Why Test Your Water for Fluoride?
Testing your Connecticut water for fluoride important because it is most likely flowing from your kitchen’s tap whether you’re aware or not. Fluoride is a natural mineral found in the earth’s bedrock and in underground water supplies. Fluoride compounds are salts that form when combing with other minerals underground.
Fluoride can find it’s way into a home’s drinking water supply as a result of accumulating in groundwater sources that feed a private well.
Public water supplies in CT and throughout the country began introducing fluoride into the drinking water more than 5 decades ago in an attempt to help prevent tooth decay.
Fluoride and Health
Since public water supplies in Connecticut are required to monitor and control concentrations of fluoride and other water contaminants, health risks are more of a concern for families receiving their water from private wells.
Conversely, drinking water that contains Fluoride levels in excess of recommended State and EPA maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) can lead to certain health risks.
According to the EPA: “Exposure to excessive consumption of fluoride over a lifetime may lead to increased likelihood of bone fractures in adults, and may result in effects on bone leading to pain and tenderness. Children aged 8 years and younger exposed to excessive amounts of fluoride have an increased chance of developing pits in the tooth enamel, along with a range of cosmetic effects to teeth.”
Hundreds of communities have in recent years either stopped adding fluoride to their water supplies or voted to prevent its addition. Supporters of such bans argue that people should be given the freedom of choice. The broad availability of over-the-counter dental products containing the mineral makes it no longer necessary to add to public water supplies, they say.
Managing your Family’s Fluoride Intake
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is proposing to change the recommended fluoride level in public drinking water. The new recommendation, 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water, will replace the previous recommended range of 0.7 to 1.2 milligrams per liter, established in 1962.
According to the Department, “There are several reasons for this change, including that Americans in Connecticut and throughout the united States of America have access to more sources of fluoride than they did when water fluoridation was first introduced in the 1960’s.”
Infants and children who receive too much fluoride can develop discoloration or small dents in their teeth. In adults, consumption of excessive fluoride for extended periods can lead to skeletal fluorosis, a very rare condition that causes joint pain and stiffness, weak bones, muscle loss, and nerve problems.
However, a growing number of people in CT and worldwide are seeking alternatives due to concerns over fluoride’s effects on our health and the environment. Some concerns include dental fluorosis (faint white lines on teeth), neurotoxicity (brain or peripheral nervous system damage) and even infertility in women.
As a result, now it will be even more important for Connecticut families to determine what amounts of fluoride is right for them and their children.
Call today to schedule an appointment for testing the fluoride level in your water. 888-558-1574