Uploaded April 2011 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
January 7th, 2011
Health and Human Services lowers recommended levels of fluoride in water
Substance causing fluorosis; health worries growing
ATLANTA - In a remarkable event, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced plans Friday to lower the recommended level of fluoride added to drinking water for the first time in almost 50 years, based on a new review of the science.
The announcement has renewed the battle over fluoridation, even though the addition of fluoride to drinking water is considered by the CDC to be one of the greatest public health successes of the 20th century. CDC bases their statement on statistics showing a continuing decline of tooth decay in the U. S. since fluoridation began.
The government first began urging municipal water systems to add fluoride in the early 1950s. Since then, it has been put in toothpaste and mouthwash. It is also in some bottled water and in soda. Some children even take fluoride supplements. Now, authorities say young children may be getting too much.
Official government sources and the American Dental Association have not generally acknowledged the tremendous amounts of fluoride released into our water systems across the country every day, states anti-fluoride groups. And, of course, more than 90 percent of that fluoride is never actually consumed, but ends up in our food, in our drinks, in our pets, in our grass and in the environment. No controlled studies have actually been done on what effects this may have on the ecosystem.
"Like anything else, you can have too much of a good thing," said Dr. Howard Pollick, a professor at the University of California, San Francisco's dental school and spokesman for the American Dental Association. Pollick has been a paid proponent of fluoride and fluoridation for decades, and has worked strongly to enact the policy in areas of the country that have resisted fluoridation.
HHS states that about two out of five adolescents now have tooth streaking or spottiness, also known as fluorosis, because of too much fluoride exposure. In extreme cases, teeth can be pitted or chipped by the substance. The problem is generally considered cosmetic by dentists, though the cost for hiding the problem by dental procedure can be quite steep.
Fluorosis, has become unexpectedly common in youngsters ages 12 through 15 and appears to have grown more common since the 1980s, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But, as the problem increases, there have been growing worries about more serious dangers from fluoride.
The Environmental Protection Agency released two new reviews of research on fluoride Friday. One of the studies found that prolonged, high intake of fluoride can increase the risk of brittle bones, fractures and crippling bone abnormalities. Anti-fluoride groups claim that fluorosis is simply an external sign of significant damage inside the body from prolonged exposure to an extremely toxic and accumulative poison. They state there is now significant and growing scientific evidence to support their view.
Critics of fluoridated water seized on the proposed change Friday to renew their attacks on it - a battle that dates back to at least the Cold War 1950s, when it was denounced by some extremist groups as a step toward Communism. Many activists nowadays don't think fluoride is essential, and they praised the government's new steps. However, the preeminent opponent group, the Fluoride Action Network (FAN) quickly announced that the move was not sufficient. They stated that only stopping fluoridation completely would be fully protective of public health.
Dental and medical groups were positive about the HHS announcement, but not for the same reasons.
"This change is necessary because Americans have access to more sources of fluoride than they did when water fluoridation was first introduced," Dr. O. Marion Burton, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said in a statement. Proponents continue to claim that in optimal amounts, fluoride is completely safe and effective against cavities.
The standard for fluoridation has been 0.7 parts per million for warmer climates where people theoretically drink more water and up to 1.2 parts per million in cooler regions where less water is consumed. The new proposal from HHS would set the recommended level at a flat 0.7 parts per million. At the same time, the EPA is reviewing whether to lower the maximum allowable level of fluoride in drinking water from the current 4 parts per million, a level that has been hotly contested since the 1980's, even by its own scientists and professionals.
This video was produced and broadcast by ABC News on January 7th, 2011, and is presented here under the Fair Use section of copyright as an archival record of this significant fluoride event. Our sincere thanks to ABC News. They were the only national broadcast network that gave this story the time and thought it deserved.
January 7th, 2011
Health and Human Services lowers recommended levels of fluoride in water
Substance causing fluorosis; health worries growing
ATLANTA - In a remarkable event, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced plans Friday to lower the recommended level of fluoride added to drinking water for the first time in almost 50 years, based on a new review of the science.
The announcement has renewed the battle over fluoridation, even though the addition of fluoride to drinking water is considered by the CDC to be one of the greatest public health successes of the 20th century. CDC bases their statement on statistics showing a continuing decline of tooth decay in the U. S. since fluoridation began.
The government first began urging municipal water systems to add fluoride in the early 1950s. Since then, it has been put in toothpaste and mouthwash. It is also in some bottled water and in soda. Some children even take fluoride supplements. Now, authorities say young children may be getting too much.
Official government sources and the American Dental Association have not generally acknowledged the tremendous amounts of fluoride released into our water systems across the country every day, states anti-fluoride groups. And, of course, more than 90 percent of that fluoride is never actually consumed, but ends up in our food, in our drinks, in our pets, in our grass and in the environment. No controlled studies have actually been done on what effects this may have on the ecosystem.
"Like anything else, you can have too much of a good thing," said Dr. Howard Pollick, a professor at the University of California, San Francisco's dental school and spokesman for the American Dental Association. Pollick has been a paid proponent of fluoride and fluoridation for decades, and has worked strongly to enact the policy in areas of the country that have resisted fluoridation.
HHS states that about two out of five adolescents now have tooth streaking or spottiness, also known as fluorosis, because of too much fluoride exposure. In extreme cases, teeth can be pitted or chipped by the substance. The problem is generally considered cosmetic by dentists, though the cost for hiding the problem by dental procedure can be quite steep.
Fluorosis, has become unexpectedly common in youngsters ages 12 through 15 and appears to have grown more common since the 1980s, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But, as the problem increases, there have been growing worries about more serious dangers from fluoride.
The Environmental Protection Agency released two new reviews of research on fluoride Friday. One of the studies found that prolonged, high intake of fluoride can increase the risk of brittle bones, fractures and crippling bone abnormalities. Anti-fluoride groups claim that fluorosis is simply an external sign of significant damage inside the body from prolonged exposure to an extremely toxic and accumulative poison. They state there is now significant and growing scientific evidence to support their view.
Critics of fluoridated water seized on the proposed change Friday to renew their attacks on it - a battle that dates back to at least the Cold War 1950s, when it was denounced by some extremist groups as a step toward Communism. Many activists nowadays don't think fluoride is essential, and they praised the government's new steps. However, the preeminent opponent group, the Fluoride Action Network (FAN) quickly announced that the move was not sufficient. They stated that only stopping fluoridation completely would be fully protective of public health.
Dental and medical groups were positive about the HHS announcement, but not for the same reasons.
"This change is necessary because Americans have access to more sources of fluoride than they did when water fluoridation was first introduced," Dr. O. Marion Burton, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said in a statement. Proponents continue to claim that in optimal amounts, fluoride is completely safe and effective against cavities.
The standard for fluoridation has been 0.7 parts per million for warmer climates where people theoretically drink more water and up to 1.2 parts per million in cooler regions where less water is consumed. The new proposal from HHS would set the recommended level at a flat 0.7 parts per million. At the same time, the EPA is reviewing whether to lower the maximum allowable level of fluoride in drinking water from the current 4 parts per million, a level that has been hotly contested since the 1980's, even by its own scientists and professionals.
This video was produced and broadcast by ABC News on January 7th, 2011, and is presented here under the Fair Use section of copyright as an archival record of this significant fluoride event. Our sincere thanks to ABC News. They were the only national broadcast network that gave this story the time and thought it deserved.
