Feds recommend lower fluoride levels in drinking water

A recently available evaluation of fluoride levels in drinking water indicates that they should be lower. Americans have gotten access to fluoride from more sources in recent years. However, the amount required in drinking water to prevent tooth decay today is less. An excessive amount of fluoride has become a concern, as more kids have shown signs of fluoride over-exposure. This has left many parents seeking out payday loans in order to pay the dentist bills for their kids. Source of article – Feds recommend lower fluoride levels in drinking water by MoneyBlogNewz.

Making for better drinking water with fluoride

Drinking water should stop getting so much fluoride in it. This is what the U.S. environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services explains. About 0.7 to 1.2 milligrams per liter of fluoride in water has been recommended since 1962. Because of increased access to fluoride in toothpaste, mouthwash, supplements and dental treatments, the government said 0.7 milligrams per liter should be the maximum. It can be bad to get too much fluoride. In fact, white spots or streaking on tooth enamel, or fluorosis, can occur when this happens. Mild fluorosis is something that two out of every five teenagers in the U.S. currently have, according to a DHHS study. The American Dental Association said the lower recommended fluoride level will both reduce tooth decay and prevent fluorosis.

Why a recommendation of fluoride is even there

Fluoride in drinking water is a practice that began in the 1940s. In the last 65 years, dental health standards in the U.S. have increased dramatically. Fluoridated public water supplies are common for about 64 percent of Americans. Fluoridated water supplies aren't given to about 100 million Americans, the Centers for Disease Control explains. The CDC ranks fluoridated drinking water as a benefit to public health on par with vaccination, birth control and the recognition that smoking is hazardous to one’s health. Originally implemented to prevent tooth decay in children, fluoridated water has proven to deliver better dental health throughout a person’s life.

Fluoride being part of a conspiracy?

Despite the science supporting fluoride in drinking water, conspiracy theorists have labeled the practice an evil government plot. During the 50s and 60s, conspiracy theorists said fluoridation of public water supplies was a communist plot. Other fluoride conspiracy theories include a government-enforced mass medication ploy, and even a plot for world domination by the Illuminati. The Nazis were alleged to have used fluoridation to make the German people submissive to their whims. Most recently, fluoride has been blamed for the U.S. obesity epidemic because it interferes with thyroid function.

Articles cited

CNN

cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/01/07/fluoride.recommendations/?hpt=T2

Los Angeles Times

latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-fluoridated-water-0107-2011,0,1282084.story

Business Week

businessweek.com/news/2011-01-07/fluoride-in-drinking-water-should-be-lower-hhs-says.html

mgoldmandds

mgoldmandds.com/fluoride%20conspiracy.htm

Conspiracy theories and hoaxes

conspiracy-theories-hoax.com/water-fluoridation-conspiracy-theories.html