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Water fluoridation is the practice of adding fluoride compounds to water with the intended purpose of reducing tooth decay in the general population. Many North American and Australian municipalities fluoridate their water supplies, believing that this practice will reduce tooth decay at a low cost. Currently 66% of United States residents on public water supplies have fluoridated water. Water purveyors typically add a fluoride, in the form of sodium hexafluosilicate or hexafluosilicic acid , at a level between 0.7 and 1.2 ppm. These compounds originate as side products from the processing ("defluorination") of phosphate ores to prepare fertilizer, food additive etc. . Fluorides such as sodium fluoride (NaF), sodium monofluorophosphate (SMFP), tin(II) fluoride (SnF2), and amine fluorides are common ingredients in toothpaste. Water fluoridation has provoked controversy, though opponents of fluoridation have not assembled as a majority in the scientific community. Whether for health concerns, concerns of consent, or because their people are receiving fluoride through other means, some governments have ceased or decided not to start fluoridating their water.
History
Bottled water and fluoridation Currently, there is some concern among dental professionals that the growing use of bottled water may decrease the amount of fluoride exposure people will receive. Some bottlers such as Dannon have begun adding fluoride to their water. Most bottlers, however, do not add fluoride, and fluoride concentrations are not usually labelled on the bottle. As a result, people who have fluoridated water supplies may receive less than the amounts of fluoride that fluoride proponents recommend if they choose bottled water over tap water. International status United States As of May 2000, 42 of the 50 largest U.S. cities have water fluoridation. 67% of Americans are living in communities with fluoridated water according to a 2002 study. As of 2001, 19 states have at least 75% of their population receiving fluoridated water. There is a CDC database for researching the water fluoridation status of neighborhood water. In 1998, 70% of people polled in an American Dental Association survey (a pro-fluoridation group) believed community water should be fluoridated, with 18% disagreeing and the rest undecided. The issue of whether or not to fluoridate waters supplies occasionally arises in local governments. For example, on November 8, 2005, citizens of Mt. Pleasant, Michigan voted 63% to 37% in favor of reinstating fluoridation in public drinking water after a 2004 ballot initiative ceased water fluoridation in the city. At the same time, voters in Xenia, Ohio; Springfield, Ohio; Bellingham, Washington; and Tooele City, Utah all rejected water fluoridation. The cost of fluoridating water supplies in the United States has been researched. In cities with a population of over 50,000 people, fluoridation costs 31 cents per person per year. The cost rises to $2.12 per person in cities with a population below 10,000. Canada Approximately 40% of the Canadian population receives fluoridated water Implementation of fluoridation usually lies with provincial or city governments. Brantford, Ontario became the first city in Canada to fluoridate its water supplies in 1945. In 1955, Toronto approved water fluoridation, but delayed implementation of the program until 1963 due to a campaign against fluoridation by broadcaster Gordon Sinclair. The city continues to fluoridate its water today. There have been some recent decreases in the amount of fluoridation used, however, as it has decreased from 1 to 0.8 to 0.6 mg per litre. Historically, British Columbia has been the province with least percentage of its population receiving fluoridated water. Montreal may be the last major city in Canada which does not fluoridate its water supplies. Europe Most of Europe does not fluoridate their water supply.
Other The government of South Africa supports the fluoridation of water supplies. In Brazil, about 45% of the cities have a fluoridated water supply. Government studies reported a decrease in cavities on the affected population between 40% and 80%. In Chile 70.5% of the population receive fluoridated water (10.1 million adjusted, 604,000 naturally occurring). Australia has fluoridation in all but one state, Queensland, in which water fluoridation is under local government control. The City of Geelong, west of Melbourne, does not fluoridate its water supplies. This is despite the fact that all of Melbourne's water is fluoridated. Many regional centres in Queensland do fluoridate their water supply, however Brisbane, the state capital, currently does not add fluoride to its drinking water. The first town to fluoridate the water supply in Australia was Beaconsfield, Tasmania in 1953.• Malfunctions in water fluoridation equipment Water fluoridation equipment has, on occasion, malfunctioned in the United States. Perhaps the worst incident in the United States occurred in Hooper Bay, Alaska in 1992. When fluoridation equipment failed, a large amount of fluoride was released into the drinking water supply and "296 people were poisoned; 1 person died,"* marking the "first reported death due to fluoride toxicity caused by drinking water from a community water system."* Controversy See main article Water fluoridation controversy Water fluoridation by public authorities has occasionally provoked controversy. Advocates of water fluoridation say that fluoridation is similar to fortifying salt with iodine, milk with vitamin D and orange juice with vitamin C and say it is an effective way to prevent tooth decay. Those opposed to public fluoridation of drinking water say that water fluoridation can have negative health effects such as dental fluorosis, bone cancer and osteoporosis which outweighs the purported benefits of water fluoridation. Some opponents claim that releasing fluoride compounds into municipal water takes away individual choice as to the substances a person ingests and amounts to mass medication. See also | ||||||||||
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