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Fluoride in Drinking Water
Fluoride. Many communities add fluoride to their
drinking water to promote dental health. Each community makes its own
decision about whether or not to add fluoride. EPA has set an enforceable
drinking water standard for fluoride of 4 mg/L (some people who drink
water containing fluoride in excess of this level over many years could
get bone disease, including pain and tenderness of the bones). EPA has
also set a secondary fluoride standard of 2 mg/L to protect against dental
fluorosis. Dental fluorosis, in its moderate or severe forms, may result
in a brown staining and/or pitting of the permanent teeth. This problem
occurs only in developing teeth, before they erupt from the gums. Children
under nine should not drink water that has more than 2 mg/L of fluoride.
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Reference:
"Fluoride,"
Inorganic Contaminants. Drinking Water Contaminants. Ground Water & Drinking
Water. U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency. July 2, 2004. <
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/hfacts.html>.
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