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Fluoride: Water
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Fluoride is a mineral in drinking water. In the United States fluoride is deliberately added to drinking water to strengthen teeth. But can this fluoride in drinking water be excessive and lead to damage to bones and teeth? Hundreds of thousands of people in the United States may consume water that is at or above the government's standard because of naturally occurring fluoride. Children exposed to the government's current maximum fluoride limit risk developing severe tooth enamel fluorosis, a condition characterized by discoloration, enamel loss and pitting of the teeth. The EPA allows up to 4 milligrams of fluoride per liter of drinking water.
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Fluoride is a trace mineral found in varying concentrations in foods and in water. Foods high in fluoride include fish, tea, and many different vegetables. Fluoride is added into the municipal water supply of many cities in the United States. For those people without access to fluoridated water, fluoride supplements are available in the forms of tablets and drops. These supplements are not available without a prescription. Many non-prescription dental care products contain fluoride as well, including toothpastes and mouthwashes.
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Fluoride ... damages the brain, both directly and indirectly. Rats given fluoridated water at a dose of 4 ppm develop symptoms resembling attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder. High concentrations of fluoride accumulate in the pineal gland, which produces serotonin and melatonin. Young girls who drink fluoridated water reach puberty six months earlier than those who drink unfluoridated water, which is thought to be a result of reduced melatonin production. People with Alzheimer’s disease have high levels of aluminum in their brains. Fluoride combines with aluminum in drinking water and takes it through the blood-brain barrier into the brain.
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Fluoride is a desirable substance: it can prevent or reduce dental decay and strengthen bones... preventing bone fractures in older people. Where the fluoride level is naturally low, studies have shown higher levels of both dental caries (tooth decay) and fractures. Because of its positive effect, fluoride is added to water during treatment in some areas with low levels. But you can have too much of a good thing; and in the case of fluoride, water levels above 1.5mg/litre may have long-term undesirable effects (Table 1: see also fact file on fluorosis). Much depends on whether other sources, such as vegetables, also have high levels. The risk of toxic effect rises with the concentration.
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Fluoride supplements, available only by prescription, are intended for children living in areas with low water fluoride concentrations for the purpose of bringing their intake to approximately 1 mg/day (5). The American Dental Association recommends fluoride supplements for those children living in areas with suboptimal water fluoridation (30). The supplemental fluoride dosage schedule in the table below was recommended by the American Dental Association, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, and the American Academy of Pediatrics (31). It requires knowledge of the fluoride concentration of local drinking water as well as other possible sources of fluoride intake. For more detailed information regarding fluoride and the prevention of dental caries, visit the American Dental Association Web site.
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Fluoride in most groundwaters occurs as the anion F–. Waters with high fluoride content are found mostly in calcium-deficient ground waters in many basement aquifers, such as granite and gneiss, in geothermal waters and in some sedimentary basins. Groundwaters with high fluoride concentrations occur in many areas of the world including large parts of Africa, China, the Middle East and southern Asia (India, Sri Lanka). One of the best known high fluoride belts on land extends along the East African Rift from Eritrea to Malawi. There is another belt from Turkey through Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, India, northern Thailand and China. The Americas and Japan have similar belts.
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