GEOCHEMICAL RISK-FACTORS FOR MENTAL FUNCTIONING, BASED ON THE ONTARIOLONGITUDINAL-STUDY OF AGING (LSA) .2. THE ROLE OF PH

Previous papers reported on the associations between water quality and a measure of cognitive impairment, based on data of the Ontario Longi tudinal Study of Aging (LSA). The present report summarizes the inform ation on fluoride (F) and aluminum (Al) and provides additional inform ation on the effects of pH. Specifically, our preliminary results sugg est that a neutral pH, relatively low Al and relatively high F concent rations in drinking water decrease the odds of showing indications of cognitive impairment by a factor of about five, compared with other ty pes of drinking water. The relevant chemical reaction is ascribed to a n equilibrium involving Al complexes.