The federal government is now proposing to lower the amount of fluoride that is recommended for drinking water in the United States. As of 1962, the Department of Health declared that the acceptable amount of fluoride that could be distributed per liter would be 1.2 milligrams. The proposed level is now set at 0.7 milligrams per liter as of 2011.
The reason for this latest finding is from many children that are younger then eight years old, have been diagnosed with fluorosis. This occurs when children get too much fluoride and causes spots or stains to appear on the tooth enamel. This eventually leads to the tooth or teeth to become weak and cause cavities. A resent study has shown the 40 percent of kids for the age of 12 to 15 have fluorosis. Aside from teeth becoming damaged, over a lifetime of consuming too much fluoride can also lead to bone fractures. This is according to the Center of Disease Prevention.
Dr. Yiming Li, of Dental Research Association, agrees that the change is necessary due to the amount of fluoride that is put in toothpaste and some mouthwashes since the 1940s. The lowering of fluoride to 0.7 would be more then enough to provided protection against cavities.
For years, warnings have been made about the dangers of too much fluoride in water. Starting in 2005, environment groups in Washington D.C. have been pushing to change the amount of fluoride levels in water, so that diseases like fluorosis could be prevented. Critics voice that it is up to the water utilities to act on the matter as well as the EPA to lower the fluoride limit. This will not be an overnight process, but changes have to take effect A.S.A.P. so that more children will not suffer from fluorosis in the future.