Photo: Diane Hammond (flickr) It’s In The Water Due to a rise in
fluorosis in children, the Department of Health and Human
Services and the Environmental Protection Agency are
recommending that the amount of flouride added to drinking water
be changed. On Friday, the government published a press release
that calls for fluoride levels be set at 0.7 millligrams per
liter of water. Currently the standards (made in 1962) allow
fluoride to be present in a range of 0.7 to 1.2 milligrams per
liter. A moderate amount of flouride added to water can help
fight tooth decay, but too much flouride can cause fluorosis, a
tooth condition that causes streaking and spotting on teeth.
Children and teens are especially vulnerable to fluorosis.
Changing With The Times Flouride was first added to water in the
1940s, but the Department of Health and Human Services says that
changes in children’s behavior warrant a change in the
standards. While flouride was not common in the early 20th
century, today children can get flouride in m