Gov’t Calls for Less Fluoride in Water

For the first time in 50 years, your drinking water may change. Due to an increase in fluorosis, a condition that causes spotting and streaking on the teeth of children, the federal government is recommending altering the levels of fluoride in U.S. drinking water. The government wishes to set the amount of fluoride in drinking water at 0.7 milligrams per liter, as opposed to the range of 0.7 to 1.2 milligrams per liter which has been instituted since 1962. Fluoride was added to U.S. drinking water in the 1940s to prevent tooth decay, but there have been increases in dental fluorosis in recent years due to an abundance of fluoride in toothpaste or mouthwash, as well as the increased popularity of air conditioning, the lack of which had led to different levels of water consumption by regional climate.