From the City of Lynchburg: The Lynchburg Department of Water Resources announced today that it has lowered the concentration of fluoride in drinking water to comply with new recommendations from the Virginia Department of Health, Office of Drinking Water. Water Resources will limit the amount of fluoride to 0.7 milligrams per liter instead of the 0.9 milligrams previously recommended. The recommendation from the Virginia Department of Health came after the Center for Disease Control and U.S. Public Health Service revised their recommendations for the optimal fluoride concentration in drinking water from the previous range of 0.7 to 1.2 milligrams per liter with the recommended concentration dependent upon location to 0.7 milligrams per liter everywhere.
(Continue reading for the rest of the news release.)
For 70 years, people in the United States have benefited from drinking water with fluoride, leading to better dental health. Studies have shown that drinking fluoridated water keeps the teeth strong and reduced tooth decay by approximately 25% in children and adults. By preventing tooth decay, community water fluoridation has been shown to save money, both for families and the health care system.
Over the past several decades, there have been major improvements in the nation’s oral health. Community water fluoridation has been identified as the most cost-effective method of delivering fluoride to all members of the community, regardless of age, educational attainment, or income level. ~ continued
The U.S. government has decreased its recommended level of fluoride in drinking water for the first time in a half-century, to prevent staining of tooth enamel caused by overexposure to fluoride. The optimal fluoride level in drinking water to prevent tooth decay should be 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water.
The new level falls at the bottom end of the previously recommended fluoridation range of 0.7 to 1.2 milligrams per liter, which was issued in 1962. Health experts recommended the change because Americans now have access to more sources of fluoride, including toothpaste and mouth rinses, than they did when municipal officials first began adding the mineral to water supplies across the United States, according to the HHS.
For more information about fluoridated water please go