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Water Fluoridation Facts and Information
California 's fluoridated drinking water act, Assembly Bill 733, became law
in 1995, requiring water systems with 10,000 or more service connections to
fluoridate once funding is available. As a result, drinking water provided
to the community of Redwood City by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
(SFPUC) will be fluoridated beginning in September 2005.
Water Fluoridation
Fluoridation is a safe, effective, and economical way to improve dental
health for the entire community. Fluoride, one of the most plentiful elements
on earth, occurs naturally in water supplies. When fluoride is present
in drinking water at optimal levels, it has been shown to promote oral health
by preventing tooth decay. Water fluoridation is the addition of small
amounts of fluoride to a water supply to achieve a fluoride level that helps
prevent tooth decay.
Fluoridation Information
- All drinking water naturally contains some fluoride. Community water fluoridation
is the process of adjusting the naturally occurring fluoride level to the
optimum level for preventing tooth decay.
- Adults, as well as children, benefit from drinking fluoridated water throughout
their lives.
- More than half (62%) of the U.S. population lives in communities served
by fluoridated water supplies.
- Community water fluoridation has the endorsement of every major health
organization in the United States and many other countries, as well as every
Surgeon General for the past 50 years.
- Every $1 spent on fluoridation saves $120 in dental treatment costs.
- Fluoridation will not change the taste, odor or appearance of your water.
- Fluoridation Benefits People of All Ages
Drinking fluoridated water, as part of your diet, will provide about 60 percent
of the protection necessary to fight against cavities. Fluoride works to strengthen
tooth enamel so teeth become more resistant to decay, and it reverses newly
formed cavities.
Optimal Fluoride Level
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), the wholesale water
provider to Redwood City, will supplement naturally-occurring fluoride in the
drinking water to meet the levels recommended by the California Department
of Health Services (CDHS), 1.0 milligram of fluoride per liter of water (mg/L),
or 1 part per million.
SFPUC has a CDHS approved fluoridation control range of 0.8 – 1.5 mg/L,
with an optimal fluoride level of 1.0 mg/L.
Fluoridation Safety
Extensive research conducted over the past 50 years has shown that fluoridation
of public water supplies is a safe and effective way to reduce tooth decay
for all community residents.
The overall value and safety of community water fluoridation is endorsed
by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and by the U.S. Surgeon General.
Community water fluoridation is endorsed by numerous public health and professional
organizations, including the American Medical Association, the American Association
of Public Health, U.S. Public Health Service, World Health Organization and
the American Dental Association.
Dietary Fluoride Supplements
Health professionals advise that fluoride supplements, whether pills or drops,
MUST be discontinued once water fluoridation begins. Drinking optimally
fluoridated water on a regular basis makes the use of fluoride supplements
unnecessary.
Communities Already Receiving Fluoridated Water
The SFPUC provides drinking water to approximately 2.4 million people in
San Francisco and portions of Alameda, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.
San Francisco residents and customers on the northern Peninsula have been
receiving optimally fluoridated water since the early 1950s to promote dental
health.
About 80 percent of the people in the SFPUC service area currently receive
fluoridated water, either directly from the SFPUC or from one of several water
districts or utilities that fluoridate independently. These include City of
Hayward, Alameda County Water District, City of Mountain View, City of Palo
Alto and Stanford University.
Beginning in September 2005, approximately 400,000 additional people will
benefit from optimally fluoridated water.
More Information
For information on fluoride in your drinking water, call 650-780-7464 or
visit us on-line at www.redwoodcity.org/water. For health-related information,
contact the San Mateo County Health Department at 650-372-8572.
For general information on water fluoridation visit the SFPUC on line at www.sfwater.org/fluoride,
or call 866-668-6008.
More information is also available on the following web sites:
All information on this page adapted from materials provided
by the San Francisco Public Utilities
Commission, the provider of all of Redwood City's water.
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