Fluoride
Fluoride is the ionic form of fluorine and commonly occurs in combinations with other elements . Fluoride can be naturally occurring in groundwater, but it commonly added to municipal water supplies to aid in the prevention of tooth decay. The city of Grand Rapids, Ml was the first public water supply to add fluoride back in 1945.
Where Does It Come From?
Fluoride gas was a by-product of the phosphate industry, which manufactured commercial fertilizers. This fluoride gas caused significant air pollution problems, so now the fluoride is captured in scrubbers. The final by-product if called hydrofluoric acid, which is the combination of silica and fluoride. The presence of silica makes the fluoride unusable in other industries that would otherwise utilize fluoride. This hydrofluoric acid can contain toxic metals and trace amounts of radioactive isotopes. It is this by-product that is added to 95% of the public water supplies that have a fluoridation program.
How Is It Regulated?
The EPA has established a primary maximum contaminant level and has set the MCL Goal at 4 mg/L. In addition, the EPA has established a secondary MCL at 2 mg/L. What does this all mean? While the optimum amounts of fluoride (optimum level is 1 mg/L) can be effective at fighting tooth decay, too much fluoride can cause fluorosis. Symptoms of fluorosis include discolored, blackened, mottled or chalky white teeth. This happens when children are overexposed to fluoride levels, while their teeth are developing. Additional studies have shown that chronic intake of excessive fluoride can lead to skeletal fluorosis, which can lead to severe and permanent bone and joint deformations.
Why Are Regulations Being Challenged?
On March 22, 2006, the National Research Council completed a three-year review of the EPA’s standard for fluoride. The 12-person panel unanimously agreed that the MCLG of 4 mg/L for fluoride is too high and has asked the EPA to lower the standard to protect public health. Here are some of the reasons the panel sighted:
1.) There is a disappearing margin of safety; meaning the gap between the optimum level of 1 mg/L and the EPA’s MCL of 4 mg/L needs to be closer because levels above 2 mg/L cause floors.
2.) The dose cannot be controlled. While they can control how much fluoride is added to the water, they cannot control the amount of water people drink.
3.) Exposure analysis showed that people are actually getting fluoride from sources other than drinking water, which increases their exposure.
4.) They observed adverse health effects at low exposure levels.
5.) There are huge gaps in the data about fluoride’s health effects.
This will continue to be an issue that will be researched and investigated by various government agencies.
Testing For Fluoride
You can test for fluoride using Colorimetric , SPADNS with Ballack Distillation method. This method is based upon US EPA Method 340 .1 and uses a colorimeter to read a color change. This is an easy method to run in the field. Laboratories testing for fluoride in drinking water usually follow EPA method 300.1 , which utilizes Ion Chromatography, yielding more accurate results.
Water Treatment Options
The best way to remove fluoride it is using a point-of-use device such as reverse osmosis or distillation.
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