USA - Moorhead mom concerned about health effects of fluoride in drinking water
Moorhead mom concerned about health effects of fluoride in drinking water
MOORHEAD - Jill Dobis doesn’t drink her water out of the tap anymore. Instead, she buys filtered water along with her groceries for her family’s drinking and cooking needs.
By: Patrick Springer, INFORUM
MOORHEAD - Jill Dobis doesn’t drink her water out of the tap anymore. Instead, she buys filtered water along with her groceries for her family’s drinking and cooking needs.
The Moorhead mother of two teenagers is concerned about possible harmful health effects from fluoride, which Minnesota law requires to be added to community drinking water to protect teeth from decay.
“I want to see that law changed,” Dobis says. “It’s ridiculous. We should have the choice of whether to take a drug or not.”
Starting in the 1950s, fluoride was added to drinking water in the United States to protect teeth. Since 1962 the U.S. Public Health Service has recommended community drinking water within a prescribed range.
In North Dakota, the state leaves to municipalities the decision of whether to fluoridate drinking water, but a state health official estimates that more than 90 percent of the population drinks fluoridated water.
The Centers for Disease Control regards fluoridated drinking water, and the sharp reduction in tooth decay it is largely credited with achieving, as one of the nation’s top 10 public health achievements.
An impressive list of health agencies and organizations – including the American Medical Association, U.S. Surgeon General, American Dental Association among many others – recommend fluoridating drinking water as an effective way to improve dental health.
Yet the practice has long faced opposition, and in recent years a growing list of cities in the United States and especially Canada has opted to stop adding fluoride to drinking water.
A year ago, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as well as the Environmental Protection Agency jointly proposed reducing the recommended fluoride levels in drinking water.
The proposed lower standard recognizes that the population is exposed to fluoride from sources other than drinking water, including food and beverages as well as the environment.
For decades, the government has recommended maintaining fluoride in drinking water between 0.7 and 1.2 parts per million. But, following research published by the National Academies of Science, the recommended standard would be capped at 0.7 parts per million.
For health reasons, the EPA does not allow fluoride levels in drinking water to exceed 4 parts per million.
Both Fargo and Moorhead maintain a fluoride concentration at 1.2 parts per million, the level mandated in Minnesota, and the top of the current recommended range.
Ironically, too much fluoride, especially for children, can cause mottled or discolored teeth. More seriously, studies have linked fluoride to neurological problems, brittle bones and other ailments.
“The damage it causes is irreversible,” Dobis says, citing research she has read, including a recent book, “The Case Against Fluoride.”
MOORHEAD - Jill Dobis doesn’t drink her water out of the tap anymore. Instead, she buys filtered water along with her groceries for her family’s drinking and cooking needs.
By: Patrick Springer, INFORUM
MOORHEAD - Jill Dobis doesn’t drink her water out of the tap anymore. Instead, she buys filtered water along with her groceries for her family’s drinking and cooking needs.
The Moorhead mother of two teenagers is concerned about possible harmful health effects from fluoride, which Minnesota law requires to be added to community drinking water to protect teeth from decay.
“I want to see that law changed,” Dobis says. “It’s ridiculous. We should have the choice of whether to take a drug or not.”
Starting in the 1950s, fluoride was added to drinking water in the United States to protect teeth. Since 1962 the U.S. Public Health Service has recommended community drinking water within a prescribed range.
In North Dakota, the state leaves to municipalities the decision of whether to fluoridate drinking water, but a state health official estimates that more than 90 percent of the population drinks fluoridated water.
The Centers for Disease Control regards fluoridated drinking water, and the sharp reduction in tooth decay it is largely credited with achieving, as one of the nation’s top 10 public health achievements.
An impressive list of health agencies and organizations – including the American Medical Association, U.S. Surgeon General, American Dental Association among many others – recommend fluoridating drinking water as an effective way to improve dental health.
Yet the practice has long faced opposition, and in recent years a growing list of cities in the United States and especially Canada has opted to stop adding fluoride to drinking water.
A year ago, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as well as the Environmental Protection Agency jointly proposed reducing the recommended fluoride levels in drinking water.
The proposed lower standard recognizes that the population is exposed to fluoride from sources other than drinking water, including food and beverages as well as the environment.
For decades, the government has recommended maintaining fluoride in drinking water between 0.7 and 1.2 parts per million. But, following research published by the National Academies of Science, the recommended standard would be capped at 0.7 parts per million.
For health reasons, the EPA does not allow fluoride levels in drinking water to exceed 4 parts per million.
Both Fargo and Moorhead maintain a fluoride concentration at 1.2 parts per million, the level mandated in Minnesota, and the top of the current recommended range.
Ironically, too much fluoride, especially for children, can cause mottled or discolored teeth. More seriously, studies have linked fluoride to neurological problems, brittle bones and other ailments.
“The damage it causes is irreversible,” Dobis says, citing research she has read, including a recent book, “The Case Against Fluoride.”
posted by Bill at
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