More than half of all Pennsylvanians getting drinking water from public
water supplies are also getting a small dose of fluoride. Health officials
have said fluoridation is one of the most successful public health
programs of the last century, but across the state, there are still
many communities that do not add fluoride. WHYY's Brad Linder has
more.
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More Fluoride
Debate over fluoridation goes on.
October 16, 2002
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By Dan Simon
It's a controversial subject.
The issue of whether or not to put fluoride in drinking water supplies
has generated conspiracy theories worthy of an X-Files or James Bond
script in a debate where neither side will give an inch.
The idea of adding fluoride to drinking water supplies dates back
the beginnings of the last century when public health officials noticed
western states that had high levels of fluoride in their drinking
water, also had low levels of tooth decay. This led to a national
effort to add fluoride to water supplies.
Fluoride is a naturally occurring element that is a gas in its normal
form. The substance doesn't become a solid until it forms a compound
with other elements. In large quantities it's poisonous to human beings.
Those in support of fluoride argue it serves to strengthen the tooth's
enamel, by making its mineral composition stronger and so, less likely
to decay.
Those against the use of fluoride in drinking water supplies maintain
that while high-grade fluoride, such as the kind found in toothpaste,
is alright, the type of fluoride being added to the water is actually
a chemical waste product from other uses and not fit for human consumption.
The United States Public Health Service (USPHS) considers a range
from 0.7 to 1.2 parts per million as the optimum concentration for
fluoride in United States drinking water supplies. One part per million
is roughly the same as one minute in a two-year period or a penny
out of a $10,000.
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