CORRELATION ANALYSIS OF FLUORIDE LEVELS AND COGNITIVE TEST PERFORMANCES IN THE ADULT POPULATION EXPOSED TO WATER CONSUMPTION WITH HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF FLUORIDE

Intake of 2 milligrams per liter (mg/L) of fluoride (F) alters brain biochemistry and morphology. This paper evaluates the effect of water consumption with high levels of F on non-verbal intelligence in young adults from several cities in México. Such locations were chosen as they exhibit normal to exceptionally high F levels in water: León, Guanajuato, México, with F concentrations of 1.17 mg/L, Unión de San Antonio, Jalisco, México, (2.8 mg/L), Lagos de Moreno, Jalisco, México, (3.3 mg/L) and Teocaltiche, Jalisco, México, (6.8 mg/L). Different from other research studies, this one included participants aged 18, all from similar socioeconomic backgrounds who had lived in the study locations for at least 14 years. For each individual, F concentration in urine was measured and the Beta III test was conducted. The F concentration in the urine of the participants from León was 1.0 ± 0.4 mg/L, in Unión de San Antonio, 1.3 ± 0.5 mg/L, in Lagos de Moreno 2.8 ± 1.9 mg/L and Teocaltiche 6.4 ± 0.7 mg/L. An average IQ of 90 was recorded in León, 84 in Unión de San Antonio, 83 in Lagos de Moreno and 80 in Teocaltiche, with a significant difference of 10 points between León and Teocaltiche (data are expressed as geometric mean±. standard error). An inverse relationship between the IQ and the concentration of F in the urine was obtained.