by Mike Blagg
After many decades of almost universal addition of fluoride to public water systems, some cities are now dropping the chemical. A recent ruling from a federal judge in California ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to consider stricter regulation of fluoride in water in light of concerns of negative health effects from fluoride, such as brain development and brittle bones. One of the cities that dropped fluoride after the court ruling was Abilene, Texas. A statement released by the City of Abilene said “With potential changes to EPA regulations, such as potential adjustments to fluoride levels or the possible introduction of warning labels, the City is pausing fluoridation to ensure compliance with any new health and safety guidelines that may emerge. This temporary suspension is being implemented out of an abundance of caution to safeguard public health.”
Fluoride is not added to the water supply in Brownwood, nor any of the area water systems that purchase treated water from the Brown County Water Improvement District. The BCWID did add fluoride to its treated water for many years, but ceased doing so about 2011 out of concerns for cost and danger. John Allen, General Manager of the Water District, said “It’s the most dangerous chemical we ever worked with at the treatment plant. It can eat glass, concrete, and PVC.” If exposed to humans, it can burn lungs, skin, and eyes. The use of fluoride in water is not mandatory, and the water from Lake Brownwood has a natural amount of fluoride in it, Allen explained. Cities that do add fluoride try to keep the level somewhere between 0.7- and 2.00 mg/Liter (same as parts per million). The natural fluoride level in our water runs about 0.20 mg/L.
The maximum contaminant level (MCL) for fluoride in drinking water is 4.0 mg/L. Amounts greater than that will cause staining or mottling of teeth. Ground water or well water typically has more natural fluoride than surface water, such as lakes and ponds. The water is West Texas frequently is high in natural fluoride.
The history of adding fluoride to water goes back to the 1940’s and 1950’s. Proponents of fluoride cited the benefits to dental health, specifically in the prevention of cavities in children. The movement met resistance at the time, but eventually prevailed and was almost universally adopted across the United States. The first town in Texas to implement fluoridation was Marshall, in 1946. But lately resistance to fluoridation has renewed, arguing that it has minimal positive impact in cavity prevention because almost all toothpaste today includes fluoride, and because of concerns that it poses a risk to brain development and IQ in children, and to more brittle bones and cancerous bones in adults.
About ten years ago several advocacy organizations, led by the environmental group Food and Water Watch, filed a request with the EPA to ban fluoride in public water systems. When the EPA declined the request, the organizations sued the EPA in 2017. That lawsuit led to the ruling issued in September by U.S. District Judge Edward Chen ordering the EPA to address whether fluoride does indeed constitute a risk to children’s brain development. “If there is an insufficient margin (between the risk and reward of fluoride use), then the chemical poses a risk,” Chen stated in his decision. “Simply put, the risk to health at exposure levels in United States drinking water is sufficiently high to trigger regulatory response by the EPA.”
The American Dental Association still recommends the addition of fluoride to public water. According to the ADA, fluoride “helps prevent tooth decay by making the surface of our teeth (known as tooth enamel) stronger and more resistant to cavities.” The ADA website also states “For more than 70 years, the best scientific evidence has shown that adding fluoride to community water supplies is safe and effective,” and is “especially helpful in fighting childhood cavities.” It also states that “Research also shows that fluoride in local water systems prevents at least 25% of tooth decay in people of all ages.” While the ADA used to recommend fluoridation at levels between 1.2- and 2.0 mg/L, today the recommended level is 0.70 mg/L. Fluoridation is also recommended by the American Medical Association, the World Health Organization, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. In fact the CDC describes fluoridation of water as “one of the greatest public health achievements of the Twentieth Century.”
Today about tw0-thirds to three-quarters of public water systems in the United States add fluoride to their water. John Allen said very few in Texas still do.
Cody Shannon, manager of the treatment plant of the Brown County Water Improvement District, provided the following information: “Optimally most community water systems have a target or goal of 0.7 – 2.0 milligrams per liter (mg/l), also known as parts per million (ppm). When we quit feeding fluoride at the BCWID water treatment plant, our target was 1.0 mg/l, with having around a natural fluoride level of .20 mg/l in the raw water coming from Lake Brownwood. We discontinued feeding fluoride in the drinking water sometime around 2011. It is NOT a TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) requirement to feed fluoride, plus it is one of the most dangerous chemicals to be at the water treatment plants. It is an inhalation hazard, skin and eye hazards. Plus it will actually etch and destroy concrete, because of how acidic it is. Fluorosilicic Acid is the most commonly used additive for drinking water fluoridation in the United States, with fluoride concentrations of 23-25% fluorosilicic acid, with the remaining percent being water. It is a by-product of Phosphate Fertilizer manufacturing. Most toothpaste has the required amount of fluoride in it to fight tooth decay, plus it is very expensive to purchase and handle. Sodium fluoride is another form of fluoridation. It is a white powder or crystal and is more expensive to purchase and is most definitely more of an inhalation hazard.”