researchers also measured the fluoride intake in 400 of the mothers against their children's IQ scores. They say this measure might reflect postnatal exposure to fluoride because a child is probably ingesting the same type of water as the mother did during pregnancy.

研究人员还将400名母亲的氟化物摄入量与孩子的智商进行了比较。他们说，这一测量结果可能反映了婴儿出生后接触氟化物的情况，因为孩子可能与母亲在怀孕期间摄入的水类型相同。

The authors believe that urine concentration better reflects prenatal exposure. They found that for every 1 mg/L average increase in fluoride intake by a mother, there was a 3.7-point drop in the child's IQ, regardless of gender.

作者认为，尿液浓度能更好地反映出产前接触的情况。他们发现，母亲每增加1毫克/升的氟化物摄入量，不论性别，孩子的智商都会下降3.7个百分点。

"At a population level, that's a big shift. That translates to millions of IQ levels lost," said study author Christine Till, an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at York University in Toronto.

“从人口水平来看，这是一个巨大的转变。研究报告的撰写者、多伦多约克大学心理学系的副教授克里斯汀蒂尔说:“这意味着数百万人的智商水平会下降。”

Fluoridation remains a contentious issue

氟化仍然是一个有争议的问题

Critics pointed to the difference between boys and girls as an issue in the study.

批评人士指出，男孩和女孩之间的差异是研究中的一个问题。

"The gender difference in the results make it difficult to interpret. At this point, the gender difference is problematic," said Dr. Aparna Bole, chairwoman of American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Environmental Health. Bole said that this research alone won't change any of the organization's recommendations to use fluoride to prevent cavities, but "I think the study was well done and that the commentary was thoughtful."

“研究结果中的性别差异使其难以解释。在这一点上，性别差异是有问题的。美国儿科学会环境健康委员会主席Aparna Bole说。Bole说，这项研究本身不会改变该组织使用氟化物预防蛀牙的任何建议，但“我认为这项研究做得很好，评论也很周到。”