Reprinted from Plain Talk About Drinking Water, by permission.
Copyright © 2001, American Water Works Association.
Q: Is the fluoride in my drinking water safe?
A: Yes. When added or naturally present in the correct amounts,
fluoride in drinking water has greatly improved the dental health
of American and Canadian consumers. Early studies suggesting that
fluoride was a possible cancer-causing chemical proved to be
incorrect. A 1993 report by the National Research Council of the
National Academy of Sciences, Health Risk of Ingested Fluoride,
states, “Currently allowed fluoride levels in drinking water
do not pose a risk of health problems such as cancer, kidney
failure, or bone disease.” Excess fluoride in water is
removed by the water supplier using special treatment.
For one reason or another, about 40 percent of Americans do not
have adequately fluoridated water supplies, although fluoridation
is mandatory in some states. Recently, the American Dental
Association changed its recommendation on dietary supplements for
children, advising no fluoride supplement be given to infants
younger than six months old. You may want to talk to your doctor
about this.
When present even in correct amounts, fluoride and the
disinfectant chloramine do make water unsuitable for use in kidney
dialysis machines. Dialysis patients should check with their water
supplier or dialysis center about their water source.
