Fluoride
City of Centralia Fluoridation
Fluoridated water was first introduced to Centralia in 1959. The Water Department began adding fluoride to the water under the direction of the Council Members after it was put to a vote and enacted with the support of the community who wanted to protect the teeth of Centralia citizens. (Ordinance 1066 adding Centralia Municipal Code 6.04.010 and 15.04.300)
Centralia isn’t the only city that has passed an ordinance to add fluoride to the water in the last 70 years; there are over 130 other community water systems in Washington alone that add fluoride to their drinking water as well. The purpose of adding fluoride into the drinking water is to improve oral health by preventing cavities in children and adults in the easiest and most cost effective way for our community members. It should be noted that while Centralia does add fluoride to our water there are trace amounts that already exist in the drinking water we pull from our aquifer. A wide range of fluoride concentrations can frequently be found naturally occurring in public water systems and privately owned wells around the world. Fluoride is also found naturally occurring in several foods we eat. Shellfish, potatoes, and grapes are a few of the more common foods. They absorb and retain fluoride that is naturally occurring in the soil that they are planted in or found in. If too much fluoride is consumed there can be health risks, which is why Centralia uses the lowest level still proven to optimize the benefits of reducing cavities in children and adults.
The Department of Health and Human Services has researched community water fluoridation along with all of the other places where we can get fluoride in our diet (food, beverages, toothpaste, etc.) and has recommended a fluoride level of 0.7 mg/l fluoride in the water to reduce tooth decay in children and adults. The State Board of Health and the Department of Health (DOH) have set an Operational range of between 0.5 - 0.9 mg/l. Our operators monitor our fluoride treatment system daily and report to DOH monthly to ensure these levels are maintained.
To make these numbers easier to understand and visualize, 1.0 milligram in a liter or 1.0 mg/l means that one millionth of a 1-liter bottle would be fluoride. Otherwise known as 1 part per million which is another term commonly used in the Water Department when talking about a concentration of fluoride in the water. To put things into perspective, if you were to take a tape measure and stretch it 16 miles, only 1 inch of that tape measure would represent the fluoride in the water.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that 0.7 mg/l is the best dilution of fluoride for water systems because it gives the lowest risk of over fluoridation to the community who may be ingesting fluoride in other ways such as food, toothpaste, or drinking from other water sources with higher fluoride levels when they are away from home. In 2016, the Surgeon General and CDC stated that adding fluoride to drinking water is “one of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century, alongside immunizations, family planning, tobacco control, and motor vehicle safety”.
The following is a quote by the American Water Works Association (AWWA) in ANSI/AWWA B701-18 regarding fluoride in drinking water. “Community water fluoridation is an effective, safe and relatively inexpensive way to prevent tooth decay. Sodium fluoride (Naf) is one of several fluoride compounds presently being added to drinking water to reduce the incidence of dental cavities. Since the first fluoridation installed in 1945, studies have shown that this method of fluoride delivery benefits Americans of all ages and socioeconomic status. Dental decay can be reduced by 20 to 40 percent among persons who have consumed fluoridated water since birth.” Later in the same handbook the AWWA states that the optimal levels for the effectiveness of fluoride are between 0.7 mg/l and 1.2 mg/l.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) currently has an enforced maximum amount of 4.0 mg/l for fluoride for the protection of the public against the health risk of skeletal fluorosis. The EPA also has a non-enforceable secondary standard for fluoride of 2.0 mg/l which is in place to protect children against tooth discoloration and pitting of the teeth. These standards set by the EPA are to protect citizens from the harm of over fluoridation and are not recommended levels to optimize the benefits of placing fluoride in water.
In conclusion, fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral found in many water sources and foods that we eat. Over 70% of Americans who are connected to a public water distributor are receiving fluoridated water. Much like Centralia, the majority of these cities have chosen to adjust their fluoride levels to maximize the benefits of reducing cavities in children and adults. This is a practice that has been perfected over the last 77 years to insure the safety of the public in America and regulated by higher government agencies, such as the EPA, to prevent over fluoridation, which can have harmful effects. The City of Centralia has and always will stay transparent with its customers on what we add to the water and will handle any concerns from the citizens with honesty, an open mind, and science driven data to mitigate any concerns.
Safety Data Sheet
Centralia’s specific brand of sodium fluoride we use in our water system comes from “Mintchem” out of Shanghai Mintchem Development CO., Ltd. in China. You will see in the link below that sodium fluoride is quite toxic when consumed or makes contact with the skin or eyes in its pure state, but remember that Centralia’s treatment system is designed to use concentrated sodium fluoride and dilute it so that the level of fluoride in our drinking water is within the operational range and as close to the 0.7 mg/l as possible. This is the industry standard and proven to be beneficial to its consumers.
Note: In January of 2022, the City of Centralia sent samples of the Shanghai Mintchem Development Co. Fluoride to an independent laboratory to verify the “certificate of analysis” provided with their product. AMTEST Laboratories in Kirkland Washington verified The Shanghai Mintchem Development certificate of analysis was indeed accurate and the product we are receiving has a NaF purity of 98.60%.
Bibliography
Fluoride Myths & Facts
Water Fluoridation for a Healthy Washington
American Water Works Association ANSI/AWWA B701-18
The Nutrition Source – Fluoride
CDC Community Water Fluoridation
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Fluoride in Drinking Water Fact Sheet