Fluoride Levels

Medications are useful when taken in the proper dose. However, when the dose gets too high, it can be damaging.

A good example of that can be found during the current measles epidemic in Texas. Vitamin A is something that we need. However, it does not dissolve in water and get excreted by the kidneys. Therefore, too much builds up in the body. It can cause a condition called Hypervitaminosis A.

We know that people who contract measles can have the symptoms reduced by taking some Vitamin A. However, it has to be taken in the right dose. Some parents in Texas are pouring Vitamin A into their children without paying the right attention to the dose. The children have been showing up in the ER with symptoms of Hypervitaminosis A.

A similar controversy now involves fluoride. There is a correct dose and there is an overdose. The medical name for the overdose condition is fluorosis.

The story of fluoridated water actually dates back to 1909 and fluorosis. Children in Oakley, Idaho had brown stains on their teeth. The problem was initially identified as something in the water. It was not until 1931 that it was discovered to be fluoride.

Scientists began studying normal fluoride levels in drinking water across the country. By the late 1930’s they had discovered that levels up to 1 part per million (ppm) occurring in the water actually protected teeth.

The theory was tested by the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1945. They added fluoride to the water. Over the first 11 years, dental caries decreased by 60 percent.

The result was that by 2022 more than 62 percent of Americans were receiving water with added fluoride.

The original CDC recommendation for fluoride was that the level in water should be between 0.7 to 1.2 milligrams (mg) per liter.

Concerns were raised that once fluoride was in the water supply, it would be available from other sources as well. Prepared foods might contain flouride. Some mouthwashes (which could be accidentally swallowed by children) contained fluoride. Other beverages are made with fluoridated water. Toothpaste contains fluoride. 

For that reason, the guidelines were changed in 2015. The new guidelines lowered the acceptable amount to 0.7 mg per liter.

RFK, Jr often cites a medical study from August 2024 that found a lower IQ in children who received fluoride.   The amount of fluoride in the water for the study was 1.5 mg per liter. That is more than twice the 0.7 mg/liter number. 

The IQ decrease was measured at 1.63 points (average IQ is between 90 and 110) for each mg per liter increase in fluoride. The conclusion of the study was that there was not enough data to determine if the 0.7 mg per liter amount in drinking water had any affect on IQ. 

The recommendation was that more research was needed to better understand if there are health risks associated with low fluoride exposure. That is where we currently stand. The final story is not yet written. We just need to not over react in either direction.

Clearly some fluoride is good and too much is bad. It is the same thing we see with any other substances even Vitamin A.