Facts about Fluoride
| "The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recognized the fluoridation of drinking water as one of ten great public health achievements of the twentieth century. Water fluoridation has helped improve the quality of life in the United States by reducing pain and suffering related to tooth decay, time lost from school and work, and money spent to restore, remove, or replace decayed teeth." more... |
| – Richard H. Carmona, United States Surgeon General, 2004 |
For more than half a century, the fluoridation of drinking water has been a topic of great controversy.
| Fluoride in Denver's Water |
|---|
| Denver Water pays close attention to public health issues related to water and complies with EPA and Public Health requirements for safe drinking water. Water from Denver Water's treatment plants consistently falls within the recommended level of fluoride for reducing tooth decay, and significantly below the level that risks fluorosis. |
The only substantiated and serious health threat associated with fluoridated water is in relation to kidney dialysis. Fluoride must be removed from the water used in dialysis because the treatment forces patients to process 50 to 100 times the amount of fluid consumed by the average person and thus exposes them, potentially, to unnaturally high amounts of fluoride. Other minerals with health benefits when taken normally, such as calcium, magnesium, and copper, are removed from dialysis water for the same reason.
There is also widespread concern about fluorosis, a discoloration of tooth enamel caused by exposure to high levels of fluoride. A recent study by the National Research Council concludes that exposure to 4.0 mg/L of fluoride, the EPA's Maximum Contaminant Level, can cause discoloration of children's teeth. The EPA has maintained a "secondary level" of 2.0 mg/L to protect against cosmetic dental effects. Fluoride in water from Denver Water's treatment plants is considerably below this secondary level.
The American Dental Association responded to the NRC report on fluorosis risks by pointing out that the report does not raise questions about the use of fluoride at the recommended 0.7 - 1.2 mg/L as a protection against tooth decay. The report, funded by the EPA itself, only examined the effects of naturally occurring (and pollution-derived) fluoride.
The American Dental Association makes the following policy statement at its web site:
| "ADA policies on community water fluoridation are based on the overwhelming weight of credible scientific evidence. That evidence stems from extensive scientific research and has been published in refereed (peer-reviewed) professional journals that are widely circulated." |
About 200,000 people in the U.S. are exposed to 4.0 mg/L levels either from naturally occurring fluoride or as a result of pollution. About 1.4 million people are exposed to the secondary level of 2.0 mg/L. As shown in Denver Water's annual consumer confidence reports, fluoride levels in our treated water have averaged between 0.84 and 0.91 mg/L.
Fluoride has been studied extensively. A number of organizations with no reason for bias have confirmed oral health benefits and found no significant risk of undesirable side effects: nationally, the National Academy of Sciences, the New England Journal of Medicine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Heart and Lung Institute, the National Cancer Institute; internationally, the World Health Organization, the Royal College of Physicians, and Oxford University.
The fluoride controversy is not likely to go away soon, since it has been part of our medical folklore for half a century. Health concerns are best discussed with knowledgeable professionals. If you are concerned about fluoridation, discuss your concerns with your dentist and your doctor. If you research the subject on the internet, be sure to look carefully at the credentials of any site before assuming their data is scientific or accurate. Reputable studies, by distinguished medical and scientific laboratories, are most likely to present a balanced view of the information.
For additional information, contact the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment or contact Denver Water at 628-6000.
* A milligram per liter is equivalent to one part per million. In other words, 1 mg/L would be the equivalent of one person out of a million Denver citizens or one minute out of two years.