Fluoridated water is consumed by more than 170 million Americans and endorsed by established medical, dental and health organizations throughout the United States.
Opponents of community water fluoridation tout the dangers of fluoride and insist that it is unsafe and ineffective. Below are some common misstatements and what the evidence really shows.
Rumor
The fluoride in our water is an industrial toxic waste product not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Fluoride used in community water fluoridation is not regulated by the FDA because it is not a food or medicine. It is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency, along with dozens of other water additives that are commonly used in community water supplies. Fluoride is not a toxic waste. It is a mineral byproduct of mining and is purified and inspected. By-products are materials produced as a result of producing something else and may in themselves be valuable resources. For example, glycerol, a by-product of biodiesel production, is used in toothpastes, soaps and foods. The EPA sets standards for fluoride to be used in community water fluoridation.
The FDA does regulate bottled water, however.
Rumor
About 45 percent of Seattle infants are overexposed to fluoride.
Seattle's water supply, like those of more than 50 percent of Washington, is fluoridated at 1 mg/L (1 part per million). The National Research Council’s 2006 review of fluoride in drinking water concluded that the prevalence of adverse health effects from fluoride is "nearly zero" in communities with fluoride concentrations below 2 mg/L. Seattle and other optimally fluoridated communities are even lower than that level – and therefore safe.
Rumor
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 32 percent of American children have some form of dental fluorosis.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that between the years 1999 and 2002, about one-third of children and adolescents ages 6 to 19 had fluorosis. The majority of these cases, about 90 percent, were “very mild” or “mild.” Very mild to mild fluorosis, faint whitish areas on teeth that are difficult to detect, is usually caused by things other than fluoridated water, such as swallowing toothpaste. Toothpaste contains 1,000 to 1,500 times more fluoride than optimally fluoridated water.
Rumor
Increasingly, scientific research links fluoride exposure to bone fractures and other health problems.
Contrary to their claims, even the research cited by opponents shows that when fluoridation is optimized to approximately 1 part per million, bones are strongest. Scientific evidence links fluoride exposure from fluoridated water to beneficial health impacts and reduction in cavities by up 40 percent. More than 170 million Americans consume fluoridated water with no negative health impacts. 60 years of fluoridation has shown it safely and effectively reduces cavities in communities all across the country. There may be a risk to bones at high concentrations of fluoride (around 4 parts per million), but such concentrations are not found in community water fluoridation, which are approximately 1 part per million. There is no evidence that supports that an increased risk of bone fractures at the levels used for community water fluoridation.12
“Kids with poor dental health miss more school, can be more distracted and can even have speech problems. As a teacher, I see first-hand how dental health can affect a child’s ability to learn and succeed. Our children deserve every health protection available.”